Water, mountains, trekking & nice views. Nothing better than this.

I believe this is Sharp's peak. One day I will try to go up that thing... easily the highest point in Sai Kung.

Long Harbour close to Chek Keng ferry pier. Original picture was pretty bland, this is a boosted up picture just for creative expression...

Pretty obvious: Sunken boat (tried my best to shoot sans reflection since I did not pack a polarizer)

Old houses along the waterfront

More harbours along the way, I dont think I ever found the name of this one

Wooden bridge over a small stream

Tai Long Wan beach, the large version of this picture looks more impressive to me shot with a 35mm f1.4

Tai Long Wan: Yachts moored in the bay

Tai Long Wan beach with Sharp's Peak in the background

Tai Long Wan

Dangerous Cliffs

High Island Reservoir with its water in a weird shade of blue

More Tai Long Wan, from a little farther away this time

Looking back at High Island Reservoir with the impending rain in the background. Yes, I did get wet.

After the rain: nice clear view of the island dotting the South China Sea

Long Ke bay, Sai Kung Peninsula

Long Ke Beach

Volcanic rock formations at Long Ke

Long Ke Beach

Back to High Island Reservoir to take a taxi back to town

*end*

View of Shek O from the ridge

Highlight of this trip: Dragon’s Back ridge, which is what you think it is: trail on a ridge

And what a way to end the Hong Kong Trail. On this last stage, officially named Stage 8, but for me this would be the fifth section, the sun would be out in full force. I’ve been doing this long enough, my backpack and shoulder bag is rather standard by now, including dinner packed to enjoy when I get to Shek O later in the evening. Except this is the second time I’m out with a new GPS, and this is Garmin’s Colorado 300. Hardly new, but as a replacement to my old eTrex Vista, it is years more modern. The way to get to the start of today’s walk is still very fresh in my mind. Take a metro to Shau Kei Wan, and at the Bus Terminus, jumped into a No. 9. The fare is around 6.90 HKD and all this bus does is to go up Chai Wan/Tai Tam Rd and then on to Shek O Rd all the way to the town that bears its name. The only tricky part here is I need to get off at the right bus stop. On the map, the coordinate of the stop is somewhere near (22.227375, 114.239611). I didn’t have my GPS out at this time because everything is packed shut in my backpack and I wanted only to take them out when I get to the stop. I remembered what the stop looks like, but with the speed buses go in these out-of-the-way roads, it is difficult to anticipate.

GPS plots of Section 5, from Tai Tam Bay to Shek O via Dragon Back ridge

Tai Tam reservoir in the background, on the way up to Dragon’s Back

At the stop, amidst tourists an local hikers and families I start to put everything into hiking configuration – camel bak piping, gps latched on bag, etc. I must say that this is the day when it seems everyone attempts Dragon’s Back trail. I see families with kids barely able to walk, and mainland chinese tourists overdressed in their faux-Burberry shopping attire. And these for a trail that’s rated as strenuous? I think I have to be up against an easy day today. Its noon by the time I start, and the first kilometer up to the top of the Dragon’s Back are steps and relatively tree-cover free. If you remember the last post in Section 4, this part of the Shek O Country Park has a lot less tree cover than the part closer to Chai Wan. There are some shade, but a nice had is in order for sure. Around the coordinate (22.229759, 114.24293) the trail branches into two and there is where the first rest stop lies, the right path leading up the hill to the top of the ridge, while the left goes in parallel but at the same altitude as the branch.

Two pictures of Shek O from the start of the ridge

Looks tough, but the ridge is quite an easy hike. I’ve seen dogs and little kids on the ridge on this day…

Shek O Peak with Big Wave bay in the background

In a short distance the trail hits the spine of the Dragon’s Back (22.229372, 114.243366). At this point there is a lookout, where Shek O and the golf course to the left of it is clearly visible. I’d spend some time over here surveying the vista, and this is one of the best place to take a bird’s eye view of Shek O village. In the afternoon this direction has the best lighting since it is looking towards the East. The west sucks. I think the 10 minutes I spend there, I could see at least 10 groups of people passing me. There is a bench here as well, so makes for a good picnic spot, but this is still early. It is easy to see why this mountain is called Dragon’s Back, from this end I could see a series of peaks that goes one after another along the spine. The path leads the way to the next, and the next before hitting Shek O peak. I suppose this is the highest peak on this path, but Mount Collinson could be higher. The path goes all the way to 22.241547, 114.24137 before turning left downhill to merge with the earlier path.

From here it gets boring. The tree cover is back, so it is a trek in the forest, not really gaining nor losing altitude. This goes on for kilometers till 22.255012, 114.23200 when it merges with a road. I believe on my GPS this looks like it is quite close to Shek O road where Bus 9 travelled through earlier. This is about the point where I realized I missed the path up to Mount Collinson according to the official map on the trail. I didn’t see the path that leads up the mountain. Blah. Took the left path on a concrete road till I got to a rest area around 22.255807, 114.24030. Straight on, it leads downhill to Big Wave Bay, but I noticed a little catch water path to the right. Thinking that this could bring me up Mount Collinson, I went ahead.

This path is, for most of the way, very narrow – enough for one person at the most. Along the way, met up with a man with plenty of dogs doing his stuff, whatever it is. Like a local Charles F. Muntz (see “Up!“). Darn barking dogs, I wait for one to come and mash it with my D3s, but the owner was kind enough to make sure the dogs don’t come close. Soon enough, the catch water trail ends and the path starts to turn to just bare earth and starts to go uphill. I think I might have found the way up the hill. It goes uphill or a hundred metre or a little more, and when I didn’t see the top yet and the vegetation starts to get denser, I made the decision to go back down otherwise I wouldn’t hit Shek O for the sun set. Little did I know, later viewing my GPS tracks, I was tens of meters away from hitting the spine to Mount Collinson.

Back on the track, the rest of the way down to Big Wave Bay is rather straight forward. First, all downhill. Second, tree cover, so you don’t really know where you are till you hit the houses in at Big Wave Bay village. Of course that was not the case for me, thanks to my new high sensitivity GPS unit.

I only realised it at the end, the distance post that I encountered in the last 4 sections had 100 parts to it, so you start with 0 and end with 100. That would make each post about 500m apart. Post no. 100 is just before entering Big Wave Bay.

End of the trail, entering BIg Wave Bay

Big Wave Beach: So named because… yup… of the big waves

On the right side of the beach: lifeguard tower just next to a little cove

Big wave bay looks like a small village. There cannot be more than tens of houses here. There are buses that comes all the way here but they stop outside the village, the roads being too narrow. There is a beach in this village, obviously the waves are big and full of surfers on this day. Now I also noticed 3 photographers with telephoto lens (amateurs perhaps since they are 70-300 and 70-200mm), and this makes me wonder what you are going to do with photos of strangers struggling to surf in medium sized waves? Anyways, this town is full of caucasian tourists and perhaps Hong Kong expats. Feels like I’m not in Hong Kong at all. Even the shops are all catering to the holiday makers. Took my audio recording of the beach and started my walk downhill to Shek O on the main road past the finely manicured golf course to my left.

On the small road going from Big Wave to Shek O, its actually quite walkable

At the end of Shek O Headlands is this nice rocky waterfront

Amazing what a nice 1000x ND filter can do with the wave…

Shek O is less european feeling as Big Wave, but still make no mistake about it, this is a tourist town. Walked to Shek O headland close to 5:30pm where I waited for the sun to set. Waited for the wedding photographers to finish their manufactured portraits and poor groom and bride pretending to be celebrities for the day. Sun sets around 6:45 pm at this time of the year, and the hour before sunset is the best time to shoot. And this is a a perfect way to end my experience of completing the 50km long Hong Kong Trail. Sandwich on the rocks in Shek O headland.

And it has been a fun 5 segment trek. I guess with much luck it could be done in 4 sections, but I really think 5 is stretching it. There are not too many places where you could end for the day and continue another. First of all, you’d need a bus stop at the section ends. But 5 days to complete it all is still not too bad. Out of the 5 sections, I think the best places to take photos is still the first section around the Peak, and perhaps Section 4 around Tai Tam Bay. Sometimes I think the best time to hike is when it is cloudy, but not raining. Sunny days are just bad for photography, and you sweat so much it is no fun at all.

Moving Time: 3hrs 05mins
Stopping Time: 2hrs 45mins
Odometer: 13.30km
Moving Average Speed: 4.3km
Total Ascent: 364m
Max Elevation: 299m

Among the last shots of this Hong Kong Trail: it was getting very dark, I exposed for a few minutes for this view of Tai Tau Chau…

*end*

Start of Part 4: Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir

End of Part 4: Shek O village from Tai Tau Chau

This spring has been quite terrible here in Hong Kong. It rains everyday, and just like back in Shanghai, you rejoice when you get the sun, because it is rather rare. So it is with this I told myself, whatever happens I’m out to complete the Hong Kong trail this weekend. That would be Section 7 & 8 according to the official map. This would mean starting off at Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir, go right through to To Tei Wan and then up to the Dragon’s Back mountain trail and ending up at Big Wave Bay. Lets just get to the plot here, to mention that there’s a Part 5 after all, and I never made it to Section 8 on this trip as Dragon’s Back trail is a little too tough to complete in one afternoon along with the hike from Tai Tam reservoir.

GPS plots of the path (in green) for Part 4, with Stanley and Shek O in the picture for positioning

It’s the usual. After filling up on a heavy brunch, I’m off by MTR to Shau Kei Wan, and then onto bus 14 on the main road just before Chai Wan Road. Booted up my Garmin Colorado 300 GPS and got off the bus right before the reservoir. There are not too much space here for any lingering. The dam is so narrow, there is only room on the top for a 2 laned road, so the views will have to be appreciated either in the vehicle, or on one end of the dam. Water is choppy due to a drizzle, with wind from the sea whipping up small waves.

A road runs on the Tai Tam reservoir dam, but being narrow, I don’t think I want to walk on it while double decker buses come charging down one side.

Tai Tam Bay

The initial part of the trek is along thick forests, along a concrete path, so it is quite safe.

Tai Tam reservoir viewed across from the other side of Tai Tam Bay

Tai Tam Bay coastline

Lan Nai Wan Village

Then it is a short walk up Tai Tam Road before going into the forest on the right following a path where I left off in Part 3. Here the path should be rated as easy as it follows a catch water and the altitude reading on my GPS is pretty much constant throughout. Under this heavy tree cover, there are no photo opportunities except for plants macro. The trail are paved almost all the way to Tung Ah Pu Village. The trail is not really straight, quite simply because it follows the contour lines of the hillside. There are some areas where there are clearings and this is where the views of Tai Tam Harbor can be had. It looks across to a bunch of apartments on Red Hill. Some sections I could see Lan Nai Wan village in the foreground and the expensive houses on Red Hill in the background. So a nice mid telephoto lens like 105mm can be useful here. Wide angle lenses are ok, but because there are always shoulder level undergrowth, it is not possible to get a clear shot. When I was there, there were patches of rain cloud and some patches of sunlight, so I was hoping for perfect lighting to capture an interesting shot. I don’t think I was given that opportunity anyway.

Tung Ah Village

Tung Ah Village upclose

Tung Ah Village looks quite interesting. The houses there are old, no doubt, but it has a long jetty and it is around this area when the vegetations start to change. There are no longer tree shelter on the path and the plants look more like the ones you see near the seaside. However we are still about 40m above sea level at this stage but in the lighter tree cover, there are huge boulders made of reddish colored rocks.

Not too easy to see, but its a speed boat turning back to retrieve a fallen water skier

From here the forests give way to thick undergrowth that’s more representative of a coastal ecosystem

To Tei Wan, with the storms closing in…

It is somewhere near Ngan Hang Village when the trail turns from the familiar concrete into compacted earth and starts to go downhill. This continues all the way to To Tei Wan beach, I saw a sign that says the proper name for it is Deity Beach. This looks like where most of the watersports freaks take off. I counted sailing, water skiing and so on. My interest is somewhere else. It is almost 5pm right now, having spent about 4 hours to get form Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir to where I am. The path starts to climb from here up to Shek O road. The climb is tough but concrete stairs make it easy to climb in all weather. I’m tired because I think I’ve seen and climbed too many hills lately. Right along the road is the bus stop for Bus number 9 that will take you all the way back to Shau Kei Wan, or if you prefer, to Shek O. I checked my watch and there is no way I could make it on to Dragon’s back and to Big Wave Bay before night fall. So time to call it quits for now, and headed over to Shek O. The only way to get there is by bus since the road is narrow and you’d be nuts to be walking with bus traveling FAST on it.

I will miss Cape D’Aguilar this time, but I will be back on this one…

Made it to Shek O with an hour and half of light left for the evening according to my GPS sunset computation. Bus 9 stops right in the middle of Shek O town, and a short uphill walk brings you to Shek O Headland where plenty of cliffs await. The obvious thing when you get here for the first time is that this a choice spots for locals to shoot their wedding photos. I can’t recall how many brides and bridemaids I’ve seen during my walk here. More of them than groom for sure. At the headland on the way to Tai Tau Chau, I’ve tried to set up my tripod and take pictures of the waves crashing onto the rocks, but it is impossible as this place is filled with girl modeling for photographers. There is one corner where there were at least ten men with SLR cameras and funny flash diffusers shooting a swim suit model lying on the rocks. It must hurt.

Downtown Shek O

Village life in Shek O

Tai Tau Chau from Shek O Headlands

Rock patterns at the ocean end of Tai Tau Chau

Storms closing in, I took at least 20 pictures here, having brought a tripod but forgetting my RRS L-bracket of all things… This is a few second exposure to create the silky smooth waves.

Tai Tau Chau is an easy walk, and it is possible to walk all the way to the end. The trick here is that the farther you go towards the end, you get less photographers. I guess models don’t like hiking. Right at the end is some water station of some sort, but there is a rocky platform large enough if you are willing to jump the railing. There is enough space here to picnic with the waves crashing below you. The air here is filled with salt water mist, so keep your expensive equipment in the bag. It was close to 6pm when I got here, and it is time to have a last break before I make my way back to Shau Kei Wan on bus 9 to mark the end of Part 4.

Moving Time: 2hrs 50mins
Stopping Time: 3hrs 12mins
Odometer: 14.95km
Moving Average Speed: 5.3km
Total Ascent: 367m
Max Elevation: 44m

Stormy seas from Tai Tau Chau

Storm closing in on Stanley

Next and last part: Go to Part 5…

From the top of Quarry Bay on the way up to Mt Butler

Part 3 for me would be equivalent to section 5 and 6 of the Hong Kong trail, but with a twist. I will start at sea level in Happy Valley, walk up the hill along Stubbs Road and Wong Nai Chung Gap Road, and join up the Hong Kong Trail where I left off the last time, walking up Jardine’s Lookout and to Mount Butler, before coming downhill all the way to Tai Tam Reservoir water system and ending at Tai Tam Road where I will take a bus back to civilization. A little bit like Man vs Wild, but less drastic.

GPS plots of the path looking from Causeway Bay. Waypoints in capitalized scripts are my own GPS waypoint.

Packed lunch I made myself, and a 1.5L Camel bak and my usual grab bag filled with a tripod, and landscape filters, though I don’t think I will make use of them today. Brought a D3s with 24mm f3.5 PC-E as the primary lens, and a macro and another spare lens just in case. And for audio recording, I needed the Sony PCM-D50 PCM recorder. I also packed in a rolled up waterproof jacket and all sorts of rain covers just in case. The weather today was not that great. Some weather forecasting service predicted rain, and some sunshine, but I think looking out my window all I could see was just heavy fog coming from the ocean.

Recreation boats stacked up on Wong Nai Chung Reservoir (22.257078, 114.19507)

Like all reservoirs I’ve seen throughout this trail, they all have lower than usual water level. This is Wong Nai Chung Reservoir.

Sure enough, the walk up from Happy Valley along Blue Pool road is a long slug up the mountain, and looking up I was able to see the mountain and quite likely most of Mount Butler will be up in the clouds. There are no sun today in the dense fog coming in from the sea. Before long I reached Wong Nai Chung reservoir up along Wong Nai Chung Gap. This reservoir is surrounded by apartments, and like most of the reservoirs I have seen so far in Hong Kong, the water level is way below the highest water line. Doesn’t seem as though there’s a drought here. At this reservoir there are boats tourists could rent to paddle around the small lake formed by the dam. I had to rest a little bit as the walk up was quite tiring, sweating in a sub 20C weather.

Here’s a substation just after passing the reservoir, before hitting Parkview apartments

Guess I shouldn’t get too close…

A little bit up hill, just when reaching Hong Kong Parkview apartments is the left turn branch off up to Jardine’s lookout. It started off with dense forest and a sign indicating Osborn’s Memorial. A Plaque stands there erected by the Canadian army telling a story which I read, and something about this guy that saved his comrades. Was a good break from the uphill climb. There are plenty of places to look out to the city, but today the peak where I was is just up above the clouds so all I could see was white. Everything was white. Nothing but white. I could see that the clouds are coming from the sea as it flows up along the mountain and crests at the top. The trail goes along the spine up to Jardine’s lookout, the first peak. It is marked with a geological marker and this is where I stopped for lunch as it is already 1pm by now. Started my walk around noon. I marked my GPS so that I can get back here in the future for the HK view when the weather is better.

In the heavy fog, you can’t really see too much where you’re going. But the GPS (and path) puts me on the right track…

Who says you need bright sunlight to find something interesting? I pack my 105mm micro for occasion like these…

The 105mm also doubles as a short tele lens. I like this one so much, a landscape version is one of my random wallpaper now. Fog is good.

Geographical marker at the top of Jardine’s Lookout.

Next destination…

Right after Jardine’s lookout is downhill, all the way to a disused quarry that looks like it’s currently used to blow up other things other than rocks. I see charred carcasses of cars and what looked like an armored personnel carrier. The trail continues along the top of the quarry, still going along the spine of the mountain, and then it starts to climb again. Steps are the worse thing you can have when you’re already tired of climbing. Checking the map, it looked like it was possible to take one of the left turns before Mount Butler and end up in Taikoo Station or Quarry Bay. But I have a mission today, and soon I ‘m up on the top of Mount Butler. Was hoping to get a nice rest here but a group of Filipinos with blaring small radio and loud talking came a few minutes later and took the mayorship of Mount Butler (thinking of foursquare here). Figuring I was not going to get any peace here at the top of the mountain, I started going down.

I guess is the Quarry that made Quarry Bay what what it is. It looks deceiving, but this is high up in the mountains!

Downhill from Mount Butler, towards Tai Tam Reservoir

The way down was short in terms of distance, but is rather steep. Guessing it is not more than 300m in distance, but from the faces of the trekkers I’ve seen going up this flight of stairs, it was not an easy distance to cover! I did not tell them there’s no view by the time they get to the top thanks to the fog. At the bottom is a picnic area, and Mount Parker Road passes right though it and as you might have guessed, for the first time today I see normal families with their dogs and young kids staring at all these sweaty people coming down the mountain. There’s a map here and I check it to make sure I’m on the right path.

Mount Parker Road, towards Tai Tam Reservoir

Then its time to turn right down to Quarry Gap road. This is what it says it is. Now I start to walk on a proper road under the cover of trees. Wasn’t hot at all, and by now I am below the fog lines but looked heavily cloudy from here. The road is single lane here, and there are no cars as at the top I could see a barrier preventing them using it. The road goes downhill with many series of switchbacks and around zero photo opportunity. On a clear day there might be an opportunity or two, but here fresh air is all that you will get. And no noisy tourists. The road leads right down to Tai Tam Reservoir. Along the way you’d come across a junction and you should go towards the Tai Tam Reservoir (right turn) and not the left which is a quicker way to the major Tai Tam road.

Before long, I’m at the upper Tai Tam Reservoir. The maps here get a little confusing as they are no longer about the Hong Kong trail but specializing in the Tai Tam waterworks heritage trail. I was confused for a while and figured out that the logical thing to do is to go downhill from here. And the trick worked. But the trail does go through the whole complex that is the Tai Tam Reservoir, I remember a spillway, and there’s a Lower Reservoir as well. After a while I see another map and this time the Hong Kong Trail starts to appear on it again. The choices now is to either continue down the road, or branch off uphill on a dirt path around Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir towards my end point which is the main road for my “extraction”.

Tai Tam Reservoir dam

Again, low water levels

Interesting architecture here at the Tai Tam Dam

Naturally I go on the path. This one cuts through a forest where you can hear sounds of waterfalls for most part of the trip. Look out for trail runners, there seem to be everywhere on this stretch. As its a wet foggy day, the path is wet and slightly muddy in some parts, but still nothing to worry about as it doesn’t get too crazy. Somewhere along the path, I come across a nice stream and took the time to relax here and get some recording of running water with the audio recorder. Luckily there are no passerby to pollute the recording and I was able to get about 10minutes of solid recording. I checked my watch and it is half past 5pm already by now and the skies are starting to get dark. I shouldn’t be far from the road now. After another 10 minutes of trail walking I come across Tai Tam Road.

Last stream in the last few minutes of light for the day…

I marked the end point of my third part completed just in the nick of time before it got dark today, so that I can restart here again for the final part. Down the road I could see a big dam forming the Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir and just before it, a bus stop. The bus for me today is Bus 14 that will take me to Shau Kei Wan to switch to the tram back home. Tired but happy to have completed Part 3 today. I’d say that with the climb today, it was quite a hectic hike, but I feel good. Signing off..

Moving Time: 3hrs 3mins
Stopping Time: 2hrs 30mins
Odometer: 11.12km
Moving Average Speed: 3.6km
Total Ascent: 609m
Max Elevation: 435m

Continue to Part 4…

Boarding the water taxi at Aberdeen

The second part of my trek on the Hong Kong trail will be quite interesting. I start off at the town of Aberdeen on the other side of Hong Kong island, go through Aberdeen reservoir, up the mountain, and end up hopefully in Happy Valley. Looks straightforward enough, but I have lost my Nokia E71 since the last trip, so I will not have the luxury of blogging live and viewing googlemaps when I get lost. However, I stick to my theory it’s not easy to get lost in a small little island.

The only thing you will see are tug boats like this one and water taxis here in Aberdeen.

GPS plots of the path from Aberdeen to Happy Valley

Just for the record, I will be attempting Section 3 & 4 today on the official Hong Kong trail maps. The start is easy enough, I’d catch bus ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​7​6​ ​​​​from Causeway Bay to ​​​​​​​​​A​​​​​​​​b​e​r​​​​d​​e​​en​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ ​a​t​ ​t​h​e ​​​​​​​​f​o​o​t​ ​​of​​ ​​​​​​Y​u​e​ ​K​​w​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​on​g​​​​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ro​​ad​​. ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​But made a earlier stop at Wong Chuk Hang Road to have a look at the boats between Aberdeen and Ap Lei Chau Island. It’s good I still remember where to go to get to Aberdeen Reservoir Country Park. Walk along Aberdeen Reservoir Road up hill, in fact the road up to the main gate is steep enough for anyone to stop for breather more than once. The gate to the reservoir is at (22.253006, 114.15855). And I’m back at the Aberdeen Lower Reservoir visitor centre, a familiar sight from the last trip.

The walk up to the reservoir and country park entrance. The slope is not a visual trick. It IS steep!

The walk from Aberdeen lower reservoir to the upper reservoir is relatively easy with a little bit of slope. There are barbecue pits all over the path, so I guess this the very young to the very old that I saw on the way up here would be coming here for a barbecue. The pits near to the entrance are the most busy, and if you would like to have a little peace while browning those chicken wings, the barbecue area close to the Upper Reservoir was empty when I was there. This, compared to the full house at the pits closer to entrance. The two reservoirs look like they are a little short of water on the way I was there, yellow soil was visible, indicating drop in the water level. Various lines indicate the different water levels it was holding over the months, similar to tree rings. In fact, I don’t think I remember the last time it rained in Hong Kong.

No kidding! I still believe all these fire warning are not updated regularly. I’ve seen more flammable forests in my life than this one.

Upper Aberdeen Reservoir

Water levels here has seen better days

Anyway, there’s not too much to see at the lower reservoir, while the upper reservoir looks better from far than close up. Exposed orange soil just don’t look that interesting. And the upper reservoir is littered with picnic sites. I’d continue up Aberdeen Reservoir Rd, and just before hitting a steep climb on the way up to the posh houses on Cameron Road, there is a little path filled with dried leaves that leads to the right, this is where I should be going. The bad news is that it goes on like this and generally gaining altitude all the way. The tree cover means that it should not get too hot on this trail, but on a cold day, it could get rather cold.

The path just after Aberdeen Reservoir Rd

Another view of the GPS plots showing (hopefully) the elevation gain in this section

There are a couple of signboards that you will see regularly. Of course at intersections there will be signs, sometimes useful, sometimes you wish it was not there. At major points there will be maps that you can check if you’re going in the right direction. Then there will be all these slope registration sign, which I think should be meant for those who really care about it at the government department that checks on erosion and all that. And since we are walking along a slope, with many streams, you do find flash flood warning too. Why am I going on and on about signboards? If you guessed this sounds like space filler, it is exactly that. Out of the 5 parts I will attempt on this trail, Part 2 has to be the most boring one of them all, in a monotonous way. Except for the odd world war 2 battery or two. They are not too well marked but you do bump into them at least once.

Signs to make sure you are not lost…

… and signs to make sure you don’t swim just in case…

Here’s one battery. Strange I did not log the GPS coordinate of this one. Now I don’t remember where it is…

Most of the path here follows the concrete catchwater, meaning the altitude is more or less constant. They’re boring, as you can see…

… makes me feel like trying something interesting like jumping onto this staircase and see what is on top of it…

At a point in the trek, look out for the sign to Black’s link. This will initially lead uphill and then a junction at (22.258641, 114.181917) before hitting the little one lane road of that name. The altitude here is high enough, there’s a view of Ocean Park and the eastern side of Aberdeen. Not quite Deep Water Bay yet, but I think it is visible from here. But you know what, I think it is good that I have hit a road at this time of the day, when the sun is starting to set. It means that I should be able to get all the way back to Happy Valley on paved road. Not exactly adventure, but somehow I prefer open air trekking than in the forest where I have not too much idea where I am heading. My 10 year old Garmin eTrex Vista GPS does not really acquire satellite signals very well under tree cover.

Another angle look at the GPS plots, this time including the approach to Happy Valley

On the right, Wong Chuk Hang (Ocean World) and Aberdeen Country Park occupying most of the image

Nothing better than a path with a view…

This is a view of Wong Chuk Hang hill on the left farther on and closer to Black’s Link and Aberdeen on the right

Aberdeen Country Park

Before long, Black’s link gets you to a set of apartments up in the mountains. Follow it downhill and soon it will meet with Wong Nai Chung Gap Road. Tennis centre on the right, walking downhill, hitting Blue Pool Road (I’m close to Happy Valley now!) then Sing Woo Road and before very long, I hit the Race Course, by now there is not too much sunlight left and time for a little dinner before going home. This concludes Part 2 of the Hong Kong Trail, a whole day of trekking, from sea level up to the middle of the mountain, never really reaching the peak, then hitting civilization on the other side of the Island. Good just for the experience…

Blue Pool Road, on the way down to Happy Valley race course

Continue to Part 3….

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