Sunrise Hike

One of the big things to do here is venture to Lantau Peak in the wee hours of the morning, to hike up a mountain to see the sunrise, so today, a group of us decided it was time for us to gain this experience.

The day started early, at 2:00 am, where I dressed and readied to catch the cab with my friends at 2:30. After about an hour taxi ride, we made it to the bottom of the peak.

We began our trek up the mountain side at 3:27 ( I remember the because we made it to the peak at exactly 5:27 which I though was rather incredible). It was nearly pitch black out when we started our way up, so I was very glad me and Izzy cam prepared with a flashlight each. The way up was a little steep, and high (which didn't really help with my fear of heights, but we all made it through ok. We took several stops along the way, to rest and enjoy what we could see of the view. One of the most amazing sights, which we were unable to capture in a photo because it was too dark, was the tip of a mountain peaking through the fog and haze of early morning, looking like it was just floating there in the sky. After two hours and a gazillion steps to the top (that is an exact number by the way), we finally made it, with about an hour to rest and eat before the sun came up. The four of us (me, Shane, Izzy and Catie) sat together resting and snacking on fruit and granola, taking in the view. I'm glad we went on a week day. The landing at the top, while spacious enough for the few small groups up there that morning, would have been over crowded should be have gone on a more reasonable day like a weekend. Thank goodness I had a friend warn us that it was cold, because I sure needed the sweatshirt and scarf I had with me!

Sadly the sky was cloudy as the sun rose, so we didn't get to see the blossoming of pink across the sky, but it made the sight no less incredible. From our vantage point, you could just see the Big Buddha in the distance, as well as the coastline and several cities that came into view as the day began. It was also incredible to see the fog roll down from the mountains to engulf the Buddha and towns in a thick layer.

the Buddha is that hazy figure almost directly in the middle of the photo

And this is him only a few hour later! I've never seen it empty, the whole place was unnerving 

After taking in our fill of the views, we made our way down the mountain on a path that was to take us right back to the Big Buddha. It was amazing to see the Buddha go from being a speck in the landscape to standing at the bottom of his steps in the empty town. The walk down was steep, so I took it slow, taking care for my knees, as the miles of stone steps were unforgiving. Along the way I nearly had a heart attack, and I had to pause to collect myself after seeing the most gruesome, largest ( the size of my hand at least) spindly spider hanging on its web over the path. The thought of it still makes me squirm and the pest will haunt my dreams for years! We finally made it to the end (after running my way under the spider) and made the trek back to school on the MTR.

We managed to get back at about 10:30 (so he had been up over 8 hours at this point) and got back while breakfast was still being served. So after a nice western breakfast and the greatest shower of my life to date. I laid in my bed, but refused to nap. I had meetings, and class(with a presentation) to do in less tan two hours and I was afraid if I went to sleep I'd never get up. I made it through the day alrigh,t a little sore and weak, and by the time class was over, I couldn't be more excited to pass out. My stone hard bed had never felt so inviting!

So here I am, after 5 hours of sleep looking back on the day in awe. I managed to do 16 hour of adventure and activity on less than 4 hours of sleep, and I couldn't be more glad that I took that hike this morning, Though I don't think I will be doing it again, it was definitely and adventure for the books!