10th Participation in Oxfam Trail Walker

This is my 10th Participation for Trail walker, for every year, we had to thumb a index pin on this week on the calendar as one of the most event in the Whole year.

Due to my job is busy and there is not much time is allocated for enough practice regularly. So I had also questioned on myself. “Are you ready for this year?”
Finally, we had a series of heavier exercise on of the week ends for the last few weeks,
We had managed to complete in 34 hours, as two of our members had leg injuries and we could not walk fast at all. But we achieved the pre-set target: "to complete 100KM!"
The Weather is good this year,  a bit sunshine with temperature ranges between 11 Degrees at night at Beacon Hill to approximately 28 degrees at Sai Shan noon time on 19 Nov.

Let’s plan for another result in 2011.
HK Snob



Hiking into Superstition Mountains in Arizona

At Arizona, we climbed the mountain called “The Superstition Mountain”. Overall trail 5.6miles, took us 4 hours to complete. Temperature Lower 46F and higher 76F, just nice for the hiking.
It’s type of sand desert and rocky mountain. Challenging even going up and decent. Is totally different style of mountain from terrain, where this is all rock and stone. On top of the mountain, we could see the entire Phoenix city and nearby mountains.
HK Snob

Cyclying Challenge to the Snake Peak

Note the Left hill top on the last picture is the Snake Peak! See how Steep it is!

Snake Peak is notorious for his steep and rocky up hill that we have to use hands to crawl up.. And Down hill is even more scary!! However we have seen some Cyclists ran down like a dart down hill Snake Peak... We watched our eyes widely opened!! That can be hazardous..... and one of them was a lady!! 

HK Snob

A Convenient Training Trail for Stamia in N.T.

Foo Yung Shan is a low profile hill behind Tsuen Wan Discovery Park... It has a 866 steps up the first portion of the hill then follow the water catchment path for another 300m., there is another up step staircases for another 700 steps up to the Tai Mo Shan Country Park... In Fact the path would lead to the Shing Mun Reserviour then up hill Tai Mo Shan...if you continue to walk on.
We had three times walking up/down the two hill today... so that is (866+700)X2x3= 9,396 steps in 3 hour and 30 minutes.
Attached the pictures I took along the path... note that there is a team of man's best friend waiting to taste my porky thighs when I proceed to the end of the trail. At last I managed to escape this tragedy...walking back home. The other chap would persue another 3 times of the up/down hill. K. Y. is a Pro-Super-Trail-Walker!!
HK Snob

The Most Beautiful Trail in Hong Kong (MacLehose Stage No.2-3)

This is a tough walk for me as I had a cold and I felt I lost 30% of my power when I walked up the Sai Shan under temperature of 30 degrees. Though this is Mid Autumn, it is still hot. I used 4 hours to complete the stage 2 which I normally use 3 hours. Well, One interesting reward is that we meet over a few hundred people walking along with us.. Probably this is the first day of the long China National Day vacation. Also we do met many French, Mainland Chinese, and Japanese... hope everyone got a good work out along this most Beautiful Trail of Hong Kong.

HK Snob

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