In contrast Spring tends to be changeable and wet, and Summer is overly hot and humid.
Last year I took it the weather for granted, naively assuming spring would also be nice like Japan, only to be be rained out almost every weekend (last aprils post). So this year I am detrained to make the most of the season and do as much hiking as I can.
Previously I had not been very successful convincing Hannah or Rika to join me. Frankly Hannah doesn't like to walk much. But she does like to be carried and she really wanted to ride in the Deuter again, like she did as a baby.
So I changed approach this year, leaving Rika at home, and negotiating with Hannah: I will carry her in the Deuter on the flat and uphill, except for the really steep places, and she will walk downhill.
Hannah being carried in the Deuter
My plan was to take Hannah along the first half of section 7 of the MacLehose trail on Sunday morning while Rika slept in. We'd get a taxi to the start at the Shing Mun reservoir (M125), climb over Needle Hill, and along the ridge to M131, then take the feeder path to the right down to Wong Chuk Yeung village, and then down to road to FoTan and home. About 6km which I expected to take 4hrs.
It pretty much went to plan, although I was horrified how heavy the Deuter was once it was loaded with Hannah (21kg), lunch, safety clothes and plenty of water (3kg- far too much). In all, not much under 30kg and hard work to carry even on the flat. After Christmas my own weight is back up to 99kg, so I had visions of my knees popping out under the strain!
We got Shing Mun at 9:30. After a flat walk around the dam, the first hour was a rather brutal climb from the reservoir (200m) up a series of concrete steps to the base of Needle Hill at about 430m. It was tough but fortunately my knees held up nicely.
10:30am Looking west from around M127 towards Tsuen Wan
Hannah sitting in the Deuter at our first break. Looking south you can just see the rectangle of the ICC poking up, and Honk Kong Island in the distance.
Looking south from M128 (about 430m). The ridge in the right foreground is Smugglers Ridge which we walked with Rika in October (section 6 of the MacLehose trail). Behind that on the left is Beacon Hill (section 5) which I walked with Mat on Wednesday, and in the far distance Hong Kong Island.
From here the route was a steep climb up to the top of Needle Hill. It was too difficult and dangerous for me to carry Hannah so she had to walk. Fortunately she did this with enthusiasm.
11:30 Hannah on the summit of Needle Hill (532m), looking south.
Looking west over the Shing Mun Reservoir and Tsuen Wan.
Looking north from Needle Hill towards Grassy Hill with Lead Mine Pass on the left. We had a nice early lunch on the summit.
Hannah cheerfully walked down the steep descent from Needle Hill and along the flat part of the ridge before exercising her right to be carried in the Deuter for the ascent from M130 to M131.
Looking south-east across Tai Wai towards Lion Rock. We could really see the lion shape.
Lion rock - can you see the Lion's head, shoulders and back?
12:30pm On the side-trail down from the MacLehose trail (main ridge) towards Fo Tan. Looking west with Wong Chuk Yeung village in the bottom left, and Royal Ascot in middle right. Ma On Shan mountain in the distance.
It was downhill all the way from here, although Hannah was getting tired and wanted me to keep carrying her (and let gher play with my IPhone). But I really needed her to walk down to save my knees. So we compromised again and she walked most of the steep descents encouraged by promises of ice creams and iPhone time at home. We arrived in FoTan around 13:30.
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