I had the most enjoyable trip yesterday!! D & I trekked the North Dragon Stream along with Becky and her friend Sarry. It was a 440m ascend with exit on Pok To Yan mountain. It took us a total of about 7 1/2 hours to complete the whole trip from the start of Wong Lung Hang Road to the finish at Fu Tung Estate. We actually estimated it to be a 3-5 hrs trip, but because Sarry was a first timer, we needed more time. Before the trip, I informed Becky that this was going to be a very challenging trip (for our level of fitness and expertise) and neither D nor I have attempted it before. Last minute she asked her friend Sarry to come along, I asked her if her friend is able to handle this trip. She replied saying that if her friend is unable to handle this trip, she would leave us and go back on her own.....I bought it....
Enroute, Sarry was stung by some insects (which turned out to be okay after applying some medicated oil), she wanted to turn back & go home. I guess Becky was caught in the middle. In my own ability, it is more difficult to trek down a stream than to trek up. Anyway, at that point of time, the decision was up to them. If Sarry had decided to go back, Becky might go with her, but D & I would not be affected (that was the idea I gathered on the phone from Becky in the morning!) In actual fact, I would have felt uncomfortable letting them go back by themselves, but on the other hand, I wouldn't want my trip to be ruined! I was torned in between initially when Sarry said she wanted to go back! (Of course, this trip will be aborted without second thought if there is a life-threatening situation) . But in this case, after evaluating the situation and Sarry's condition, I stood my ground on continuing my way up the stream. Thank God for His grace, Sarry was kind of 'willed' by Becky to continue the trip... hahahahaha brilliant! And so we merrily made our way upstream. (Of course with loads of whinning from Sarry to the point where we were immuned to it & D had to escape as far as possible! hahahaha .... we turned a deaf ear to her, seeing that she did not have any real problem climbing! In fact, in my opinion, she was doing quite well. ) Sarry had been doling out phrases like, 'I"M SO SCARED! I"M SO TIRED! I CAN"T CLIMB THIS! I WANT TO GO HOME!" whine whine whine like a broken record since the beginning of the journey to the end of the trip! Guess after awhile, it became like white noises to us! ~Thanks Becky!~ ;) We teased Sarry about it at dinner and we all had a good laugh! ^_^ Overall, Sarry did a great job for a first-timer, she was able to complete the whole journey despite her whinning. Well done!
As for Becky, boy! Can she climb! Spiderwoman! I wondered how she managed to climb up that particular tight spot/big boulder at the waterfall without assistance! I am amazed!
pool with crystal clear water, lovely!
Overall, It was a great trip for me. I was able to challenge myself many times on all the climbing of the steep slopes, waterfall and some very tight spots which normally I would find it impossible to climb! Stream-trekking is a physically demanding and mentally challenging sport, it builds confidence and endurance. I had a good workout indeed! Thankyou Lord! I truly enjoyed it and it was a very fruitful trip for me. Oh and one thing which I mentioned many times with thanksgivings to the Lord on the trip. " The weather is ABSOLUTELY PERFECT!" God is good! We prayed for perfect weather and we got it! Hallelujah!
Casualties on this trip:
Becky - Fell on her 'pet pet' on her descend to Tung Chung on Por Kai San, small cut on finger, LOADS of blood donation to the Mosqui World Blood Bank. Did I miss out anything?
Sarry - stung by swarm of unknown insects (she stuck her face right infront of the insects' nest?! ), small cut on finger, sore heel due to new shoes, mosquito bites? How on earth did she tear the gloves at the fingertips? Note: Please do not apply anything with fragrance on hiking trips, you'll attract unwanted 'admirers' like you did on this one! (bees....and insects...)
D - Fell and scraped his legs quite badly, worst sites, his right hamstring & calf. Swollen palm-when he tried to use his hands to cushion his fall. Felt giddy from the fall, had to make him sit down and recuperate before proceeding.
Me - 3 mosquito bites, one on the face, one on the left arm and one oops! on the butt! Some sandflies bites on the feet before I remembered to apply insect repellent. Some minor abrasion on the arms and that's about it. I came out pretty unscathed this time. (Unlike my last stream-trekking trip, I had a major contusion on my right calf with open wounds- being hit and scraped by a loosed large rock.)
Overall, it was a very blessed trip for me, challenging yet rewarding. Thankyou Lord for giving me strength! ;) Ciao for now!
P.S. Thankyou D for taking up the task of opening the way for us (by checking things out and getting rid of loads of big spiders and their webs etc..) And also for stopping and helping the 3 of us at really tight spots and hauling us up twice when we really needed it. Hope your already compromised arms are okay! I appreciated your help. I am obliged to defend you on this one because you were being jested of disappearing and not helping the 'damsels in distress'! Which are feigned distresses most of the time! haha Thankyou! You did a great job. Pardon their oops! I mean our expectation of you to be at our beck and call! ;) You can't be in the front and the back at the same time! Lastly, a big Thankyou to you my darling!
Note: north dragon stream has a 3 1/2 star difficulty rating (the most difficult being 5 stars). Exit from this trek is at the top of this cliff below (The highlight of this trip) named 'Cliff of Celestial Book' @ elevaton of about 440m on Pok To Yan Mountain.
cliff of celestial book
scenery from the exit on Pok To Yan mountain
Descending on Por Kai San mountain overlooking Caribbean Coast Estate
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