Workday challenge MacLehose Trail Sections 1 and 2

🚶‍♂️ The MacLehose Trail is 100 kilometers long and divided into 10 sections, with sections 1 and 2 being the most beautiful. Many people choose the East Dam of High Island Reservoir as the starting point, but we choose to start from the beginning and walk a complete sections 1 and 2. ✔️ Arrived in Hong Kong a day in advance, stayed here for one night, got up at 6 o'clock the next morning, took the subway to University Station after breakfast. There is a taxi stand outside University Station, which is the territory of green taxis. The driver is familiar with the route and took us to the starting point of the MacLehose Trail, Pak Tam Chung, for a cost of over 100. MacLehose was the 25th Governor of Hong Kong, who loved outdoor sports, and this trail was named after him. ✔️ The starting time was 7:30 in the morning, and occasionally we would meet tourists on the road. The first section mainly follows the road along the south bank of the High Island Reservoir. You can see the reservoir on the left all the way, and there are occasional viewing platforms on the right, where you can enjoy the beautiful bay under the mountain. Of course, you will also encounter the legendary cows. This section has few slopes and is generally easy, arriving at the East Dam at about 9:45. ✔️ Below the East Dam is Po Pin Chau, where there are magical hexagonal rock columns, which we will visit next time. There are restrooms at the East Dam, where we took a short break, and continued on at about 10 o'clock. ✔️ Climbing up the mountain along the stone steps, the coastline in front of you is unobstructed, and the mountain and sea scenery is breathtaking. There is an M20 distance post at the top of the mountain, and then we enter section 2. The bay under the mountain is called Long Ke Wan, where there is a beach campsite where you can camp. We didn't linger here and went straight into the small path in the dense forest. ✔️ The next part is a very difficult climb, this mountain is called Sai Wan Shan. You need to cross several mountain tops to reach the top of the mountain. Some sections have stone steps, but more are rubble, and you can only grit your teeth and persist, needing to replenish water constantly. There is a viewing platform on the downhill road, with Sai Wan, Ham Tin Wan, Tai Wan and Tung Wan lined up in front of you, which is very spectacular. ✔️ Sai Wan seems to be right in front of you, but it's not that easy to walk. There is a fork in the road at the bottom of the mountain. To the left is Sai Wan Road, and those who are physically exhausted can retreat from here. To the right is Sai Wan. Sai Wan Village is a beautiful fishing village where there are supplies. The sand is very fine, and there are very special reefs. We couldn't help but play here for a long time, but the wind was too strong and the fine sand was blown up, covering us all over. ✔️ Leaving Sai Wan, we started climbing again. Compared to Sai Wan Shan, this place is much easier. After crossing this mountain, Ham Tin Wan is below, and you don't need to enter, you can bypass it and continue climbing. The road next to Ham Tin Wan can be described as a desert. The wind was particularly strong that day, and a sandstorm would occasionally sweep up. I didn't expect this road to come with a desert experience, which was simply a bonus. ✔️ From here on, the rest of the road is basically through dense forests, and there are fewer and fewer hikers. Sometimes there would be strange noises in the forest, always thinking it was the legendary wild boar, but luckily there were no surprises. There is a dilapidated village in the mountain nest, and there is a fork to the right here, which can reach Chek Keng Pier, another retreat point. We continued forward to Chek Keng. Although the road conditions here are good, it is still quite hard due to the high climb and the physical exertion before. ✔️ Chek Keng is also a bay, and the beach is full of red pebbles. After passing through the deserted village, we climbed another small mountain. At this time, we saw the 46th distance post, and the rest of the road was not far away. With a final push, we finally reached the 48th distance post and the sign for Pak Tam Au. The time was 3:30 in the afternoon, and the whole journey took 8 hours. ✔️ There is a bus stop nearby. If it is a weekend or holiday, you can take the 289R to Sha Tin city center to transfer to the subway. On weekdays, you can only take the 94 to Mai Bian, and then transfer to the KMB 99 to the city center subway station. 📍 Address: Sai Kung, Hong Kong 👍 Recommendation: One of the top 10 outdoor hiking routes in the world, with sections 1 and 2 being the most beautiful 💰 Cost: Mainly the cost of transportation, you need to take a taxi on weekdays, and you can take the bus on holidays.