Pottinger Peak Country Trail hike (Photo-essay)

A friend living outside of Hong Kong recently e-mailed me to ask whether one can hike in Hong Kong all year round. The answer is a qualified yes; with the caveat that in the summer months, it really can feel too hot and humid to hike in comfort. So much so that in such as the month of June this year, I only ventured out on to hike on the easy (1.9km) Pottinger Peak Country Trail one public holiday Monday in large part because it had rained the day before -- a development which brought with it the promise of (relatively) clearer air and attendant great views that would make the hiking feel really worth while...

Early on in the hike, however, it was sights close to us
that captured the attention and interest
of my hiking companions and myself

Hardly the biggest waterfall in the world,
or even Hong Kong for that matter,
but pretty all the same!

Butterflies are terribly difficult to take photos of
so I was happy this one decided to
pause temporarily on the ground for me to snap!

Looking south from Pottinger Peak down to Shek O

It might look like a resort but it's actually
the Cape Collinson Correctional Institution!
(As a friend has observed: many of Hong Kong's prisons
sure are in really beautiful locations!)

So colorful they surely must be poisonous! :b

One of those views that can be gasp inducing --
and trust me when I tell you that
it's even more beautiful in real life! :)

...and again -- this time looking north across
the harbour over to the New Territories