Miner's Peak

I finally was able to find the damn Ha Ling Peak yesterday. Quiet honestly it was a disappointment! The biggest challenge was to find where the mountain and the trial was! Rather than that a 70-year old woman or a 10-year old kid could go up there and in fact I saw people like that! 

Anyhow I left home early to be able to go back early and when I finally found Goat Creak parking lot, there was only a vehicle parked there. So I geared up and walked up to a road with a few construction vehicles. Over there I realized an old red Pontiac parked. I at first though it was just simply parked there but then I saw someone in there with a Security note on the windshield. Apparently he was watching the machinery over there and point at the trial head. I found it a minute and started going up. The trial is nice and it was a foggy and cloudy day so the sun didn't bother me. After awhile I head someone was coughing and I turned back thinking someone was behind me but in fact that was an echo and a girl was ahead of me. I passed her and went higher. The higher I got, the thicker the fog got. I didn't see much of the wildlife but a few birds and squirrels. There was not one single soul up there. After almost an hour and 10 minutes the fog was so thick that I was afraid that I might lose the path on the way back. As well a wind started blowing but it was not strong enough to clear the fog or clouds. I felt that I was closing to the ridge and in fact I was almost at the edge but I could not say if that was the end or not. So I just stayed a minute, took a photo and headed back. 

On my way back, I first saw the fat girl. She had not broken a sweat! I guess he took a break every 2 meters she elevated! Then people emerged one after another! One thing that I realized about hikes here, maybe not all of them is they are very lazy at getting up! The other stupid thing was they were all carrying big backpacks and sticks like they were going to The Himalayas! What a sorry exhibition that was! So I just started running down the hill as it is a very wide and easy trail. 

Now I understand why the peak is named after a Chinese guy! It is because Chinese people are all pussy and incapable of anything physical. So that jackass, whoever the fuck he was, though by going up that little hill he would accomplish the impossible in the history of mountain climbing and hiking! The peak is also called Miners Peak, according to the little plaque installed at the beginning of the trial and I believe that is a much better name because apparently miners worked inside this mountain and they are the ones who deserve the title. Nevertheless I guess I will have to climb this mountain one more time just to be sure that I reached the end. When I am going to do that next, I don't know. It will certainly not be the next one.

Thick fog prevented me from seeing Highway # 1 from the top. I could not say if I was at the end of the trail or not and because I certainly didn't have an intention to fall off the ledge, I climbed down and started to descend where I felt it was the summit! 

(Photo, top: Miners Peak from the road. The tarn besides it could also be seen)