Jianqing Huaigu Trail in Yilan restored to pristine beauty after mountain litter cleared

A mountain cleaning project has been launched to help restore the face of one of the world''s most beautiful hiking trails. Jian qing Huai gu Trail in Yilan is hailed as one of the most beautiful walks in Taiwan, but with its striking suspension bridge over a deep ravine, it''s a magnet for litter. Now, high school students and hikers are banding together to return it to its pristine beauty. Despite the pouring rain, a girl in jacket and safety helmet descends into a mountain ravine on a climbing rope. But this is no extreme sports trip. She''s picking up litter. A boy standing on the edge heaves the litter package up the slope. As one of the most beautiful paths in the world, Jianqing Huaigu見晴懷古Trail is worth cleaning up, whatever the weather. Wu Ssu-i Luodong Forestry Bureau At its deepest point, the ravine below the suspension bridge is as deep as an eight-story building. So as travelers cross the bridge, many accidentally drop their thermos bottles, or their phones, cameras, walking sticks, water bottles and so on, into the ravine. The kilometer-long Jianqing Huaigu Trail is part of Taipingshan太平山National Forest Recreation Area. It used to be a transport route for goods. Full of natural and human heritage, it was renovated and then opened as a popular hiking trail. But the ravine does seem to attract lost items. Now the Forestry Bureau and Yilan Mountain Education Union have teamed up with climbing instructors to clean it up. Twenty-six students from eight local junior and senior high schools have descended to pick up rubbish from the slope, which is 25 meters deep and, at its steepest, on an incline of 80 degrees. Wu Ssu-i Luodong Forestry Bureau We saw in this mountain cleaning event so many items dropped by tourists. So I''d like to call on people to take good care of their belongings as they cross the suspension bridge. Take nothing but photos, leave nothing but footprints. That''s an ecological hiking motto. But a special climb like this goes one step further: Take nothing but litter, leave nothing but beauty.