"Oxfam Trailwalker 2022" will be held from February 24. Participants are required to complete the 100km MacLehose Trail and other subsequent sections within 48 hours.
Three fledgling CLP engineers Harry, Erica and Jessy, led by retired colleague Adu, will participate in the Trailwalker physical race for the first time, and hope to complete it in 30 hours.
Before Jessy joined CLP, she had no habit of exercising. Her words and deeds seemed to open the door to a new world for her, and she realized that Hong Kong is not a concrete forest.
Jessy (from front to back), Erica, Harry and Adu traveled from Kowloon Reservoir to Shing Mun Reservoir for an interview.
(Photo by Yan Minghui)
Last Saturday morning, I made an appointment with this CLP Trailwalker team to visit the Shing Mun Reservoir. They listed the visit as the last part of the lesson.
They set off from Tai Po Road at 8 o'clock, took the sixth section of the MacLehose Trail, and visited the city gate before 10 o'clock.
After the visit, they will continue on Section 7 of the Mack Trail, climb up the Needle Hill and Grass Hill, and then descend to Tai Po.
Harry (from left), Erica, Jessy and Adu took a group photo at the main dam of Shing Mun.
(Photo by Yan Minghui)
This trailwalker team is composed of "one old and three young". The captain, Adu, is 67 years old. He is a retired CEEC electrical engineer.
Including the virtual race, he has participated in Trailwalker 20 times and has rich experience.
Harry, Erica, and Jessy are newcomers in the workplace. They are in their early twenties. After graduating from university, they joined CLP in the same period the year before last as trainee engineers. They participated in the company's hiking activities and gradually developed their habits.
Jessy: Cultivate exercise habits from hiking
The muscular Harry used to invite friends to hike mountains when he was in college, and Erica used to do sports occasionally. As for the delicate-looking Jessy, he said: "I never did sports before I joined this company. It's so intense, you can touch it and start like this."
Erica organized Harry's equipment.
(Photo by Yan Minghui)
After more than a year of constant hiking, Harry found that his thighs have become stronger. He said: "In the past, I used to suffer from cramps when I was a little strenuous when hiking, but this situation is less common at home." Erica said: "I used to feel very uncomfortable after exercising. I don’t want to be depressed, but now I have a kind of expectation for doing sports.”
For Jessy, life has undergone more earth-shaking changes than when she was studying. "Hiking seems to open the door to a new world", and she is exposed to different sports such as fitness, dragon boating and yoga.
She also said: "I found that people talk about the concrete forest in Hong Kong all the time, but in fact, I just thought that there are many different scenery in Hong Kong, and many people like to hike mountains."
Jessy said that she didn't know how to do sports before, but she has started hiking for more than a year and has been exposed to other sports.
(Photo by Yan Minghui)
The longest daily hiking distance is only 30 kilometers, but the trailwalker's 100 kilometers is a test with a completely different level.
The two girls said that they had never thought of participating in Trailwalker before. Jessy said: "At that time, I thought it was irrelevant to my world. There were more static activities in middle school, and I didn't think about the gap between the two-dimensional and three-dimensional I just opened it, and it turns out that I can do it myself.”
Erica: Hiking strengthens cardiopulmonary function
Erica also said: "I saw some good athletes walking on TV. I never thought that I could walk. At first I didn't think about 100K (km). At first I felt that ten thousand and twenty K were hard work, but slowly After exercising, the cardiopulmonary function has become stronger. IKEA feels that ten or twenty K is enjoyable. After accumulating enough experience, they want to challenge themselves again and decide to participate.” With mutual encouragement and support from a group of colleagues, they and Harry last year Decided to join Trailwalker and was arranged to be on the same team as Adu.
Adu has retired for many years. Trailwalker is very experienced. This time, he will bring 3 young people to participate.
(Photo by Yan Minghui)
"They (the company) arranged for it. I don't know who these three people will come." Adu smiled and said, "It's been like this for several years. I really like to assign some first-year mountaineers to me. I have been on the road for a few months. Just play."
He met these three young people for the first time last year, and practiced trailwalking with them.
However, under the epidemic, the physical game could not be held as scheduled, and the conference was changed to a virtual game.
They completed the 100-kilometer trip twice in December. One trip from Pak Tam Chung to Tai Po Road took 20 hours for the 60-kilometer road, and then the rest of the trip to Tai Tong the next weekend took 11 hours.
They talked and talked along the way.
(Photo by Yan Minghui)
Adu said that the 60-kilometer road made the three young people suffer a lot. They set off at about 10 am that day, stayed overnight, and traveled until the next morning.
Jessy said: "I think it's very hard to go to the back, I'm so blinded, I want to go all the way."
Harry said: "He can't make a sound when he travels in the mountains, and his steps are unsteady."
Erica also said: "He is usually very active and can sing."
Jessy said, "I remember I didn't respond when I did it, it was so sad."
Harry said that he had blisters and sticks in the virtual competition last time, and he will be fully prepared this time.
(Photo by Yan Minghui)
Harry: last year's virtual competition was full of blisters and stubborn
Harry said: "Actually, I was miserable. The first time I walked, I got blisters around the 4th stage, and my feet hurt all the way. I tried sticking wood when I walked to the 5th stage. I have an old problem. I shivered for a week. Enough, after a week, the blisters were still there, and there was still some pain in the fruit position when holding the firewood, and then holding the firewood again, and the pain passed the end point."
However, none of the young people thought about giving up. Jessy said with a smile: "If you give up, you have to die first!"
Adu said: "Trailwalker is good to talk about support, not to say so many negative things, always talk about positive things, but not too much, talking too much about "turning a corner" is meaningless."
Adu (from left), Erica, Harry and Jessy have four legs and one heart.
(Photo by Yan Minghui)
The three young people were not intimidated by the bitterness of the virtual race, but regarded it as a long-term practice before the physical race, and they were confident in completing the 100 kilometers in one go.
Erica said: "I feel confident after the trial left virtual race, and I want to continue to challenge the 100k." With the experience of the virtual race, they are all prepared. Erica changed to a better backpack, and Harry bought it Got new socks and will be walking in two pairs in hopes of relieving the blister problem.
Adu: The physical game will be easier than the virtual game
Adu told the 3 juniors not to worry about it. Although the physical race has to walk 100 kilometers at a time, he thinks it is easier than the virtual race.
He said: "The real thing has an atmosphere, and there are many people. Second, there is a water station. I don't want to carry so much water. Although it has been running for a long time, the first stage should not be as hard as the last virtual race. Every time I recite myself Deer, from head to toe, back to back."
On the way to Mount Needle, you can overlook the Chengmen Reservoir.
(Photo by Yan Minghui)
Trailwalker's track is about 100 kilometers long, starting from Pak Tam Chung, Sai Kung, passing through Dongba, Tai Long Sai Wan, Chek Keng, Zhangshang and other places, and climbing famous mountains in Sai Kung such as Sai Wan Mountain, Niu Ershi Mountain and Ji Kung Mountain.
After getting out of Shuilangwo, climb Ma'an'ao, go to Keewell Camp, go around Lion Rock, climb to the top of Beacon Hill, descend to Kowloon Reservoir, pass Shing Mun Reservoir, climb Needle Hill, Grass Hill and Tai Mo Shan, and finally stop at Tai Tong Holiday Village. end.
Most of the track is the MacLehose Trail.
Adu (from left), Jessy, Erica and Harry take a group photo in front of Needle Mountain.
(Photo by Yan Minghui)
For Trailwalking, they tried their best to do mountain climbing on weekends.
Harry said: "When I go to the power plant, the working hours are much earlier than they are. I have to get up early, and it is easier to go home. Sometimes I really want to sleep more on weekends, but the exercises start at 8 o'clock."
Jessy is currently studying for a master's degree. It is not easy to balance work, studies, and mountain work. She said: "Learn to use trivial time, such as taking a ride or waiting for urgent things, to deal with emails and documents at work."
Erica regards hiking as a reward after work, "Exercise is a way to regain energy (regain vitality). Even if it is hard to go back to work, I look forward to hiking on Saturday. It is an encouragement to me."
Erica was not slow going up the hill.
(Photo by Yan Minghui)
After visiting the barbecue site in the Shing Mun Reservoir, the reporter followed them up the Needle Hill and took about 40 minutes to reach the summit.
Erica and Harry took the lead, Jessy drove out a pair of trekking sticks to support the superior, and Adu was in charge of the rear.
Harry said: "I think Erica went up the mountain the fastest. Once the two of us went up Jigong Mountain in the third section. I was out of breath halfway through the journey, but she still had the energy to continue going up." Erica said with a smile: " It's just that we haven't seen Du sir's true strength."
Jessy is afraid of heights sometimes
Jessy has good physical fitness when going up the mountain, but sometimes she is afraid of heights and walks slowly when going down the mountain.
She said: "I would be shocked when the mountain falls on those empty roads. The scenery is beautiful, but I would be shocked." Adu said: "He was most surprised by the sections of Ma On Shan and Crooked Mountain." Erica remembered the strong wind, "it would blow I feel like I’m swaying tight.” Harry said, “When there’s a strong wind, we’ll build a human wall to block the wind.”
Teammates help each other.
(Photo by Yan Minghui)
Adu set a goal of 30 to 33 hours for them to complete. He said: "Time must be planned, but it should not be used for rushing. The mentality of each team is different. I belong to the leisurely group. Trailwalker must be different. Be relaxed, the most important thing is to be safe and happy.”
"Tailwalk is very far away for many people, but you will see many people who can finish it. I think this thing is to realize a possible thing. It is definitely not make the impossible possible (turn the impossible into possible) , This matter itself is possible (possible), but it is far away."
Harry and Erica walked faster.
(Photo by Yan Minghui)
Jessy stops for a drink of water.
(Photo by Yan Minghui)
"As long as you have a plan and practice, you can do something. In fact, engineering is the same. I hope they can learn and experience this when they are young, and pass on what we think is right. They think it is right. I don’t know if it’s used.” Adu continued.
Their team name is "GigaWattOurs", from "GigaWattHours (one million kWh)".
They pose for a photo at the top of Needle Mountain.
(Photo by Yan Minghui)
Regarding the expectation of participating in the Trailwalker physical competition for the first time, Erica and Harry are also looking forward to the moment when they cross the line, and Harry is a little more ambitious, hoping to finish with the best result.
As for Jessy's expectations, she may be a bit unexpected. She said: "Looking forward to the food, the conference sent an email (email) to let us see what delicious food is available at each check point (checkpoint), and I am really looking forward to eating the siu mai." .”
Walk together and go further.
(Photo by Yan Minghui)
About Oxfam Trailwalker:
"Oxfam Trailwalker" (formerly known as "Trailwalker") was originally a training activity for the Garrison soldiers stationed in Hong Kong. The first session was held in 1981. In 1986, Oxfam Hong Kong was invited to co-organize it, and it was the first time for the public to participate.
In 1997, when the Gurkha left Hong Kong, Oxfam took over the hosting of "Trailwalker", which has since become a large-scale hiking fundraising event in Hong Kong.
Oxfam Trailwalker 2022｜Mountain Dream Group challenged for 11 and a half hours Huang Haocong: A test of team spirit Oxfam Trailwalker will be rerun after 3 sessions this month Participants are urged to pay attention to the weather changes in the month to see all the helpless things in the mountains and hope to turn the income around｜Mr. Trailwalker Chen Guoqiang interviews Trailwalker 3 consecutive championships, no one before Chen Guoqiang can forget the second championship. Relying on lights-out tactics to confuse opponents [Trailwalker] Supplies must be careful when you go down the mountain and eat easily If you are not fit to eat Power gel, you must practice [Trailwalker] The two most difficult sections of the Mai Trail even cross Jigong Mountain and Ma’an Col. The role of walking sticks should not be underestimated.
