Night Hiking at MacLehose Stage 4-8

There is a need for such a way of Walking at night as we would go through one night of walking through the darkness during the 100KM Trail of Oxfam Trailwalker, even you are the Super Trail walker that can complete the 100Km in 12 hours. Then you may reach the finish point at 1100pm, still there are 5 hours of night walk. It is a Must for your eyes to adapt to the lighting condition on your LED head lamp and walk safely at night.
We did this for the first time of the year on the next day of Mid Autumn Festival on 24 September this year. We started at 2100 at Sui Long Wo and ended at 0800 depending on when your legs can carry you to...
I did only stage 4 as I had an appointment with the dentist next morning. Attached picture shows starting point that everyone looked so fresh and groommy... well, I can not post the picture of how we looked at the end of the day... We look.. ShiX!
Well. the best of the night walk is that you will sleep so soundly the next day additional 6 hours, and had so good appetite that you never had normally..
Note that a man need 1380 Calories a day only and this hours of hiking will take you away about 600 Calories a hour and a Hamburger will cause you additional 500 calories, and a Can of Regular Coco Cola is another 400 Calories!. So you should note that there is too much to eat.. then the belly will never get slim. The key is eating less and exercise more.
HK Snob

The Most difficult stage of MacLehose Hiking Trail

Stage Four is the longest and hardest trail of the 100Km of MacLehose Trail, the total length is around 13KM. with Ma On Shan as the first obstacle that you have to conquer.
Today there was hot weather warning, it was about 33 degrees, though we starteds at 0800 this morning, still we could feel the heat wave when we clawed up the mountain. We stopped our hiking at Kwun Yin Temple after 5 hours of good work out. I met KK Chan at end of the stage 4 who was moving fast and overtaken us in a few seconds.
Well. We will go for a night walk after the Mid Autumn Festival on 24 Sept.
We hope that the weather will be more favourable.

HK Snob

Hiking to Penang Hill

I had been there long long time ago when I worked in Penang as an engineer for the Semiconductor industries. Recently we went there again starting from Northern of Penang, went trough 2 hills before reach 3rd one Penang Hill (Peak) and when downhill again.
We went trough couple of bush trail, jungle trail, 30m 75 degress rope climb, rock climb, bike trail & single tar road for Jeep track.. Faced giant jungle aunts, mosquito, snakes, lizards and bugs, and likely prehistorical dinosaurs foot prints! Is a pretty challenging as friend of mine said.

From top of the hill we can see entire Georgetown (World Heritage Site), opposite site main land Butterworth as well as paddy field & another mountain..
The paranormal view is what we have taken while early of this month. The (12 sided Geometric block) building at the midst is Komtar where Komtar” stands for Komplex Tun Abdul Razak – (2nd picture from top) Abdul Razak was the second Prime Minster) still the tallest building in Penang total of 65 story. It was built in 1974-1986 when it completed with total height 232m (761.2 ft). In 1983 while building still under construction, 43rd floor caught Fire and destroyed all the floors above. Fireman unable to put the fire down due to its height, and the flame burnt out after 8 hrs. I was not there luckily, but good friend of mine Bok Sim told me as he was just 5 years old, but his brain still have the horrible fire scene from the TV and local newspaper at the time.

HK Snob

Pat Sin Leng and the lost Pilot

I went to Moscow for business trip and when I went home, I saw a mail who is a NZL journalist who came to see this Blog that I used walking Pat Sin Leng frequently and requested me to call him and helped his lost Pilot in Pat Sin Leng during hiking. I was puzzled as I was being chased by wildfire in Moscow and jammed in Moscow airport for 36 hours, I had no idea that this NZL man is really seeking help to rescue somebody. The next day, I saw news on TV that the dead body was found. I was feeling very sad as though I may not know if I could so something to search for the Pilot, But at least I responded to this journalist.... I had replied and expressed my feeling...afterwards.

Yesterday I had gone there with colleagues and freinds not particularly want to see the trail, but it was being one of the best place for hiking. Though it was very hot but...we walked up the first half of the trail, and there we managed to complete the exhaustive rest of it. It was a fun and as one of our team mates said, A "Quality Work out!" Definitely under the temperature of 34 degrees, walking through all the 8 ridges named by the fairies. Would estimate that we had burnt out thousands of Calories in this 12 km hill walk!

We passed by the trail that the Pilot's freind was once separated with him. I felt a bit uneasy, well we should NEVER walk alone for any hiking anywhere! As there is always accident and that could be hazardous if no one is here to help!



And we had been rewarded a bottle or two of likely the best chilled Coke and Beef noodles. Could it be a better way to spend your time in Summer!?


HK Snob

My new Hiking shoe Meindl Ventilator 7000

I have been using Montrail for ten years and at least I had used and worn off 40 pairs of Montrail during my last ten year hiking, until this year that Montrial had no sales agent in HK, So I have to find another shoe for my hiking.. Now this is the Meindl Ventilator 7000.  Once I had inserted my foot into the shoe and I could  immediatley I feel that this is probably the right shoe I am looking for after Montrail.
From the website this is the comment on this shoe...of course we will use other proper insole for replacement of his original filmsy insole...in order to prevent our foot to get premature tireiness. It is in sales at Protrek Hong Kong, since I am a gold member that I can entitle less 20% discount.. that would be a good deal for me...

TGO Rating: 5 stars (Best Buy)
Here, I’ll refer you back to the La Sportiva Trango review and those promised contradictions and subjective choices. Meindl’s Ventilator 7000 is the antithesis of the superb La Sportiva shoe: it’s light, has a very flexible sole and upper, and is super-cool due to its mesh upper and absence of a waterproof/breathable membrane.
And I love it to bits. If TGO ordered me back to the Pacific Crest Trail for six months (“Oh no, please… oh, okay then…”) this is the shoe I’d choose, of all the models featured here. While heel support is good, the rest of the shoe is what I’d called “relaxed” and pretty much lets your foot behave naturally (though not to the degree of the Hawkshead Cedar reviewed on page 95). There is room for improvement – I found my feet tired early in the Ventilator, and replacing the flimsy insole with a stiffer anatomical insole should ease that considerably.
TECHNICAL SPEC:
Upper: Velour leather & mesh with Air-Stream lining
Sole: Vibram with Magic Lightgrip
Membrane: none
Weight: 736g (size 10)
Sizes: 6-12
Likes: comfort, weight, heel support, flexibility, absence of membrane
Dislikes: flimsy insole,
Meindl (Bramwell International)
015395 60214
http://www.bramwell-int.co.uk/

HK Snob

Ngong Ping 360

We went up there again with a Taiwanese staff and US friend of mine visiting HK for Business trip. It was hot like 32 degrees C. We took two hours and 15 minutes to go up the hill.

HK Snob

Ngong Ping 360 Hiking Under The Cable Car

5 of us including one Malaysian and one US friend and two of our colleague PC and PC...went up to Ngong Ping 360 today under a humid and rather warm day!

We had enjoyed reward of Starbuck Coffee at Ngong Ping market after we had completed the 6.8Km starting from C03 to C29 of the trail. We then told a Cable car back to Tung Chung where we started the Hiking.

Feverip

Needle Hill on 1 May 2010

There were 16 of us went to these Needle Hill, Grassy Hill, Lead Mine pass, Tai Mo Shan and Then further 22 KM more for the entire stages of 9 and 10 of MacKelose Trail. I dropped out and escorted one Taiwanese engineer after stage 7 back to Shing Mum main Dam after her leg was happened too tired to move on.

HK Snob

Needle Hill with Brian

Brian came to HK for such a hiking on 13 March, As I had a machine buy off that I could not further conquer the Tai Mo Shan, We spent three hours for this Work out : Needle Hill, Grassy Hill, Lead Mine Pass back to Shing Mun Reserviour.  A good Hiking!

 HK Snob