Hamnøy, Moskenes, Lofoten Islands, Norway
I recently had the opportunity to explore Norway during an 8-day hiking trip and let me tell you, photos cannot accurately portray the true beauty of the country. I’ll be doing some more detailed posts on each of the hikes listed below at some point, and hopefully we won’t have another 2-year hiatus on this blog. (My bad!) Continue reading
Trails in Yangmingshan National Park
Located in the picturesque Yangmingshan National Park (陽明山國家公園), those who venture will be rewarded with sweeping views overlooking Taipei. Continue reading
Hong Kong has been my home for many years, but all the different landscapes that can be found around town still surprises me. Although this isn’t an official trail, I think it’s safe to say that Por Lo Shan’s unique views makes it worthy of a visit. Continue reading
Often referred to as the “South Pole of Hong Kong,” Po Toi Island is, surprise surprise, the southernmost island within Hong Kong boundaries. This is the main island of the Po Toi Islands group, which is made up of ten small islands.
Why should you come here? Its remote location (even though it’s only three kilometres from Hong Kong island) means that there are great unobstructed views. There are also some interesting rock formations and carvings along the way, and the adventurous can go explore on the granite paths. Continue reading
In an effort to explore and see more of Hong Kong’s hiking trails, I agreed to go to the Plover Cove Reservoir Country Trail with a friend. My only mistake was not doing more research into the trail beforehand, because if I had known what I was getting myself into, I probably wouldn’t have gone before doing some more training first. Continue reading
Spent two hours traversing an icy field riddled with crevasses. I’m not going to lie – it was terrifying. Starting the walk up from the landing point was the most difficult part of the entire hike – there hadn’t been much snowfall, so we were pretty much trying to climb uphill with ice beneath our feet. As we got higher up, there was a layer of snow, making it easier to gain a foothold. IT was also around this point that we saw a lot of debris integrated into the snow/ice. This region is volcanic. Passed by our first meltwater stream, which, thankfully, was considered to be fairly shallow. Just before reaching the summit (or just the top of our hiking point) we had to walk over a crevasse. I was at the end of the rope, so I was the last to cross over. As I was nearly at the edge, my feet slipped a little bit, causing me to slide too close to the edge for my liking. The surface of the glacier is completely white, but as I got to that crevasse, I looked down and it was a deep blue. I don’t know how deep it was, but for me to see those colors meant that it was deep enough.
A curious gentoo penguin watching humans invade its space
What a sacred place. The view from the rocks gives us the perfect vantage point. You can hear the penguins calling out, but what captures me the most is the glaciers. Occasionally, you’ll hear fracturing of the ice. A large crack, and boom. And if you’re lucky enough, see the ice break off and crumble into the deep blue waters below, with such ease as well – like sand falling within an hourglass.
The sunlight is hitting the adjacent mountains, emphasizing its every peak. The thick clouds have given way to reveal an impossibly blue sky. There is no sense of time here – an ideal location for self-reflection. Continue reading
Good morning, Ushuaia!
What an exhilarating morning! Woke up to another beautiful sunrise, and after a quick breakfast, Team Malcolm* was up an out the door for our Martial Glacier hike. Weather conditions were perfect, and although there were a lot of small loose rocks and a steep climb, we all made it to the top without incident. Go team!
Team Malcolm on the Martial Glacier hike
Pursuit of Paradise 