Smoggy
BF3-5 20oC
What a dismal day it seemed when I woke up to a smoggy sky with high wind. Setting off early at a brisk pace
from Soku, we hiked uphill from Mo Tat [模達]. From then on, we had met no other persons until we're down at Lo
So Shing [蘆鬚城]. It became more dangerous hopping among boulders, with such a strong wind blowing in from the
SE. The first spot we've visited was the Crescent Moon Rock [月牙石], one might say that it's a pair of horns
too. The other side of the rock face tended to slant downwards, one could not lie on the "moon" in an easy
manner. Then there're the Bread Loaf, the Puppy [or Mickey with pointed ears?], the Dying Whale [垂死鯨石], the
Tank and the Gecko Walls [壁虎岩]. We tried to brace ourselves up the walls in turns, posing for photos. Rock-
strewn slopes with tumbled tors were common. The most exhilarating part of Ling Kok Shan [菱角山] was its
winding tunnel [九曲地道]. We had to enter on all fours. A few metres inside, the ceiling became higher, we
could then stretch our backs again. Some more metres ahead, we're forced to proceed on all fours again. At the
next corner, we decided to retreat for lunch, without venturing the rest of the tunnel. The draught inside
seemed to be alright so far ... no stench.
Unlike those on Ling Kok, trails on Mt Stenhouse was unpaved. Not only was they unpaved, sections of them had
formed small erosion gullies. The wind seemed to howl even more, the higher we climbed. It was impossible to
talk without gulping in lungfuls of raging wind. The Phallus Rock [陽元石] and the Ink Pad Rock [墨硯石] were
just beside the path, whereas the Finger Rock was somewhat further away on one side. The Finger Rock [手指石]
looked like a mobile phone from another angle, while the first one looked as if it was a giant paw pushing
other rocks away from it. Soon we're at the trigon. pole, some minutes were spent exploring the indistinct
trail down to Ha Mei Tsui [下尾咀]. Time did not allow us to stay any longer, hence we had to retrace our steps
to the pole, then started our downhill leg to the Human Head Rock [人頭石] and the Eagle Beak Rock [鷹咀石].
The former also looked like someone was wearing a helmet of medieval era. People also see this rock as a
Monster from below, yet I could only take it as some kind of toy animal made by Lego cubes. This was the only
place where the 'dreamy' sun had tried its best to pop out its head for some precious minutes.
Just when we're ready to leave for the Buffalo and the Bullhead Rocks, the eastern sky looked as if it was
going to pour. Though I couldn't say there's a leaden sky, the whole area on that side was blanketed with dark
grey mist. There seemed to be some devils hidden behind the 'curtain'. On the other hand, the sun in the west
was retreating, which had sent me a tint of worry. We hurried through a dense forest before emerging somewhere
near those 2 rocks we're looking for. Yet, we didn't have the heart to search for them anymore. After a brief
scan of the slopes, we rushed downhill towards Lo So Shing beach. It was strange that numerous police cordon
tapes were found along the trails we'd just visited, ie, ever since we have gone up Ling Kok Shan. None of us
had heard anything about a police search in the area concerned .... Reaching the paved paths off Lo So Shing
Beach, I began to look for the newly set up giant wind turbine. I'd seen it while on the hills, it was turning
clockwise behind the saddle near Hung Shing Ye Beach [洪聖爺灣]. However, even the policeman at Yung Shu Wan [
榕樹灣] was only able to tell me a rough direction, we decided to leave it this time. It was dusk by then, I
could only pay a brief visit to the squatter huts [with poles as supports down beneath the huts] along the O
Tsai [澳仔] beach, before catching the ferry back home.
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