Hiking

One of the great things about living in Hong Kong is the warm weather.  The weather is warm enough to be outside all year, we just have to keep an eye on the pollution levels.  Not having a car, we do a lot of walking to get places.  The kids have built up a good endurance and are able to walk much further than when we first got here.  We really enjoy going on hikes.  Hong Kong is 40% county parks and nature reserves so there are many hiking trails.

In January, I decided I wanted to start doing more family hikes.  I had been looking for a hike to do that wouldn't be too difficult.  I found a website that listed top HK hikes in different categories (most challenging, most romantic, most scenic, etc).  I decided we would try the best hike for families.

The directions for getting to the hike were a little vague.  We spent some time walking back and forth before we were going the right direction.  When we finally got to our turn, there was a huge hill to walk up.  Charlotte was pretty tired by the time we got to the top.  I then realized (after 30 minutes of walking) we were just at the entrance to the trail.  The trail (which was a paved road that had the occasional car) continued straight uphill.  After awhile, there was a old house they had turned into a museum that we enjoyed going through.  After we walked uphill for awhile more, we were all pretty worn out.  The kids did some complaining and were wanting to take frequent breaks for drinks and to eat the snacks I had brought.  We were almost ready to turn around, but then we noticed a wooded trail on the side of the path to explore.  It was called Sir Cecil's Ride.  Suddenly the kids had a surge of energy and started running up the steps.  We walked around a little more and decided to turn around and head home.  The kids said they didn't want to do another hike for awhile.

Tom and the kids on Sir Cecil's Ride

Tommy has been very motivated to climb Cloudy Hill which is a large hill by our house.  The trail is accessible from our neighborhood and I have climbed it several times with friends.  Tommy and I attempted to climb it with friends earlier this year when it was still very hot.  We made it halfway before turning around.  He was pretty exhausted by the time we got home.  Early February, Tommy decided he was determined to climb to the top.  Charlotte said she wanted to go too (although she didn't want to go to the top).  We all went and Tom and Tommy were going to go as far as they could and I was going to turn around with Charlotte when she got tired.  (I didn't even know if she would make it to the start of the path, you have to walk uphill in our neighborhood quite a bit before you even get to the entrance.)

Ready for a hike up Cloudy Hill.  A princess dress is perfect hiking attire.  

On the path

 Charlotte made it much further than I expected.  She made it about 1/3 of the way,  The last part was a stretch of many, many stairs.  She was practically running up the stairs.  She was excited to get to the top where they had a picnic area and she could eat the snack I brought.  Then, we headed back and Tom and Tommy continued.  They only made it to the halfway point before turning around.  

The next week, Tommy wanted to try to climb it again with Tom and Uncle Patrick.  This time, they made it further than before, but turned around before reaching the top.  It was very foggy, so they couldn't see the top and Tommy was very tired (he had been sick the day before).  They decided it was better to turn around early since they didn't know how much further they had to go.  I think they made it about 3/4 of the way.  Patrick tried to run ahead to see if they were close, but must have turned around right before he reached the top (there was no visibility)

Tommy with Patrick in the background.  You can see (or not see) how foggy it is.

Tom and Tommy at their turnaround point

Tommy and Uncle Patrick 

Last weekend, Tommy decided he wanted to try it again.  He decided he wanted to try it with me.  He was so excited.  He did great the whole way.  He was even running up the stairs toward the end of the ascent.  He definitely had more energy than I did.  He was so proud of himself when we reached the top.  He can't wait to do it again.  He had plenty of energy, even on the way down.  He told me he was ready to do it a second time right then.  I told him we should wait for a different day.  

Tommy at the top of Cloudy Hill

Tommy in front of the power station at the top