Rock Climbing to Sharp Peak and Ham Tin Beach

It's been a month, I know! Sorry, sorry. In my defense, I didn't have any awesome pictures to put into a post. But, prepare yourselves for the most epic post yet. :)

Yesterday, my friends and I decided to go hiking. We decided on a trail to Ham Tin Beach - yayy beach!

As soon as we started our hike, the views were already pretty spectacular. 

On the way, we found pebbly marshland and decided to do some exploring. Across from the pebbly ground, there was a grass field covered in cow poop. Poop everywhere! It was a mine field of crap hahah.

Wild cows! There were so many cows, it was crazy. We stayed at that spot for a good twenty minutes running around the cows and snapping photographs. The one in the middle is a baby - aww so cute. 

We walked past an abandoned stone house. Good picture-taking spot.

 ...And stopped by a random pier to take pictures. There was so much good scenery to take in :)

The calm part of the hike ended here. The remainder of the hiking trip was the most exhilarating experience. I was not prepared for the 9.3 mile trek to the top of Sharp Peak. For one, I have never done any sort of legit rock climbing before, so this was super intense! But, it was SO much fun. Ascending 1,520 feet to the top of a mountain? No big deal ;)

Before we started the climb to the top of the peak, we were greeted by this pleasant sign. Only experienced hikers should proceed, a nearby sign said. Pshhh

 See that mountain behind me in the distance? We hiked all the way up there! Mmhmm, that's right.

 The "trail" was steep and treacherous. Rocks were tumbling down beneath my feet as I searched for grooves in the rock to grip onto. We hiked and climbed for a few hours until we reached the top. The boys were moving so fast, I don't know how they were doing it. They must be monkeys at heart hahah and my girl friends were wearing converses and keds rock climbing. So hardcore. I must have slipped at least ten times. My legs and hands were all scratched by the end of the climb, but it was so worth it.

9.3 miles later, we made it to the top!!!!!! Everyone was so excited, we immediately pulled out our cameras to take videos all at the same time. We're on top of the world!

 U.Va represent. :)

The only group picture of us at the top of Sharp Peak. Seriously, the best hiking experience I have ever had and it was with an amazing group of people :) The views from the top were breathtaking. We looked down to the sea spotted with jungle-filled islands and empty beaches. These pictures do not do it justice at all. I can't even imagine how beautiful it would be on a clearer day. I will definitely be coming back.

After snacking and taking a bajillion pictures at the top, we decided to hike down to Ham Tin beach. The hike down was scary as hell. At this point, all cracks on the soles of my shoes that provided traction had been filled with sand and pebbles, so I kept slipping. Luckily, I didn't fall. I just descended down super slowly. There was a point where I literally just crouched down and slid down the side of the mountain for a good stretch. That was actually kind of fun hahah. 

After maybe an hour or so, we got to the beach! The sand felt so good on my feet after that long hike. We ran into the freezing cold water and chilled for a good bit before going back. The beach was really nice. I looked to my right and saw mountains and jungle. I looked to my left and saw rolling ocean waves. Amazing. 

Before we knew it, nightfall hit. I didn't realize how scared I was of the dark until that point. I suddenly felt like I was on LOST. Smoke monster, ahh! The boys brought flashlights, thank goodness. We were confused for awhile and didn't know where to go. In the distance a group was signaling us using morse code. We signaled back, but they never came to help us. We finally found a sketchy path and decided that we had no choice but to follow it.

We walked for awhile in pitch black darkness having no idea where we were headed. It was the scariest thing ever. The path led to a village. Yess, we could ask for directions! We ate at the village restaurant and they told us to follow a paved path until we reach the bus stop. It was a 2 hour walk to get there.

 We started off on the 2 hour walk back. Good thing one of my friends brought music. That eased my fears. I would have been more scared, but I was with a great group of people, so that helped a lot. Being my jumpy self, I still screamed at every little rustling noise I heard. There was one point where a stray dog came out out of nowhere. I screamed my head off and jumped a foot backwards hahah.

Scary-lookin' huh? We made it to the bus stop in an hour and a half. Good time. This was an adventure I will never forget. :)

We taxied back to Sai Kung and feasted on seafood. What a great day...sigh. Life is good.