8 Mar 2012 – Sections 10, 9 and parts of 8

Fri 2 Mar: overnight Thu 1 Mar@Tin Shui Wai to be nearer the trail. Tkx to John C for dinner. Caught the first Light Rail, connecting to MTR to Tuen Mun and took us over an hour to find the trail head due to constructions in the area!! This section starts thru’ some poverty & slum, quite a sad sight. No, do not wish to go further or document this in pix but the sun was shinning and let that be the happy start of this 100km hike.

Continued to hard and concrete trails with views of Tai Lam Chung Water Catchment area (interesting Marble cake looking rock formation), views of Castle Peak and Wong Ngai Tun Reservoir. Got off track for quite a bit day-dreaming in the heat. Had to back-track and fortunately found the markings at a junction by the portable toilets. Thank goodness for excellent markings, posted nearly every 500 meters/M001-M200. Hilo-pad sighted,  in case of emergency, indeed very civilized way to hike 🙂

The old abandoned house M179 (stated in Hiker’s Guide) is now a shrine and one can light candles or joss-sticks, but the matches and lighter there did not worked! Left the coins so as to lighten weight in daypack. A nice camping ground@Route Twist. Heading to Tai Mo Shan/957m 3,140ft (HKG highest peak) on hard surface-road uphill and a side road to the Sze Lok Yuen Youth Hostel. The sunset was one of the most beautiful ones experienced. That made up for the run-down hostel costing HK$65 per night for members. Such a pity, what a spectacular location.

Fri 2 Mar: Day 1 started 0600 from hotel. On the trail 0930hrs, in hostel 1830hrs
28.5km/18mi. Sections 10, 9 and parts of 8 M200-M143

Sunsets are so beautiful that they almost seem as if we were looking through the gates of Heaven – John Lubbock