today andrea and i went for a hike. we did the parkview-jardine’s lookout-mount butler-tai tam upper reservoir-parkview walk that janne and i did on thursday.
one of the reasons i was eager to return to this walk is there is comparitively little slope downhill hiking, maybe 20 minutes. the rest is stairs, some flat terrain and an uphill slope right near the end. my knees and hip are still bad, and i am meant to stay away from downhill walking and am forbidden from jogging uphill and downhill. this hike has been good for me.
the second reason is, three years ago, during the 60th Anniversary of the liberation of hong kong prisoners of war, a plaque dedicated to the winnipeg Grenadiers who defended Wong Nei Chong Gap was unveiled at jardine’s lookout, which is where the grenadiers ensured the gap was held to prevent the defeat of hong kong.
today i took a picture, but the sun was strong, and the wording of the plaque faded, so here is what it reads:
This plaque is dedicated to all members of the Winnipeg Grenadiers of Canada.
In the early hours of December 19, 1941, “A” and “D” Companies of the Winnipeg Grenadiers of Canada fought to stem the waves of Japanese troops attacking the strategic high ground on Mount Butler. After a vicious struggle the Canadians became divided. A group was driven downhill to Jardine’s Lookout, where Company Sergeant Major John Osborn took charge of about 65 Grenadiers of “A” Company. Hand grenades were thrown at his group. Osborn responded by flinging these back at the enemy. One grenade was thrown which he could not pick up in time, and after shouting a warning he threw his body over it, thus saving the lives of several comrades. He was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest award for military valour in the British Commonwealth.
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i’ve learned that nearly 2,000 canadians, alongside other commonwealth troops, fought in the battle of hong kong. in 1941, the japanese attacked hong kong the day after the attack on pearl harbour. after 17 days of fighting, hong kong surrendered on Christmas day. the fighting claimed the lives of 290 canadians and the survivors spent almost four years in POW camps. a further 264 canadian soldiers died in the camps.
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after taking pictures andrea and i climbed a 150 or so more steps and then stopped for a photo opp. it was a great day and despite the fact that we had no makeup on, we wanted to be in the pictures. so we jumped up on a rock and snapped away.
and then we kept climbing. i think andrea had harsh words for me.
at the top, we began a descent. it was moor-ish and grassy. we were directly opposing causeway bay and hung hom, it appeared. there was no pollution and the day was gorgeous. we crossed a small bridge and then began an incline. we took a picture of the incline, and then also of the hill we had just walked down. and then the stair climbing began again. it was funny to book back and see the tiny descending figures and to know that we had been them not too long ago.
the steps were more uneven here, but we managed. we were at mount butler! definitely a cause for celebration, mainly because for a second there i thought we were getting lost…this was a walk i have only done once! we took more snaps and headed down, picking up the pace.
100 steps down andrea realised she had left her sunnies at the top.
this was karma taking a giant bite from my bottom. you see, two days ago when janne and i did this hike, while taking off my top shirt, my much loved pink lulu lemon headband got caught up in the neck of the shirt and dropped to the ground. i didn’t notice it until 1k later. knowing how much i love my headband, janne insisted that we go back for it…in essence redoing 1k of a very steep incline. so today, smiling at the irony, i rushed ahead and grabbed the sunnies. payback.
we got to quarry bay country park and turned and headed for tai tam reservoir, this was the downhill bit that was tough on my knees, but it ended soon enough.
we crossed the reservoir (the bridge in the distance beneath the red arrow,) and began the incline. i showed andrea where i dropped my headband and where i realised my error. she made a cheeky comment. and very soon it seemed, we were back at parkview and the hike was over.
here are a couple of pictures. andrea will send over the good ones and i will try to add a few comments. any pictures of close mountains, look for paths, or people ascending/descending. i climbed those paths today!!!
it was a great morning. we hope to do it again next week.
