Feel the fear and do it anyway

So I finally decided it was time to start hiking in Hong Kong.  I was tempted to write 'serious hiking', but I don't want to get ahead of myself.  

Over the past two years, I've been procrastinating rather badly, choosing from a list of well used excuses: 

- You know I get blisters
- It's raining
- It looks like it might rain
- You're too fast for me
- What if we go for lunch instead

Anyway, not wanting to look like I wasn't trying hard enough, I decided to take on a somewhat tougher than average hike in Lantao (stages 1 and 2).  The trail takes you up to Sunset peak and then back down again.  I also decided to take on this hike on my own (refer to excuse #4 above).  However, little did I know that I would really be alone, as in A-LONE, and that the hike would be a serious bum buster with endless stairs going up and then the same amount winding all the way down.  

Endless stairs of hell

As only the daughter of paranoid South African parents could feel, I spent about half the hike imagining I was in the Hunger Games and waiting to get shot/stabbed or kidnapped. 

View somewhere after the top

Sighting of small huts on the hill ..somewhat foreboding

 Forging on despite ominous clouds 

Now that I'm feeling more "can" about hiking than "can't" I might even venture out for more next week.   

For those of you who want to know the details, here is a link to an overview.  This should be helpful for those of you who, like me, are navigationally challenged.