Hong Kong heatwave, hiker deaths and evidence of common sense being sadly too uncommon

One of Hong Kong's "treacherous peaks" which I really

haven't had a strong inclination to hike up (and, worse, down!)

Like in a good number of other parts of the northern hemisphere, Hong Kong's been having a really hot summer this year.  With the current heatwave showing no signs for several days still, I figure I'm going to be racking up quite the electricity bill this month since, unlike former Hong Kong Observatory chief Lam Chiu-ying (who's famously a no air-con advocate and still has been just using a fan!), I've been blasting the air con for much of the day and night in my apartment.  And I certainly don't think that I'll be out on any hiking trail any time soon, never mind the more challenging ones that Hong Kong has to offer.   

A part of me has been in awe of those who've still gone hiking in the heatwave, including at least a couple friends of mine (one of whom regularly hikes in the evenings; another of whom only hikes in the day).  But I have to admit that I've wondered whether they're foolhardy as well as just plain hardy.  And this especially after learning that there have been two hiker deaths in Hong Kong this weekend by way of an RTHK article whose headline is HK bakes under the the third hottest day on record!  

(For a measure of how hot it was today, a member of the Hong Kong Twitterverse was moved to observe that: "As at 3pm, HKO has recorded a maximum temperature of 36.1C, the highest ever in July. Sheung Shui has also recorded a maximum of 38.7C, which is the highest ever recorded in July among all automatic weather stations in HK’s territory.")

 

Returning to hiker deaths relayed in the RTHK article: "a 60-year-old man died after falling unconscious during a hike at Lantau island's West Dog's Teeth" today.  Note that the trail in question has been "billed as the hardest hike in Hong Kong", involving "850m of incline and requir[ing] a basic level of bouldering and scrambling to reach the end of the ridge" which connects to Lantau Peak.  "It follows the death on Saturday [i.e., yesterday] of a man during a hike at Sharp's Peak in Sai Kung. He's thought to have suffered heatstroke and was declared dead after being airlifted to hospital."

 

It may stand at just 468 meters (1,535 feet) above sea level but even though I've gone up many higher peaks in Hong Kong than Sharp Peak, I've never been up Hong Kong's 65th highest peak.  The reason is that people who've been hiking in Hong Kong longer than I am have told me that they've yet to find a way to go down it without having to "butt it" part of the way on account of it being so steep.  (Another reason is that it's so popular that that, reportedly, its trails are not in great condition and have become on the gravelly, and thus slippery, side.)

 

Something else worth noting about both Wed Dog's Teeth and Sharp Peak: the trails up and down them don't have much tree cover.  So it would seem particularly nuts to attempt to hike them in ultra sunny, hot weather.  So... I don't want to speak ill of the dead but I think people really need to exercise more common sense even while seeking to exercise during a heatwave.

 

And while we're on the subject of common sense: Yesterday's RTHK article about the hot weather (entitled Hong Kong swelters on hottest "Great Heat" day ever) had the following lines which, frankly, got me wanting to roll my eyes: "Dr Lam Wing-wo who practises in family medicine... said recently some people went to the doctor thinking they had caught the coronavirus because they had a low-grade fever and headache. In fact these were mild or preliminary symptoms of heat exhaustion or heat stroke, he said."  

 

Said doctor also "called on people to take a break under the shade every 30 minutes after working outdoors."  You'd think that would be common sense but, sadly, common sense can be all too uncommon -- in Hong Kong, at least!  And while I can sometimes too be lacking in common sense, at least I know that the following is good advice, especially in the current clime: i.e., stay hydrated, drink water, and be careful out there, people!  This especially for those folks striving to endure and outlive their enemies.