How to Tackle a 64-km Trail, Part 3

Day 3 was a big day for us. With 20 km of our journey ahead, I brought my Leki poles in order to save my knees for my other training. We got extremely lucky with the late December weather and we enjoyed every minute outside under the sun and blue sky. 

• Sections: Tai Tam Nature Walk, Long Dragon Back’s Walk, Chai Wan City Walk 
• Total Time: ~5.5 hours
• Terrains: Mixed 
• Start Point: Murray House, Stanley
• End Point: Fireboat Alexander Grantham Exhibition Gallery
• Total Distance: 20 km

The first leg, Tai Tam Nature Walk, is relatively flat and is suitable for complete beginners. Due to recent landslides, the organizer cut this section short, so we started at Stanley Murray House and finished at Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir Dam.   

Tai Tam Tuk Reservoir Dam is a magnificent landmark, and was also known as “Asia’s Number One Dam” back when it was built in 1888, as it was the largest dam project in the Far East at the time. The dam was originally 27.5 meters (90 feet) high, and later, another three meters (10 feet) were added by the government to expand the capacity in 1897. The chief engineer, Mr. Daniel Jaffe, died within three years of its completion. To remember his contribution, the Jaffe Road in Wan Chai was named by the government in his memory. The Tai Tam Water Supply System remains an important source of water for the nearby districts to this day.  

After the Tai Tam Nature Walk, we entered the popular Dragon’s Back Trail, selected by CNN as one of the 23 best trails in the world. The Dragon’s Back Trail is 4.7 km long and overlooks the Shek O peninsula, one of the most scenic areas in Hong Kong. For this section, the photos below will do its beauty justice.  

The last section of the 20 km was the Chai Wan City Walk. Chai Wan is the part of Hong Kong that Edith and I spent very little time in. It is located at the most eastern part of Hong Kong Island urban area, north of Shek O and is an area built on reclaimed land. The promenade you see in the photos below was once a beach surrounded by hills and vegetation. There was also once a quarry, but it has since been decommissioned by the government after it was mined out. This section was only 5.5 km and we finished at Fireboat Alexander Grantham Exhibition Gallery.

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