The Saddle

Ridge that barely touches earth
Bridge that arches o’er the blue
Climb too steep for forks or swerves
Time of toiling through and through

The heights I shall not long remain
In dips is where I’ll rise again
A paradigm much tried and true

 

Colin Lee

As a decade-long resident of Ma On Shan (“Saddle Hill” in Chinese), I at last succeeded in summiting the 702 m dormant volcano and the eponymous landmark of our town last weekend. Although Ma On Shan isn’t our tallest mountain in Hong Kong, it’s surely our most challenging for hikers. Therefore, I’m more than grateful for the company of Marcus, my daredevil bestie and a veteran adventurer, as we scaled the deadly cliffs along Ma On Shan’s east ridge together. The peak’s panoramic unreality was every bit glorious to every fibre of our beings after the punishing acclivity.

Having said that, Ma On Shan is not for everyone and is, for safety reason, an officially no-entry area (although, quite ironically, in order to stay safe, one must proceed by “following” the warning signs along the route).

And here goes my somewhat last-minute link-up to dVerse’s quadrille of the week (prompt word “steep”). Cheers.