Hutou Mountain Trail Introduction
Hutoushan (Tiger Head Mountain) is located northwest of Ruisui and is a prominent ridge extending eastward from Danda Mountain, with an elevation of 1,747 meters. At the summit, there is a massive rock that resembles a tiger perched on the mountain head, hence the name. An access road leads to the site, where the views from above are expansive, offering a panoramic view of the scenic valleys between the Central Mountain Range and the Coastal Mountain Range. Hutoushan is situated at the southernmost end of the Coastal Mountain Range, and the surrounding rock layers belong to the Liji Formation. Therefore, Hutoushan is an exotic rock mass encapsulated within the mixed layers of the Liji Formation, composed of gabbro. In recent years, as hunters have almost stopped entering this area for wild hunting, the small trails in the mountains have been completely abandoned, significantly increasing the difficulty of reaching the summit. According to the older generation in Ruisui, during the Japanese occupation, the Japanese were afraid that this "mountain tiger" of Hutoushan would cause trouble (due to its auspicious feng shui), thus they specifically used rough iron chains to bind the tiger's neck to suppress its spirit and prevent it from causing disturbances. Later, mountaineers confirmed the existence of two peaks that are bound by iron chains: the larger Hutoushan (with an elevation of 1,745 meters) and the smaller Hutoushan (Jiubunan Mountain, with an elevation of over 600 meters).
