We continued our journey, heading toward Tianhai Mountain Lodge.
As we climbed higher, the temperature kept dropping. Looking around, there was no trace of human-made structures—only the breathtaking beauty of nature. If you ever have the chance, you must explore Taiwan’s mountains. Especially if you’re still a student, with plenty of free time. Get out there and see the world.
As we walked, the mist thickened around us, as if we had stepped into a mysterious game level. The ground was slippery, and we noticed large sheets of glass scattered across the trail.
Wait.
Not glass—ice!
Looking closer, we saw clumps of leftover snow on the ground.
Our guide explained, “This is snow from the last cold wave that hasn’t fully melted.”
Everyone turned into little kids, stomping on the ice just to hear the satisfying “crack” sound.
Through the dense fog, we spotted a structure ahead. Just 800 more meters to Yunhai (The Sea of Clouds) Mountain Lodge. As the name suggests, Yunhai Mountain Lodge sits above the clouds.
In the afternoon, due to atmospheric convection, the clouds descend from above, creating an awe-inspiring waterfall of mist. It was a truly magical sight. But at that moment, I only had one thing on my mind—
Washing my hands. I turned on the tap—
No water.
“Oh! The pipes are frozen,” said an unfamiliar voice.
I turned to see a middle-aged Indigenous man, his face calm and unbothered. He was the lodge keeper, having worked here for 20 years, welcoming weary hikers like us.
Bringing some foods to the lodge keeper is a tradition. After all, there’s no Uber Eats up here, and you can’t exactly call McDonald’s for delivery.
Yunhai Mountain Lodge is large enough to accommodate 80 people. It was originally built during the Japanese colonial period as an observation post and has since become a refuge for hikers.
But… something about it felt off.
No electricity
Tiny windows (allegedly to prevent bears from breaking in)
Dim, eerie atmosphere most unsettling of all—
The walls were covered with photographs.
Black-and-white photos, faded color prints… all of people’s faces.
The lodge keeper explained that these were portraits of mountain rescue heroes. Regardless, you wouldn’t want to stare at them for too long.
For dinner, we had a warm, comforting meal of sesame oil chicken. Afterward, we sipped ginger tea, sitting around to hear the lodge keeper’s stories.
The sky was crystal clear, revealing an unbelievable number of stars, brighter than I had ever seen—except maybe in the American wilderness.
A shooting star streaked across the sky.
“Money, money, money, money, money, money, money, money, money, money, money!”
That was Yu’s wish.
…
I was speechless.
“You’re not making a wish?” he asked me.
“Alright, alright… I wish this trip will be unforgettable, meaningful, and that I’ll return home safely.”
Then, the lodge keeper began telling ghost stories from the mountains. One stormy night, the lodge keeper heard knocking at the door.
He opened it—
No one was there.
A few days later, it happened again.
This time, the knocking was faster and more urgent.
Again, he opened the door—
Nothing.
Then, a few days later—
This time, the knocking was so loud it seemed like someone was desperately trying to get in.
“BANG! BANG! BANG!”
AdvertisementsHesitating for a moment, the lodge keeper finally opened the door—
Three people in raincoats were standing outside.
They didn’t say a word. They simply stepped inside, shivering from the cold.
Feeling sorry for them, the lodge keeper hurried to the kitchen to make them hot ginger tea.
When he returned to the main hall—
They were gone.
The door was locked. The windows were shut.
Either they never actually came in, or they somehow locked the door from the outside.
And yet, despite searching the entire lodge—
No one was there.
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The lodge keeper shrugged. “I’ve been dealing with things like this for twenty years. You get used to it.”
We asked if he had any other ghost stories.
“Well,” he said, “sometimes, in the middle of the night, you can hear screams echoing from the valley. That’s the only time I actually get scared.”
Hearing that, we decided it was time for bed. After a long day of hiking, exhaustion hit us hard.
Or maybe it was the ghost stories.
Or maybe it was the freezing weather.
Either way, the cold was unbearable. I put on every layer I had.
The sleeping arrangements were a bit scattered—after all, it was a mixed-gender dormitory. I ended up next to Yu again, who was already snoring away. Annoyed, I smacked his face and shoved him aside. (Repeat indefinitely.)
Lying there, my mind wandered back to the creepy incident from the previous night—when someone had to accompany me to the bathroom. Then suddenly—
“AAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!”
A bloodcurdling scream shattered the silence. We bolted upright, grabbed our headlamps, and ran.
In the kitchen, a senior student lay trembling on the floor, eyes wide with terror. It took ten minutes before she could speak. Even writing this now, I get chills. She told us:
“It was too cold to sleep, so I went to the kitchen to boil some water.
While cooking, I noticed a middle-aged man, maybe 50, standing at the end of the hallway.
He was smiling at me.
I nodded politely and kept cooking.
But after twenty seconds…
He was still there. Still smiling.
Something felt off. I nodded again, uneasy.
Then it hit me—
Who was he?
AdvertisementsI had never seen him before.
He wasn’t our guide.
He wasn’t the lodge keeper.
So who the hell was he?
I glanced at him again.
He nodded back.
That’s when I realized—
With my headlamp on, wherever I looked, the light followed.
I had been staring straight at him the whole time.
I tried to remember—had I seen him before?
It felt familiar, but I couldn’t place it.
So I looked at him one last time.
AdvertisementsAnd then—
I lifted my headlamp to the wall behind him.
And saw his face.
In a photograph. Same features. Same smile. Exactly the same.
I lowered the light—
He was gone.
A wave of dizziness hit me. The next thing I knew, I was screaming. And then you all came running.”
True TAIWAN Horror story 
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