“Oh my gosh,” exclaims one of our hiking party as an enormous giant golden orbweaver (Nephila pilipes) crawls up the face of another, its leg-span wider than the palm of his hand.
These large gold and black spiders are commonly seen at the side of Taipei’s mountain trails, sometimes even crossing the entire trail. Many have had the unpleasant experience of walking face-first into one of their webs, but having one crawl over your face may be a bit much for most.
Starting at the China University of Science and Technology (中華科技大學), we soon discover stage six of the 92km Taipei Grand