Hutou Mountain Trail Introduction
Hutoushan is located in the northwest of Ruisui, extending eastward as a prominent ridge of Danda Mountain, with an elevation of 1,747 meters. At its summit, there is a giant rock resembling a tiger perched on the mountain top, hence the name. A secondary road leads up to it, where the vast view opens up, showcasing the picturesque valley between the Central Mountain Range and the Coastal Mountain Range. Hutoushan is at the southernmost end of the Coastal Mountain Range, and the surrounding rock layers are part of the Lichi formation, meaning Hutoushan is an extrusive rock block encased in the Lichi composite formation, composed of gabbro. In recent years, due to the lack of hunters venturing into this area, the narrow trails in the mountains have become completely overgrown, significantly increasing the difficulty of reaching the summit. According to elderly locals in Ruisui, during the Japanese colonial period, the Japanese feared that this "mountain tiger" of Hutoushan would cause trouble (owing to its feng shui), and thus they specifically used thick iron chains to restrain the neck of the tiger, to calm its spirit and prevent disturbances. Subsequently, climbers have verified that there are currently two mountain summits restrained by chains, one being Greater Hutoushan (with an elevation of 1,745 meters) and the other being Lesser Hutoushan (Jiangbunanshan, with an elevation of over 600 meters).
