Hiking: Tiger's Head - Lo Fu Tau

A couple of days after the Mui Wo hike, my new friends showed me another popular trail in Discovery Bay, Tiger's Head.

This was the hardest hike I've done, besides climbing a volcano in the dark in Bali.

The hike can start two ways: 1) climb to Lookout Point and then continue to the Tiger's Head trail head or 2) walk up Discovery Valley Road to the trail head. We choose option #2.

The start of the trail was pretty painless and even offered great views of the final destination off in the distance.

Pretty soon the friendly incline and well defined dirt trail became a bit more tricky. More rocks were scattered on the trail and it started to feel like a climb and less like a walk.

At some points the trail was also a bit overgrown (we would later run into workers trimming back the trail). It didn't interfere too much with the ability to hike, but I kept thinking about what animals might be hiding in the brush!

The last push to reach Tiger's Head Peak was the hardest. The trail was very steep, significantly uneven, and may have caused me to wonder once or twice what I had gotten myself into. However, about five minutes after reaching the top, I forgot all about the climb. The views of Discovery Bay and the rest of Lantau Island were just stunning.

I was admiring the view of Tiger's Head on my way to the summit
when this little woman came down carrying her groceries!

An additional little climb got us to the summit (with more great views!) and connected us to the rest of Lo Fu Tau (Tiger's Head in Cantonese) Country Trail.

Most comfortable hiking shorts ever! (see here)

From the summit we got a view of the ridge trail that would be our way back down to civilization. From here the trail looked nice and easy ---> read on to see what it was really like!

Lo Fu Tau Country Trail skirts the edge of Lantau North Country Park which conveniently places distance markers and maps at the trail heads. From Tiger's Head we could follow the trail all the way to A Po Long (the starting point) and then take the Olympic Trail either to Tung Chung or Mui Wo.

Looking toward A Po Long

We decided to loop back down to DB using the ridge trail. This is considered an unmaintained trail (although someone obviously does care for it) so hikers are on their own meaning there are no markers or maps along the way ---> at least none that we saw or that I could find online.

Most of the trail was a rocky dirt path with steep descents at times. It was not as fast going down as the view earlier suggested it would be.

We saw some interesting rock formations along the way down. Some were large enough to climb up on for those important I didn't do it unless I have a photo moments.

Eventually we took a path on the right. Before heading down I looked back at how far we had come from Tiger's Head and the summit of Lo Fu Tau. I was feeling pretty good about that effort.

The last part of the trail was overgrown and so steep I had to get down on my butt at times. I started to reconsider how good I was feeling just moments before up on the ridge. But thankfully the path leading us down into "The Greens" village of Discovery Bay wasn't too long and then it was high fives all around. 

This is a good trail for hiker's ready to transition to something more challenging. The trail distance was just about 3.5 miles and took us about 2 hours. The elevation gain is around 1400 feet. The hard parts are relatively short, but if you have bad knees you might want to bring a hiking stick.

A few other hiking posts I've written:

Exploring Chiwan, Shenzhen
Shenzhen International Garden & Flower Expo Park
Dragon's Back and Big Wave Bay

Shenzhen Botanical Gardens

Kuta, Bali: Mt. Batur Sunrise Trek

Hiking: Tai O to Tung Chung

Hiking Discovery Bay: Lookout Point Loop

Hiking: 3 Best Parts of the MacLehose Trail Section 2

Hiking: Mui Wo to Discovery Bay

TRI Movie Review

Recently I was invited by Red Zeppelin Productions to a private screening of their narrative feature film about triathlons, TRI.



The film follows main character, Natalie, an ultrasound tech and "chronic quitter" as she takes inspiration from cancer patient Candice, a triathlon event coordinator, and registers to complete the Nation's Triathlon. She is introduced to the world of triathlons through her training team who will help her face her fears and guide her to the finish line. 
The film is about more than triathlons though. It is also about raising awareness for those who have been touched by cancer. It is about the strength and hope that can be gained from each other. It is about having compassion. It about giving yourself a chance. You never know what you can do until you try.
TRI is a movie that will definitely appeal to those of you thinking about completing a triathlon for the first time. Veteran triathletes out there will also enjoy the storyline because it will remind you of your own beginning. The movie will also inspire you to go after your goals, whatever they are, and encourage those in your life to fight for theirs. 
The film was released in the US and Canada on Amazon, Google Play, iNDEMAND, and other platforms on December 13, 2016 ---> could make a great Christmas gift! (but here)

It will also be available in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland on January 23, 2017.

You can find out more about TRI at the website www.triforcure.com/


Have you completed a triathlon? Which one?

Hiking: Mui Wo to Discovery Bay

Mui Wo is one of three popular expat communities on Lantau Island (Discovery Bay and Tung Chung are the other two). One hiking trail recommendation is Mui Wo to Discovery Bay. This hike can be done point to point or the more adventurous might like to try it out and back.

My friends and I made plans to have lunch in Mui Wo and then hike back to DB. We took the ferry from Kai To Pier to Mui Wo hoping to have lunch at a Mexican spot but unfortunately it had closed. Instead we ordered from China Bear, a popular seaside pub with a good assortment on the menu.

After lunch we walked past the dining arcade toward Silver Mine Bay Beach heading for the trailhead on the other side. Mui Wo was once referred to as Silver Mine Bay. There used to be six or so villages in this area and many of the villagers worked in the silver mine.

 The hike starts with a serious ascent out of Mui Wo. There are a lot of stairs. While discussing the number, a man coming down exclaimed that there were "1000!"

That kind of climbing gets to good viewing points quickly. It didn't take long to see all of Silver Mine Bay Beach and Mui Wo.

The tough climbing mostly comes to an end when we arrive at the Pavillion. Besides a nice place to sit and rest, there are panoramic views all the way to Central and Kowloon on a clear day.

With the overcast skies we were only able to see Peng Chau island.

On the descent to Discovery Bay we follow the path by the Trapist Haven Monastery, a Catholic monastery built in 1950. There is a pavilion dedicated to St. Mary in the garden next to the monastery.

No one seems to know how this jeep ended up in Nim Shu Wan village. I should point out that this part of the island is free of personal cars. After a little digging, I found out that in the 1950's a forestry project was started by the Lantao Development Council and employed men from the village. One part of the project was building a jeep track to the upper levels of the forestry lot. Hmmm.

The downhill path continues right through Nim Shu Wan village, a former fishing village that now seems to cultivate farm vegetable crops.

And right around the corner, we were back to the Kai To Pier where we began.

Overall, this hike was fairly easy - if you take the stairs at an easy pace and it's not the hottest days of summer. It was a little more than 3 miles and it took our group about 90 minutes. I have heard that it is easier hiking DB to Mui Wo, but I felt pretty good walking off my lunch. Plus, we all just continued our walks home since we live in DB.

Other hikes I've written about:

Exploring Chiwan, Shenzhen
Shenzhen International Garden & Flower Expo Park
Dragon's Back and Big Wave Bay

Shenzhen Botanical Gardens

Kuta, Bali: Mt. Batur Sunrise Trek

Hiking: Tai O to Tung Chung

Hiking Discovery Bay: Lookout Point Loop

Hiking: 3 Best Parts of the MacLehose Trail Section 2

Hiking: 3 Best Parts of the MacLehose Trail Section 2

The SWIC hiking group from Shenzhen came over to Hong Kong to hike so I made plans to meet up with them. It was going to be an early start for me, so the night before I laid out everything including my hiking outfit. #flathiker

OOTD: shoes, sports bra, tank, shorts, long sleeve top, waterbottle, sunglasses,
(After checking and rechecking the weather, I switched to capris)

Since I live in Discovery Bay, I had to take the ferry to Central and hop on the metro there to meet the group at the University station on the East Rail Line. Having given myself plenty of time to get lost (and then not getting lost), I was more than early. I had plenty of time to use the toilets and buy myself some breakfast ---> a fancy version of a pop tart. I felt like I was 12 years old eating this thing, but it was good!

When the SWIC group arrived we jumped into taxis and headed to where we would jump onto section 2 of the trail. This part started with some rolling climbs, but we were distracted by the amazing views off to the right.

Instead of trying to explain the route of the hike and what we saw along the way, I thought I would just share my three favorite parts. This means that all that I am really leaving out are the long walks up and down in between. (Full disclosure, some of the ups were really UP!)

Three best parts to hiking Section 2 of the MacLehose Trail:

#1 The Beaches - It was picture perfect: blue skies, white sand, gentle melodic waves. When we arrived at the first beach it was as if we were all being pulled by a magnet out onto the sand. It didn't take long for us to start taking group selfies.

Sai Wan Beach

Ham Tin Wan Beach

#2 The Waterfall at Sai Kung Rock Pools - besides being just stunning (the water was really that blue), it was an adventure to get to them. About six of us braved the more challenging climb to really get up close. If it had been warmer, I bet I would have pictures of SWIC hikers swimming and jumping off the rocks.

#3 Lunch - ok, this is not about the food. Well, not really. I loved that we had to cross this seriously shanty bridge to get inland. It was as unsteady as it looks in the photos. On the other side were two snack shack type restaurants and public toilets. For those of us who did not pack a lunch, this place had sandwiches, rice, noodles, beverages, and ice cream ---> all the important stuff.

After lunch we hiked our way back inland to catch a bus and a taxi back to the metro station.

Although my watch died on the hike, here's what I know:

distance: 13.5km
time: 5 hours
Step total: 24,847!!

Other hiking posts I've written:

Exploring Chiwan, Shenzhen
Shenzhen International Garden & Flower Expo Park
Dragon's Back and Big Wave Bay
Shenzhen Botanical Gardens
Kuta, Bali: Mt. Batur Sunrise Trek
Hiking: Tai O to Tung Chung
Hiking Discovery Bay: Lookout Point Loop

Bodypump, Active Recovery, and Planking

On Tuesday I joined some of my new friends and went to my first Les Mills Bodypump class at The HIT Room. Bodypump is an interval barbell workout and it is definitely high intensity! I think Wesley (the instructor) said we did 800+ reps of squats, lunges, rows, and lifts. CrA-ZY!

After class I was given a try-to-forget-we-tortured-you welcome gift which I thought was a nice touch.

From class I stopped into IMI, Integrated Medicine Institute, to see an Osteopath. Osteopathy can "correct a wide variety of muscular and skeletal complaints and offer excellent nerve-balancing support" and I am hoping it can cure my heel stinger. My first visit was pretty standard with lots of questions and a thorough body assessment followed by my first treatment. Diagnosis: a pinched nerve. The nerve could be pinched in my ankle, behind my knee, under my gluteus or in my sciatica. My first treatment was a combination of adjustments, stretching, and trigger point release. 

After yesterday's strength session, my osteopath treatment plus a big hike I have coming up tomorrow, I decided to take it easy today with some active recovery. It was a perfect day for LISS, so I laced up my walking shoes and set out to explore the marina side of DB. Some residents live on the boats (the big ones).

It was a beautiful walk and fun to see a different view from the island. 3.5 miles later I was at the beach enjoying a little break and soaking up the beautiful day.

My favorite Athleta pants

When I got back to the apartment, I did my plank workout. I am still loving the intervals app that I found. 1) It is so easy to personalize my workouts and 2) I can use my phone or my watch to start a workout.

It was good to get my legs moving on the walk, but I started feeling some DOMS sneaking up on me from Bodypump. My stretch session was a little bit relief and a little bit painful. (side note - my goal is to get my bum down on the floor)

Just for fun I thought I'd share my new blogging spot ---> the view, the natural light, a smoothie, Netflix...I don't know how I'm able to finish this post! 

Have you tried Les Mills classes? 

Ever been to an Osteopath?

If you blog, what does your work space look like?