#205 - Hiking

McRitchie Reservoir at 7AM (no filter - it really looks like this)

Stream at Rifle Range Link

They ran from McRitchie Reservoir to Rifle Range Road and back!

Most of my friends use Salomon XCRs

Merrel Col Mid Hiking Boots - review to follow

I enjoyed hiking so much last week that I went back

for more :-)

So, some of my friends got bitten by the running

'bug'.... and some even went ahead and bought

Salomon XCRs in the hope of doing some trail

running. Well, bad knees have made sure that

I not only 'retire' from playing soccer but also that

I do not enjoy any running on hard pavement.

But, of course, good hiking boots and a patella

band made sure that I can still get my fun doing

trail hiking!

Anyway, last Friday, emails were flying around

the office as to how best 'attack' the trail from

McRitchie Reservoir to Bukit Timah Visitor

Centre. It was decided that my friends were

going to run the route and that they will also

do a u-turn and head back to McRitchie

Reservoir to take a shower. I was just reading

the mails and smirking. Heh! Run?! That long?!

Saturday came and I didn't even bother going

to the McRitchie Reservoir Visitor Centre. I am

sure my friends can't come so early. They were

all coming from Pasir Ris/Tampines/Bedok area.

I headed straight to the trails but before I went in,

I sent an sms to NoLights Louie to say that I was

already there and that I'm going ahead... and that

if they really are running that they should be able

to overtake me since I'm just going to walk.

McRitchie Reservoir is covered by fog early

in the morning. Fantastic scenery! I swear I will

go back again next week!

I was waiting for my friends to just zoom past

me but this never happened. Hehehehe I knew

they were just walking :-) So I sent another

sms just before I got to the Park Ranger Station.

I smsed : You are all so slow. I will wait for

all of you at the Park Ranger station so you can

catch up. After that, I went into the toilet and then took

pictures of a pair of motorcycles (do they use

them to chase errant mountainbikers?). I heard

some trail runners say they do trail runs at night!

Then I heard my phone buzz and I got a reply

from NL Louie saying they just passed the

Ranger Station and did not see me! Huh?!

... soooo they really ran?!

I continued my hike and just before I reached

Rifle Range Road, I received another sms saying

they have already reached the 'end' of the trail and

they are running back. True enough, while I

was composing my reply, here comes the trio

of Bal, NoLights Louie and Henry running

towards me!

I wanted to take them with me to Durian Loop

but they left some of their stuff in the lockers

at McRitchie and so they really had to do a

u-turn and run back. Well, maybe next time

then ... but ... they really ran?!!!?