Night time hiking

The weather was starting to warm up, so hiking season in Hong Kong was slowly coming to a close.  It didn't mean that people would now stop hiking, it just meant that the prime period for hiking was coming to an end.  With this warmer weather, one of the boys suggested we go for a night time hike.  I had never been hiking at night before, so I was very eager to give it a try.  It was CNY eve as well, so given I wouldn't be celebrating this CNY because of my grandmother's passing, it seemed like an excellent alternative.

We took the MTR to Choi Hong MTR station to get as close as possible to the start of the hike.  We had decided to climb up to Suicide Cliff, along the ridge and then go up to the top of Lion Rock all in one night.  I had been up to Suicide Cliff before during the day, albeit from a different direction, so I was quite keen to take this different and steeper route to get to the top.  The views from the top during the day were incredible and so I was looking forward to the evening views.  

The hike up was fun.  It was steep, but it wasn't anything overly taxing or uncomfortable.  At the start of the hike, some friendly and helpful hikers had actually set up a series of ropes to help people get up the steepest section.  We pushed through the dense vegetation for a little bit, but it didn't last long.  Soon it cleared and there was nothing but fully open and panoramic views back towards Kowloon and Hong Kong.

It was entirely as advertised.  The views were stunning. 

Certain sections of the hike were a bit narrow, but with our head lamps, it wasn't anything too difficult or dangerous.  At the top of Suicide Cliff, we stood around for a while, looking out into the distance.  The sheer brightness of Hong Kong against the dark backdrop is something to behold and this steep cliff created an additional sense of drama.

After that stop, we continued on our way.  It was a few kilometres hike to get over to Lion Rock.

The views along that walk continued to be as spectacular.

Eventually we reached the bottom of Lion Rock.  Looking up at the signs, we were a bit undecided as to whether we should continue to the top or to call it a night and go get some food and drinks.  Our decision was made for us as Eamon started to walk up.  We all slowly started following after him as he disappeared off into the distance and then around a corner.

I had hiked Lion Rock before as well, it wasn't too long a hike, but this felt much harder given we had already come up from Suicide Cliff.  It was a silent hike up.  There weren't any others on the trail and after a little while, all of us got lost from one another.  I found myself hiking along trails without anyone near me, I would jog ahead a little bit, wait a little bit, and no matter what I couldn't seem to find anyone.  It didn't matter too much as we all knew our final destination so I pressed on.  At the final turn before reaching the top, I found a couple of the guys waiting, with others still to follow.  The final steps up were a pain on the legs, but we made it up.

The views were good.  Very similar to those as Suicide Cliff, so from that perspective it may not have been necessary to do both of these peaks in the same night.  But it was still lovely to be here.  To stand in the quiet, looking out at the lights of one of the busiest cities in the world.