Mount Stenhouse

Eamon wanted to climb the highest peak on Lamma Island, so I found myself back on the island after less than a week.

He thought it would be a fairly simple hike and that most of it would be paved, so I didn't bother bringing my water bladder or wearing any more specific hiking clothes.  Shorts with cotton t shirt and a backpack with a few bottles of water.  That all seemed to be enough.

As usual, I was foolish for believing my friends.

Rather than a simple walk up a paved path, I found myself in dense scrub, fighting up paths which were barely cut through the vegetation.  My legs were scratched, my arms slightly bloodied.  Thankfully, I had decided to wear proper hiking shoes instead of some runners, so I was able to at least bound up the path without slipping and hurting myself.

Still, it was fun all the same.  A good whack through the bushes in the Hong Kong jungles and paths is usually an enjoyable day out and you get all the benefits of the exercise as well.  The hike ultimately wasn't that long, but it definitely had some trickier and more taxing sections.  When the scrub closed in, there were sections where you could feel the air thickening and breathing became more difficult with the humidity.

The views were as you would expect, stunning once you reached the highest points.

At various points in the distance, I could see back to where Veronica and I had stayed only the week past.  Further off once you were higher, you could see all the way back to Hong Kong.

It's always one of the stranger feelings you get when you go on these hikes in Hong Kong.  You feel like you have fought through the wilderness, through parts which are remote to others and isolated from civilisation.  Then you look up a bit and you realise you are just on the neighbouring doorsteps of on of the most densely populated metropolises in the world.