Marathon Travel Exotic Travel with every Marathon Run

MacLehose Trail - Preparations

I had enrolled to run the Standard Chartered Hong Kong half-marathon on the 28th February, 2010. But going all the way to Hong Kong would merit bit more than a half-marathon run. I thrill in adding some exoticism to every marathon run by trekking or biking around the countryside. 

I had read about the mountain trails there earlier. I looked up a little deeper. The longest trail in Hong Kong is the MacLehose Trail. It runs for 100 km along the mountainous New Territories. This is it, I concluded.

Those who have spent all their time in Hong Kong buying jewellery in Tsim Tsa Tsui, or attending seminars in Central, will find it difficult to grapple with the fact that almost 40% of the land area of Hong Kong consists of country parks, which are thickly wooded. These parks, spread over Lantau island, Hong Kong island and the New Territories, have some of the finest trekking trails.

The New Territories, through which the 100 km. MacLehose Trail runs, covers the vast majority of Hong Kong's land area. Here is Hong Kong's most varied - and finest - countryside. The east coast, where the Trail begins, is deeply indented and wild. One can find some of the finest beaches there, which are totally deserted during weekdays. The central mountains, which the MacLehose Trail crosses, include many of Hong Kong's highest peaks. And the western part, where the Trail winds to its end, has impressive valley reservoirs.

The MacLehose Trail links eight Country Parks. Sai Kung East Country Park (4,477 hectares), Sai Kung West Country Park (3,000 hectares), Ma On Shan Country Park (2,880 hectares), Lion Rock Country Park (557 hectares), Kam Shan Country Park (337 hectares), Shing Mun Country Park (1,400 hectares), Tai Mo Shan Country Park (1,440 hectares), and Tai Lam Country Park (5,370 hectares).

The Trail has ten stages, varying from 5 to 16 km. The whole trail is 100 km long, marked by 200 distance posts at 500 m intervals along the path. It is named after Crawford Murray MacLehose, the longest serving governor of Hong Kong, who established the Country Parks and was himself an enthusiastic hiker. The trail passes through a variety of natural and beautiful scenery.

In one of the official maps of the Trail, the distance covered and time taken for each of the 10 stages was also mentioned. As per the map, two of the ten stages were difficult, others being manageable.

I also came to know that usually hikers do one or two stages at a time. The beginning and end of each stage is well connected by road or rail to the city. That is the beauty of Hong Kong. Verdant jungle resides in close proximity to bustling thoroughfares. So trekking a single stage or two is a one day, or weekend hike.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are these daredevil challengers, who run the Oxfam Trailwalker races across the entire 100 km, in 12 to 14 hours, running day and night.

Both the weekend and 14 hour options were not for me. I was scheduled to run Hong Kong marathon on 28th February, 2010. I earmarked one week after the marathon for the Trail trek. I had to complete all the ten stages in succession. Such an effort would require me to camp in the night within the country parks, which would mean I carry my tent, food and other provisions.

In addition I would have to cart sufficient water too. Water would be a scarce commodity along the trail, I read. So when I finally finished loading everything, my backpack weighed 12 kg and the front 3-litre hydro-pack weighed another 3 kg.

I would be alone on the trek. There are no guides in Hong Kong. I was not very sure about my map-reading skills. I have to put all faith in the distance posts alone, for safe guidance. I was alone because at my age, there are no contemporaries willing to accompany me on such a venture. If I go with youngsters, I am never sure I will be able to keep pace with them. I know I am a slow hiker in the best of times. Now I am loaded with 15 kg additional weight too.

Hong Kong temperature in early March would be around 18*C, but on the high mountains it could be far colder. I decided to wear a full jacket. And due to a recent angioplasty in June 2009, I was on aspirin medication. Bleeding will not stop easily if I get scratched by thorns. Thus I decided on thick camouflage trousers, instead of more comfortable shorts. All these add to weight, and every gram counts while climbing mountains.

But camouflage trousers suffer a big disadvantage. In damp trails, blood-sucking leaches are a big nuisance. These creatures have a knack of getting into trekkers' shoes, socks and then to bare skin, where they inject a shot of local anesthetic. Then totally undetected, the leach starts sucking blood in gay abandon, bloating into a balloon, gravity finally pulling it down. The bleeding from the wound would continue for quite sometime, for the fellow also injects an anti-coagulant while sucking.

During earlier treks in Borneo rain forests, as soon as we reach a shelter, good guide Michael Po and I would be busy plucking off leaches from our feet, legs and thighs (a very unpleasant operation). Once taken out, we have to torch them with a cigarette lighter. Else, these hardy creatures will just vault away dodging baton blows, only to return back to their body perches when you lie down.

Those days it was more an irritation, what with ugly blood stains. But for one who is already on aspirin, a leach attack is more than mere annoyance. A leach also has a preference for the warmer groin areas. No wonder, he ascends quickly to lodge himself in locales conducive to ardent sucking :) Under such circumstances, shorts aid in easy self-inspection.

Thus the dilemma: Camouflage trousers or shorts? Depends on whether the MacLehose Trail has more shrubs and thorns or blood-sucking leaches. Unfortunately, no one had addressed this issue, so I had no guidance. I will have to find out the hard way by myself. I wore camouflage and packed my shorts.

When I landed on 27 th Feb 2010 - a day before the marathon, Nathan Road at Tsim Tsa Tsui in Hong Kong's Kowloon area was one of the busiest thoroughfares in the world.

I checked into 'New Kawloon Hostel' in Mirador Mansion at Tsim Tsa Tsui. I took a single suite with attached bath. The advantage was that the marathon would start right from the bottom of the building. Thus I don't have to run around for transport early morning, on a day when roads will be closed for the marathon. There was another reason. When you are backpacking, you get the full kick only if you stay in the types of Chungking Mansions or Mirador Mansion, sleeping in bunker beds. But to be fair, though I found the rooms in Mirador just large enough to fit one bed (US $ 18 per night), they were neat, not smelly or noisy. Hot water was available for bathing and drinking. A double - door room gave good sense of security. In addition to room rent, the lady at the counter took HK $ 100 as key deposit, which was promptly returned when I checked out the next day. Staying in Mirador Mansion,  I relived some of the heady wild days spent in Chungking during my bachelor days. There was no "bath room." You just shower sitting on the commode :)  Finally when I lay down, I had a cute small TV to watch. The air-conditioner too, worked well whole night.

I had meticulously planned for a six day trek, optimising everything from the weight of my backpack to the inclusion of match box for my camp stove. My passport, insurance papers, credit cards and currency, everything will accompany me, fully packed and prepared to withstand rain, wind and body sweat over the six day trek. You will be surprised to know how much damage sweat can cause to even passport and visa papers, seeping inside plastic covers and even vaporising into zipped pouches.

But what got left out was this most important gadget that one should carry while in Hong Kong - the ubiquitous Octopus Card - Hong Kong's smart card.

Launched in September 1997 to collect fares for the territory's mass transit system, the Octopus card now covers payment at convenience stores, supermarkets, fast-food restaurants, on-street parking meters, car parks, and other point-of-sale applications such as service stations and most importantly, even vending machines in deep forest areas!

I discovered to my chagrin that the coin slots of all cool drink vending machines are blocked, lending my currency useless. They accept only Octopus! So if you are thirsty in Hong Kong, remember - its Octopus first, water next.

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MacLehose Trail – Day 1

Early morning on 28 Feb, usually crowded Nathan Road at Tsim Tsa Tsui had totally transformed itself. It was a sea of humanity. Men, women and marathon runners brimmed and boiled over each square inch of space on the road.

I ran the 21.1 km half marathon and finished it by 9.00 am. I had taken 3:04 hrs. In such races, I am always beyond the 85th percentile. Whenever someone points out that this is an atrociously long time, I tell them that "I run for running, not for winning."

As per Confucius, "it does not matter how fast you run, as long as keep moving."

Hurrah!

At 1.00 pm on the same day, ie. 28th February, 2010, I started out for the MacLehose Trail. I took the MTR to Diamond Hill, and from there, I boarded bus no. 96R for Pak Tam Chung, which is the starting point for Stage 1 of the Trail. At Diamond Hill, I had problem getting the right amount of change for the ride. It costs HK$ 33, and the bus drivers do not help with the change. Neither is there any place to buy a ticket. No Octopus card too on hand. Luckily a boy in the bus queue helped me out with the exact change to be deposited in the drop box in the bus. The bus station was noisy and it took almost 45 mins for the bus to start. After an hour's ride, I got down at the Pak Tam Chung bus stop.

I had a cup of coffee at a stall right opposite the bus stop (HK $ 11) and then walked over to the customer service centre at the right to get to know where I should start. The girl at the centre, ever so effusive, will not stop describing the glories of the MacLehose Trail and the Sai Kung East Country Park, where the Trail starts. I anxiously kept glancing at my watch. It was already 4:30 pm, and the weather was cloudy. Though I had started from Tsim Tsa Tsui at 1:00 pm, it was 4:30 by the time I reached this place. I had to foot it to the end of Stage 1 of the Trail before I could camp for the night. That was 10.6 km away.

"Pray Mam, where can I find the start of the trail?"

"Oh, just go out that gate, turn left and walk along the bus road for 200 metres. You will cross a bridge, after which you will see a board. Walk along further, and then, right ahead of you....."

I had already hopped out of the building and was scampering towards the gate.

The MacLehose Trail runs an entire 100 km over its length. After every 500 metres, there is a distinctive looking steel plated distance post. The MacLehose Trail is the longest trail in Hong Kong, and lo! traversing the entire trail is free, JUST FREE of cost!!!! Like in many other places, they don't charge anything in Hong Kong for enjoying these beautiful country parks. I have been to places where they charge for entry, charge for walking, charge for camping....

Over most of the Trail, I could get mobile network connection. God forbidding, if you land in problem anywhere along the route, just dial 211 and quote your nearest distance post (like M 036, M167 etc). The authorities assure you, they will arrive there soon. A very comforting thought, that.

Trail markings are excellent. The distance posts are religiously there, after every 500 meters. And if they are not there, you have lost the trail. Just retrace to the last distance post and look carefully. That is rare, but unfortunately does happen, even in a meticulously laid out trail like this one. I will later narrate how.

Stage 1 of the Trail starts with the enchanting High Island reservoir. This is the largest man-made water storage facility in Hong Kong, contained by a west Dam and an East Dam, connecting High Island and the Sai Kung peninsula. All along the Stage, it is an easy walk on a motorable road, along the periphery of the lake. Views are breath-taking.

There is a geopark on the way, where one can see volcanic rock formations. These are stunning hexagonal rock formations. These grotesque volcanic rock columns stand as high as 30 metres. They first appeared some 140 million years ago when subterranean magma and volcanoes were active. Whenever there was an eruption, great lava flows gushed out along with scorching volcanic ash. They spread across the ground surface and formed lava layers. During the cooling period, the rock contracted very uniformly and gave rise to the marvelous hexagonal columnar joints seen today.

From the East Dam side, I hurriedly descended a flight of steps to reach Long Ke beach, where thankfully stage 1 terminated, just as it was getting dark. I had covered the 10.6 km stage 1 in two hours. .

I pitched tent on the white sands. Just nearby, close to the road that leads to Long Ke village, there was a water tap. There was a warning that this is untreated water, not fit for drinking. I filled my hydro pack to its fill. I took out my tent stove, put in an hexamine slab and lit it. I boiled a packet of noodles and had my dinner. The night was peaceful and I had good sleep.

MacLehose Trail – Day 2

Early morning on Day 2 of the trek, , I was woken up by a cacophony of bird shrieks. I was thrilled to see a number of birds pecking in front of the water tap. Before I could whip out my camera, they had all gone.

I had better luck clicking the Long Ke beach.

Immediately after leaving the Long Ke beach, I started climbing up the 314 metre Sai Wan Shan peak. The board at the start of the climb warns of heat strokes along this section of the MacLehose Trail. So fill enough water from the tap near the gate to the Long Ke village on the beach before you start. The climb is steep, but in the month of March with the weather being conducive, I did not find it a difficult one.           

On climbing down from the peak, I entered Sai Wan village, where I had coffee in a village restaurant. I did not find any restaurants or eating places anywhere further down the trail. Stock well on food items if you are planning a six-day trek.

Footing it further from the village, I came on to the golden sands of the famed Tai Long Wan beach, which was emitting a surreal glow in the early morning sun. Just after crossing the Tai Long Wan beach, there is a bridge over an inlet of sea water. There is a warning not to cross the bridge if it is already inundated. Luckily when I crossed, the bridge was clear.

There are a series of hills thereafter. In the first hill, I found the sundial. After crossing the sundial, and the Ngau Wu Tun camp site, I found a huge horse-shoe shaped Chinese grave. Later, I saw many such graves within the country parks. Amongst Chinese, it was the practice to first bury the deceased in a coffin in the village graveyard for a number of years, usually about seven, this being the average time for the fleshy parts of the body to disintegrate, leaving the bones behind. At this point, the grave would be opened, the remains exhumed and cleaned, and an expert called in to arrange them in proper order inside a burial urn. This is the second stage in a burial.

The urn could then be placed on even a remote hillside in what was considered to be a favourable location as per fung shui rules. The urn would be moved from place to place, the responsible descendants experimenting with the locations in the light of family events over that time, since anything untoward would be attributed to bad siting of the urn. If, however good fortune smiled on the family, it might then be decided to prepare a formal, horseshoe grave on that site. The services of a geomancer were obligatory on such occasions as few families would possess a member with the necessary skills. Thus, by the time a new grave appeared on a hillside, there would have been considerable thought and activity among the responsible persons in the family, as well as huge expenditure. Sometimes, this included paying villagers with customary rights of grazing, and somebody to cut the grass around the grave occasionally.

Later, I came to the Sharp Hill. The detour to Sharp Peak from MacLehose Trail takes about 2 hours. It is quite scary at places, needing some rock climbing skills. I had to jettison my backpack, to be picked up on the way back. The final ascent is also quite steep. From the top (468 meters), I got a fantastic view of the Sai Wan and Tai Long Wan beaches

After five hours’ walk for the day,  I arrived at Pak Tam Au campers' tavern around mid-noon. Stage 2 of the MacLehose Trail had been finished. Though not very difficult, this stage is the longest of all the ten stages, at 13.5 km. I had hoped to complete it faster, but it took me 5 hours, as I had detoured to the Sharp Hill. I washed and rested at the tavern for an hour and then started on the third stage of the Trail. The map said it would take 4 hours, so starting at 2.00 pm, I hoped to reach Kei Ling Ha (end of Stage 3) before sunset.

Stage 3 of the Maclehose Trail started off after the M 048 distance post. It snaked into the Sai Kung West country park with a very steep jungle trail which had cobbled steps at times. After crossing a very high hill, the path descended into a long downhill. When I reached level ground, there was a campsite to my left and the time was quarter past five. I thought of setting up camp, but kept on walking indecisively. I wanted to cover more ground for the day.

When I reached M 055, all hell broke out. There were three direction boards, none of which led to 'Kei Linh Ha', my destination for Stage 3. First I took the trail to 'Yung Shoe O', but M 056 was nowhere in vicinity. I retraced my steps to the junction and footed up the 'Ham Ho' trail, only to find after a good twenty minutes that I am barking up the wrong trail. I returned in great anger and stood in front of M 055 distance post for quite a long time. There was no indication which direction I was supposed to take. Till then MacLehose Trail had been meticulously laid out, with no cause for uncertainty. But now, with the light fast fading, I stood in the middle of the forest, undecided where to go.

The confusion was confounded as the M 055 distance post was set near the Ham Ho trail, whereas the distance marked on the wooden board to 'Yung Shou O' tallied with the distance from M 055 to 'Kei Ling Ha', where I had to reach. Again, with a curse on my lips and prayer at heart, I took the trail to Yung Shou O. I got a gnawing feeling in the under-belly which one gets when he is stuck alone in the forest with a 15 kg backpack, a fast depleting hydra pack, forced to walk up a hill in fading light, after having footed 7 hours during the day.

After what seemed an eternity, I located M 056 distance post and went and patted it like hugging a long-lost friend. Just before M 056, the jungle trail had forked again, and I had taken the wrong leg in the earlier attempt. Then I started hurrying forward with revived gusto. The trail had become steep again, and I was panting heavily. By the time I reached M 059, it was almost dark. I had half a mind to go ahead under the guidance of my pencil torch. Then I decided against it.

Finally,  near about 7 pm. I pitched tent near M 059 distance post. It was pitch dark by the time I finished. I was deeply disappointed that I could not complete the trek upto the end of Stage 3, ie. M 068. It being very dark, and more as I was totally exhausted, I gave up the idea of cooking my noodles dinner. I stuffed the contents of a vegetable-n-corn ready soup mix in my mouth, got choked, but finally sent it down with two ounces of water, all that was left in the hydra pack. That much nutrition should suffice for the night.

As my full sleeved T-shirt was fully soaked in sweat, I put it under my sleeping mat to dry by my body heat. It was of a wicking fabric, and the manufacturer had advertised it as 'Lighting Dry' material. So I expected it to be dry very soon.

Soon I was fast asleep. A couple of hours later, I was woken up by some peculiar noises. 'Tip, tip, tuddup, toe.' I switched on my torch, and looked around. I found nothing. Slowly I realised that the sounds were emanating from within my belly. I pressed my navel, but there was no pain or discomfort. Then I remembered the uncooked soup I had ingested. Wow, the fellow was cooking himself inside me!

About to go to sleep again, I lifted the mat and felt my T-shirt. It was as wet as when it went under. That was disappointing. I will have to wear a wet shirt and walk again, because to reduce the weight of my backpack, I had got only one shirt along. Whatever happened to the 'Lightning Dry?' Finally I knew why the bright guy above could not have reached the sodden fellow below me. I was sleeping in between!

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MacLehose Trail – Day 3

The third day of the MacLehose Trek was my worst. As I told earlier, I had exhausted the last drop of water 12 hours back. My throat had been dry entire night. If at all, the ready to eat soup had only drained away more liquids from elsewhere in my body in the process of its self-cooking inside my belly. When I started in the morning at 8.00 am, I had just crossed M 059, and had to reach M 068, a clear 4.5 km away, before I could hope to find water. The climb in this part of the Trail was very rocky and very steep. It was a problem to find a perch for my foot amongst the huge rocks without slipping. Hikers can estimate from the vegetation and the rock sizes as how long they have to proceed upwards. Lower down, the trees are tall and the vegetation thick. Higher you go, the trees turn into shrubs, which finally flatten out into wild grass at the top of the hill. This is because there is greater soil density and water retention at the lower levels. Higher up, erosion washes away mountain soil and so big trees cannot grow. The rocks in the lower part of the hills are huge. As you go higher, the size reduces. Why?
Because rocks fall in one direction.
To my dismay, the trees were still tall and the rocks huge. I kept climbing. I kept trudging up. The backpack kept pulling me down. My shoulders hurt. I pulled at the shoulder straps of the backpack  with all my strength. Such pulling gives an illusion of reducing the weight of the backpack. Unlike the previous day when it was clouded, the sun had come out and the weather was hot and humid. My dry throat got further parched. Even saliva wasn't there to swallow.

I looked up. The Trail was turning and twisting. Up, up and away. In fact looking up was a mistake. Good guide Michael Po had always advised me in Borneo:
"When you climb, never look away from your feet. Never look above your head."
The first saves a slippery step; the second, the heart.

Who said water is a tasteless liquid? Those fellows have never trekked in hot weather with an empty water bottle. Water is certainly the most delicious liquid. No, not fruit juice and never those carbonated drinks. They only add to your thirst. Oh, water, water....

There was a steep flight of cobbled stone steps. Will that be the end? Will I reach the top? Push, push, finally I crossed the last step. Oh, what a disappointment, there was another long flight of steps, and then another following that.I slipped and fell. Luckily the heavy backpack cushioned the fall. Every burden has its brighter side. How did I fall? Where did I take the wrong step? What clouded my eyes? Am I getting disoriented? I thought of yesterday's warning board regards a heat stroke. I had escaped yesterday. Will I make it today?

By now the sun had started relentlessly beating down. You realise how long two minutes are, when you stand on one leg. You grasp the real length of 500 metres when you are trudging up on a 40* incline with a heavy backpack. Distance

Post, Distance Post, where are you?

No, none. I was still after distance post M 059. M 060 had not yet arrived. I had to reach M 068.Only then water… Only then wat… wa….w…

I could not take a single step further. I shriveled down on a rock. My throat felt like being strangulated. Will I survive this climb? I could neither go up, nor return all the way down. I became desperate. What do desperate people do in desperate situations? Then I remembered Bear Grylls when he walked the Sahara desert in the 'Man Vs Wild" series on Discovery Channel. ( http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/man-vs-wild-north-africa/ ). What had Grylls done when traumatized by heat in  Sahara desert, with not a drop of water to drink? Ah, ah, he had resorted to the self-same body hydrant.  

I hastily took off my shirt. It was a full sleeves shirt, made of 'wicking' fabric. I looked around, but that was unnecessary. Not a soul anywere. I unzipped. Held my shirt below my bottom hydrant.

I squeezed my belly.

Nothing came out.

I compressed my underbelly to wring it.

No result.

I sort of applied a tourniquet on my bladder. Spurt..spurt..

I drew a blank.

Then to my utter dismay, I felt like I have landed in a petrol station on Budget day eve.

"Sorry, Stock Out!"

No amount of coaxing or coercing helped. The Bear Grylls formula miserably failed in my case. I was aghast. Then, with a sudden realisation I looked at the shirt in my hands again. What I was trying to do was already done. The fellow was already wet, soaked, and sodden with sweat. What a fool am I to try to drench him further? With the urgency of a calf locking into the udders of his mom, I held the shirt up above my wide open mouth and squeezed. Wow! The tastiest ever elixir ever in my life flowed out freely into my eager mouth. I gulped. Then I gulped. I gulped in haste. I gulped in abandon. I gulped in great mirth. Squeeze. Drink. Squeeze. Drink. Squeeze....

I would have managed to salvage more than 750 ml of free ionised health drink out of my shirt.

You can never find out what a nourishing drink water is, sipping your glass in the air-conditioned comfort of a food plaza. But try it out under near - heat stoke conditions, and you will realise. Never mind even if the source is your own body pores, and it tastes a bit salty. It feels HEAVENLY.

My head refreshed quickly. I could see very clearly. I felt energetic like a farm stud. Hydration dear, hydration can work instant wonders.  Before I realsied it, I was already bounding up the rocks. All my weariness seemed to have evaporated. I even stopped sweating further. Got to ask some research guy:

Does our skin stop re-processing re-cycled material?

Then I thought of the shirt manufacturer. Will certainly write to him how to ‘dry’ in absence of  ‘lightning’.

Even as I was progressing rapidly, I thought of Bear Grylls again. Surprising that he did not go for  the 'Wicking' drink before opting for the more exotic body elixirs. And did all the video-graphers accompanying him in their 4WDs also hold their shirts under their bellies? 

Finally I reached the 399 meter Kai Kung Shan peak at M 064. I thanked all my Gods and promised to myself never again to trek hills. But this is the usual promise every trekker makes to himself. The agony, like childbirth, is soon forgotten, leaving in its wake a longing for more.

Though the wicking drink had energised me, I was dying of thirst and started literally jumping down the rest of the distance to the Kei Ling Ha camper's tavern where I could find water. The first thing that stuck my eyes as soon as I neared the tavern were the taps at the side of the customer service hut. I rushed and drank like a camel.

Suddenly I heard a startled female voice shouting "SARS, SARS". I kept drinking till my belly bloated into a balloon.

"SARS is a possibility. Dehydration is real and here," I told her later. She dragged me to the other side of the hut, where there was a juice vending machine. I smiled, and bought several cans.

I then cooked noodles in the barbecue and ate leisurely. I was through with Stage 3 of the MacLehose Trail. I had taken almost 5 hours to complete this stage. Deduct 15 minutes if you don't stop for a 'Wicking Fibre' drink.

2.00 pm and I was off on the Stage 4 of the Trail. It started fairly easily along a paved road, which soon bifurcated into jungle trail. I planned to reach the famed Gilwell Scouts Campsite before nightfall. I had by now traversed from the north to the south side of the east - west MacLehose Trail. The vegetation was very different, with tall, shady trees and damp floors.

All this while, I had neither encountered thorny bushes on the Trail, nor suffered any leach attacks. I happily changed over to my light-weight shorts, gladly discarding the heavy and fairly old camouflage trousers into a thrash can. On the way, the Trail passed in front of Ma On Shan, the second tallest peak in Hong Kong at 702 meters. The Trail did not ascend Ma On Shan, but I got a good photo-op.

Immediately thereafter, the Trail snaked through this charming path in between two tapering hills. Thereafter the sight was breathtaking. MacLehose Trail snaked and snaked as long as eyes could see around flowery meadows. A cool breeze was blowing and clouds would make their presence felt off and on. Velvety meadows stretching far and wide. Wild flowers to the lure

The scene was enchanting. Walking along the Trail, I was perched on top of a long-winding mountains path. On both sides, the shoulders of the mountain dropped and I walked in the middle. I was literally walking in the skies, amongst the clouds. I would say this is the best part of the MacLehose Trail.

Far off, I captured the tall buildings of Kowloon, paragliding out of silver-dark clouds. That was followed by several steep stretches and the Trail ran on without an early end. meanwhile, the day ended. I knew I was near Gilwell campsite, but total darkness fell around me.

I spotted a stream of water. Happily I decided to stay on its banks for the night. I set up a temporary shelter, called a 'bivoc' in mountaineering parlance. If you are caught in the midst of nowhere, you set up a 'bivoc'. I spotted a picnic table next to the stream, and spent the night blissfully sleeping on it.

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MacLehose Trail – Day 4

Morning I got up from my bivoc over the picnic table and trudged up the Trail to arrive at this scenic Gilwell Scouts' Campsite. It has facilities for a large number of boys to camp at a time. After a long walk over undulating mountains, I descended to a road, wherein the East - West MacLehose Trail and the North - South Wilson Trail were intersecting.

Here the mountains have been plastered with restraining walls to prevent rock falls. These walls disturb the sylvan look of the mountains and in many areas the authorities have been trying to turn them green. Trees are encouraged to grow out of the restraining walls, by providing them 'peeping holes'

All along the six days of trekking in deep jungles, I had no encounter with wild animals. At a couple of spots I saw intimidating huge bulls grazing along. I kept a safe distance, and they did not bother. Then, for the first time  I saw a green snake. But it was dead.

Soon I touched M 100 Distance Post !!! That means I have covered 50 km along the 100 km Trail. Half way through the MacLehose Trail! Beyond the Distance Post, one gets a panoramic view of urban Hong Kong. In this section, you are treated to an imposing view of Hong Kong skyscrapers. These are residential areas deep inside the New Territories.

This part of the country park is called Lion Rock Country Park. Lion Rock derives its name from the shape of the rock en-route, which resembles a lion sitting and keeping watch over Hong Kong. There is a detour from the MacLehose Trail, with a flight of steps leading to the Lion Rock. I went up one way, and got down from the opposite end. That culminated again on the MacLehose Trail (a couple of kilometers ahead). At this point, there is a detour to the Amah Rock.

Rising about 250 metres above the sea, Amah Rock is one of the hillocks of Lion Rock Country Park. I took a detour of about 45 minutes from the MacLehose Trail to reach this rock  This unusual rock is linked to a moving tale. A farmer left his wife and new-born son reluctantly to seek livelihood across the seas. Longing for her husband's return, the wife climbed up the hill everyday to look anxiously into the distance. Regrettably her husband never came back, for he had met with a fatal accident at sea. Hopeless and helpless, the young woman stood atop the hill day after day, with the baby perched on her back.

Finally the gods showed pity and turned her into a rock statue to eternally keep watch over the bay. True to legend, over the millennia, the Amah Rock has withstood the vagaries of weather, whereas all other granites surrounding it have slowly wasted away.

Then I ascended the Beacon Hill, from where I again got an enchanting bird's eye-view of the urban Hong Kong landscape below

The stage 5 of the MacLehose Trail ended at Kawloon Reservoir. The Tai Po Road was running adjacent to the reservoir and I took a bus from there towards Kawloon city. After three stops I got down in the midst of a busy street and bought a cigarette lighter. I was finding it difficult to light my camp stove with match boxes which had become damp.  The I took the next bus back and joined the Trail within half an hour. This is the uniqueness of the trails in Hong Kong. You are never far away from civilisation, even while roaming deep inside the forests.

Stage 6 was an easy walk along the reservoir , which gradually lead into grasslands, culminating in the Shing Mun reservoir. The route was thickly populated by macaques, which were running after each passing car and were frequently rewarded with nuts and fruits thrown out by tourists.

I was walking alone in the midst of scores of these monkeys. Surprisingly, they never bothered me. But on the way, I saw an animal aggressively pouncing upon a tourist, who took out a banana to eat. Don't look them in the eye. Don't pop anything into your mouth in front of them. In that case there aren't any better-behaved gentlemen than these naughty fellows.

Ah, ya. There are any number of boards advising people not to feed anything to these monkeys. If they get easy meals, why would they forage the forests? And the authorities take pain to explain there is enough natural forest food available within the country parks. Food that is healthier for these wild animals, er,,, than oranges.

After crossing the Shing Mun Reservoir,  I set up camp inside a tavern in Kam Shan Country Park

MacLehose Trail – Day 5

Early morning on the fifth day of the trek,  I was woken up by a large number of people shouting around. Piqued, I came out only to see Hong Kong elders practising Tai Chi in the park roundabout.

I broke camp and started my walk covering the final stretches of Stage 6 of the Trail, which traversed through the Smuggler's Pass. During WWII, in preparation for the Japanese invasion, defending British troops dug air raid shelters, bunkers and trenches in this region. A 11-mile defense line, called the Gin Drinker's Line, was deployed. Starting from the hills south of Tsuen Wan, it snaked along the coast of Gin Drinker's Bay in Kwai Chung coast to end in Shing Mun Valley. One interesting note about this defense line is that all underground tunnels connecting the bunkers are named after famous London streets. Smugglers' Pass is the New Territories' main route to South Kowloon. Given its strategic significance, the forts along the pass were key defense strongholds. Most of the forts were destroyed during the war. Bullet holes on derelict structures are the only reminders of the bloody battles that once resonated on these hills.

When the Japanese captured Hong Kong, they too built pillboxes, machine gun embankments and cave hide-outs. The cave hide-outs were especially vicious, with a few soldiers strategically hidden away to ambush incoming Allied armies. These were kamikaze troops, who suffered no delusions of returning alive after such ambushes. But there never was an Allied landing in Hong Kong before the Japanese surrendered.

After crossing Smuggler's Pass, Stage 7 of the Trail started. I climbed a couple of smaller hills, before reaching Needle Hill. True to its name, Needle Hill is sharp and steep at the top. The path is not very narrow, but steep and winding at the same time. The final stage of around 200 steps is near vertical and I trudged up very carefully, lest I lose balance due to the weight of my backpack. At the 532 meter summit, the grand landscape of northwestern New Territories unfolds. Gazing down, the nearby countryside and Shing Mun Reservoir were delighting with soothing shades of green, while the symmetric profile of Lead Mine Pass (which I will be traversing soon), marked a striking presence in the north.

The other side of Needle Hill is also a deep descent. Later, it was a pleasant walk down a shaded vehicular road, when the vegetation changed into deep green, finally leading to the aptly named Grassy Hill (647 meters). The ground in this area is a velvety green of smooth grass.

From Grassy Hill to the Lead Mine Pass, it was a very long trek, wherein once I lost my way. The Lead Mine Pass was a mountain top walk amidst rocks. Suddenly the wind speed picked up and I could actually see the winds closing in on me, blowing the clouds in their stride. It was a very thrilling experience. Gradually the winds became extremely powerful and once or twice I had to hide behind rocks, lest I get blown away. I waited in vain for the winds to subside. Then started walking again. The cloud totally enveloped me and visibility came down to five feet. While on this stretch, I had the horror of almost running into a huge black bull, which was standing in the midst of the covering the Trail. Lucky to have noticed it in time under very poor visibility conditions, I meekly walked away from him, while he watched with a sense of authority.

The route kept winding and winding up till I reached Tai Mo Shan, the tallest peak in Hong Kong at 957 meters. The walk was long and steep, but not strenuous. Having tasted the shorter, but more treacherous Sharp Peak and Needle Hill, I had in fact harboured more formidable impressions of what would be Hong Kong's tallest peak. On the other hand, it was a tame response. Right near the top, the Trail took a roundabout, circumventing the actual peak, which was cordoned off due to some defence / communications installations. Thereafter, the trail to Route Twisk was along an easy downhill motorable road.

MacLehose Trail – Day 6

On the last and sixth day of my trek, I expected to cover both the 9th and 10th stages of the Trail. I had read that these stages were quite easy ones. It all started with a refreshingly easy jungle walk.

I started around 8.00 am, and hoped to complete by 4.00 pm. Early in the day, I found some rare two / three storied buildings, still left in Hong Kong. But soon on the way, there were steep flights of steps. Though ordinarily easy, after six days of continuous climbing, even these short hoists proved highly taxing on my tired limbs.

Hong Kong never ceases to amaze. Sky-scrapers accompanied the MacLehose Trail till the very end. I was standing amidst enchanting sylvan setting, and clicking urban conglomerates probably within jumping distance!

The hills on the roadside were plastered with restraining walls, out of which long pipes emerge to channel rain water into storm drains. Water collected in such drains is routed into the reservoir. At one spot I found massive iron nets rivetted into the rock to prevent rock fall.

50-storey tall buildings continue right up to the tip of the island. Across the sea on the other side is the Lantau airport. One gets a clear view of aircraft landing and taking off from Lantau.

Whereas the MacLehose Trail started off amongst the scenic beauty of High Island Reservoir, the end of the Trail was a bit of a let down. Most of stage 10 is a walk along a motorable road. At the end, I climbed down a flight of steps in Tai Lam Country Park, through a very narrow corridor passing through tin shanties on both sides. Abruptly the Trail ended on the pavement of a very busy thoroughfare, just across which was the Tuen Mun (West) Light Rail.

I had to literally search for the last, 200th Distance Post to make sure I had exited the right way. Finally I located it to my left on the pavement.

M200 !

Six days of gruelling toil exploded into spontaneous mirth. After coaxing a slightly reluctant lady to click, I posed with a wide grin.     

In covering the 100 km in 6 days, I had spent a total 42 hours of trekking time. This is more than the 35 hours mentioned in the guide map (MacLehose Trail - Day 1), because I had taken detours to Sharp Hill, Lion Rock, Amah Rock etc. At 2 / 3 places, I had badly missed the Trail, and had to reverse long distances. Otherwise, it is quite possible to cover the distance well within 35 hours.

I finished the entire 100 km by 2:00 pm on Friday, 5th March. I had not bathed, changed clothes or even washed for the last six days. Over there in the jungles, you are lucky if you get enough water to drink. City-bred youth can’t even comprehend such situations.

Finally after reaching the end point at Tuen Mun, I took the metro train to Tsim Tsa Tsui, where I planned to stay Friday night and then take the Saturday morning flight to Singapore. I was itching for a shower and a scrub as soon as possible. In the metro train, a funny thing happened. It was fairly crowded and the distance to my destination was long. My legs were begging for mercy. But there were no empty seats around, and I hung on to a bar in half-stupor.

Suddenly I realised that the people standing around me had moved away. I said,

"Wow! Let me exploit the situation."

I slowly moved towards one of the benches in the metro car. As I expected, the seat next to me soon got vacated and I slumped down gratefully. There was a diplomatic retreat by whomsoever that was sitting next to me. Then the one next, and again...Slowly, the entire bench got emptied :) Wonder of wonders, in a crowded HK train, I had managed luxurious leg-space!

Sometimes you have to make the best out of a lousy situation!