Dragon’s Back Hike in Shek O Country Park, Hong Kong

The Dragon’s Back is a ridge in southeastern Hong Kong. Did this hiking trail last week when I was in Hong Kong. It was the first time I’d been hiking in a long time as most of my traveling and sightseeing has been in big cities or beachside resorts. Was nice to stretch my legs, breathe fresh air and take in some amazing city views.

We found very clear instructions online of how to get to the trail complete with pictures and step-by-step navigtion (which made me think, is there an app for this? And if not, why not?). We picked up the trail by taking a subway train to the end of the line, getting out and walking a bit, entering a cemetery and walking hundreds of steps to the top of the hill. This in itself was an interesting part of the hike, looking out on all the tombstones and the view of the city. After the cemetery we entered the woods where we did more climbing in a combination of cement steps and switchbacks, along a shallow, stepped stream. When we got to the top, the trail flattened out for a bit, passing through dense vegetation with the occasional glimpse of the bay.

It was here that I spotted a former coworker from Seattle. No, it wasn’t actually him but it might as well have been. Middle-aged Chinese man hiking the trail alone. It reminded me of the man I used to work with and suddenly I was transported back to that office, to that environment. We were friendly enough at first, though we didn’t really have much to say to each other. And as the company grew, it seemed we had even less to say to each other but we were always on friendly terms. Until we weren’t. I have no idea why. It’s just one of those things that happens, you find yourselves on opposite ends of some pointless office politics, too trivial to even remember. You say something that implicates him or his team. I don’t remember the details and they’re not important. What is important is he wasn’t such a bad guy and I had nothing against him personally. What I always remember is the chronic look of stress on his face. And when I think about going to back to work, getting another office job, I picture that face. And I go hiking instead.