2024 Hong Kong Cup Ling Shuangdu (Part 2)

The sun is shining, the mountain breeze is blowing, and the temperature is not high, which is perfect for hiking. It's time to finish the Cup Ling Shuangdu route that I only completed half of last time. Get off at the Light Rail Xinwei Station, walk about 800 meters to the mountain entrance, and after about 2 minutes, you will see the "Military Restricted Area" gate (Figure 6). Go around the gate and climb about 100 meters along the road to reach Liangtian'ao (Figure 7), and connect to the Cup Ling Shuangdu route. (There are many people exercising on this road, but it is my least favorite road.) The first challenge is the 394-meter Qianshan (Figures 8 and 9), and from here, you will continue to experience the steep and difficult route (Figures 19 and 20). The reason why Cup Ling Shuangdu is listed as one of the "Four Major Test Routes" is that the whole route is basically this kind of gravel road, which is difficult to climb and even more difficult to descend! Many sections require both hands and feet. This route is a series of peaks, one after another, which is a great test of physical strength, perseverance, skills, experience, equipment, etc. If you are not careful, you will slip. I accidentally fell last time and was forced to retreat halfway. I was extra careful today and finally completed it smoothly. After Baotangling is the famous "Yixian Ridge" (Figure 13), where there is a ridge about two meters long and tens of centimeters wide, which is very steep. Many hikers take photos and check in here, but I don't think it's difficult, and I crossed it in two steps. Finally, there is the 375-meter Yuantou Mountain (Figure 14). The descent here is the most difficult, and you must hold on to the iron chain (Figure 20). The mountains of Cup Ling Shuangdu look very desolate and have their own characteristics. To the north, you can see the Shenzhen Bay Bridge (Figure 15). The visibility is not high today, and the scenery of Shenzhen on the other side is not clear. The end of the route is Lingdu Temple, which is small in scale and very quiet, with very exquisite window grilles on the door (Figures 16 and 17). Walk about 2 kilometers along the road and take a bus at Liwu Village to return to Tin Shui Wai Subway Station. Today's total distance is about 11 kilometers, with a cumulative climb of 1,100 meters, and it took about 5 hours (including flying the drone), which is very intense.