3-year-old Taiwanese girl climbing East Asia's highest peak met with mixed reactions

3歲台灣女孩攀登東亞最高峰，收到反應有好有壞

Parents bring toddler to summit of Yushan; internet brings advice to parents in forum


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Taiwanese father of a three-year-old girl posted pictures of his daughter climbing the country's highest peak, Yushan, but his joy quickly turned to confusion when some accused him and his wife of child abuse.

Located in central Taiwan, Yushan, also known as Jade Mountain, is the tallest peak in East Asia at 3,952 meters. Eight climbers have died in 2019 alone either as a result of falls or cardiogenic shock, according to the official figures.

A father of a three-year-old girl posted tales of his experience climbing Yushan with his family on a Taiwanese online forum Sunday (April 19), sharing that the climb had been on his family's bucket list. Before taking on the country's highest peak, the couple previously climbed several other high mountains with their toddler.

The father described the trip in detail and provided pictures.

"I felt thrilled upon arriving at the Yushan trailhead. The air, the altitude, and the view... we've finally walked our dream path. With our three-year-old girl, we were met with encouragement and disapproval. We chose to carry on with the praise and ignore the disapproval. Regardless of how tough the road may seem given bad weather, we were determined to tackle the challenge and refused to give up," the father wrote.

"Hiking the trail was not too difficult for us. Though most of it is cliffside, it is wide enough for two people to pass. There are many rocks on the ground and it can be slippery sometimes. We often have to rest and adjust our breathing to prevent acute mountain sickness."

The father said that when the family was miles away from the Paiyun Lodge, they struggled with fatigue. When they passed through a wooden bridge, the girl's shoe dropped some distance, and the father managed to retrieve it — but with a great expense of his limited strength. The family was then met with heavy rain, thunder, strong winds, and light snowfall; however, they still managed to summit.

The family eventually reached the Paiyun Lodge: their goal. They were met with applause from other climbers.

After the post was published, some who claimed to be experienced climbers expressed their disapproval, saying that the couple put their young daughter in danger, as young children might be vulnerable to acute mountain sickness and other conditions, some of which have symptoms that might be difficult for a child to express. Some commented that the family was not well-equipped based on their outfits in the pictures; others chastised the father for his quixotic quest to retrieve the lost shoe.

A mountain climbing safety guide points out that the particular risks of exposure for children to high altitudes have not been thoroughly studied. Despite children's love of the outdoors, caution is advised for parents taking them mountaineering, as they may be poor at communicating their physiological discomfort and thermal regulation is not yet fully developed.