#215 - Hiking

Pictures from Saturday's hike.



Waterproof Hi-Tec Otter Trail boots. Breaking in by
using it to go to work.



My son decided he wants my other pair of

hiking boots and so I had to get myself this pair

of cheaper Hi-Tec Otter Trail waterproof boots.

World Of Sports had a 10% + 30% sale and so I

got these boots for around 75$... and yup, I'll add

this pair to my 'to write a review' list.

On the left is a trekking pole tip, on the right
is a nordic walking pole tip.

The nice part of the hike today wasn't just the new
boots though.... We were walking around Velocity Mall
last Friday. We went to the usual places like Running
Lab (@1st floor), 2XU, Outdoors and WOS (all three on
the 2nd floor) and lastly, to these 2 stores on the 3rd floor.
The first store on the 3rd floor is related to WOS. They sell
Columbia, Salomon and Hi-Tec. The other store (Xtrekkers?)
sells Garmont hiking boots (expensive!) and other high end
trekking / mountain climbing stuff. One of the staff there
is really very eager to serve. His enthusiasm verges on
the irritating. However, when I was looking at a pair of
Silva 'trekking poles' (<-- notice the quotes, i'll explain later),
he said that a pair of those poles only cost 69$ !
Wow! All the other poles in that store cost 100$+ and
here, we have a pair of poles costing 69$ ??? We're on !
... and wonders never ceased because while we were
paying, it turned out that there's a 10% off on the poles
that I was buying!

Anyway, while we were walking home, I realised that the
rubber tip of the poles that I bought were 'funny'. See
the picture above. They looked like the ones on the right.
First, I was thinking maybe you use them until they wear
off and become flat? hehehehe. In the end of course, I
realised that the flat end of the tips on the right of the photo
should be in contact with the ground and if that is so... then
how do you use these poles?

To make the long story short, I went on to YouTube and
checked out all the hiking videos there. One video led to
another until I saw one video which is praising the advantages
of Nordic Walking. That sounds familiar? Yup, some upmarket
gyms have nordic walking machines. ... and finally, I saw the
tips on the 'trekking poles' that those people on YouTube
were using. Serendipity has struck again. That guy in
Xtrekkers actually sold me a pair of Nordic walking
poles hence the 'funny' tip.

I watched the nordic walking videos in YouTube and
I decided to apply it for this Saturday's hike...
and it was a revelation :-)

Nordic walking is not just easy on your knees, it even
involves your whole body. So now, I can walk and I get
a complete exercise. Walking / running primarily involves
our lower extremities. But doing Nordic walking, you use
also use you arms and shoulders.

So, if you have bad knees, go on over to YouTube,
type nordic walking on the search field and click the
Search button :-)

#214 : Deepavali 2011

Deepavali ! Another holiday and an excuse for

us to let our masochistic proclivities shine
through :-)

Today's ride started from Casuarina at around
8:30AM ... well, my friends started at that time.
Me? At 8:30AM I was opening my mainframe terminal
emulator and working! Anyway, I got out of my
house at 10AM and reached BT at around 10:30ish.
I half cycled, half pushed my bike around the BT
loop and once I got to ZH, I started calling my
friends.

They just got out of reverse Rooty Trail after
coming in from Casuarina. So slow?! Anyway, they
made their way to ZH and once there they could
not be persuaded to stop being masochists. So on
they went to Bukit Timah leaving NoLights Louie
with me. ... Since Louie and I had time to kill,
we did reverse Flowy Trail and went to the
entrance of Rooty Trail. The peloton came after
about ten minutes' wait and off we went into Rooty
Trail again. At this time the sun was shining and the
weather was really very hot but once we got into
the trail that leads to Casuarina, the rain came!

The rain was so heavy we almost could not see where
we were going! Water was rushing down, turning the
trails into streams! Looks like it was just not
enough that we can't see where we're going, we also
can not see where we are putting in our front tires.
Lots of 'whoopps!' can be heard from the peloton
whenever we encounter drops that were concealed
by the rushing water.... there was even a dead monkey
floating at the downhill section before the 2nd
stream... I wonder how that monkey died? :(

The rain brought good things and bad. Bad thing
is it limits visibility and we can't hear ourselves
shouting (e.g. "THERE'S A DROPPP!!!", "WHATTTT???",
you get the picture). Good thing is we didn't feel
exhausted and so the journey to Casuarina was done
in record time.

But this ride has some expensive casualties, namely,
one Shimano sunglasses and one iPhone4 hehehehe.

#213 - Sunday Ride

Randy and Deck

Long time RC friend Jack

My u-turn point in T15 was blocked by trees.

Efren

My friends know me very well now. They knew I won't

be able to make the 7AM meetup at Velocity. However,

they started calling me at around 10AM knowing that

I'll just be around the trails by then hehehe.

Anyway, Randy, Deck, Rey and Efren joined the

MTB Brothers' group ride that started from Casuarina.

Once they got into the trail they all went in the direction

of Reverse Rooty Trail. I think it was at the end of

Reverse Rooty Trail that they separated from the

MTB Brothers as they wanted to do a u-turn,

go into Rooty Trail again and exit back to

Casuarina.

While they were on that group ride, I cruised

T15, did a u-turn near Mandai and did reverse

Flowy Trail. By the way, thanks to the guys who

cleared that newly fallen tree near the end of

reverse Flowy Trail.

I then went on to do reverse Rooty Trail

and it was here where I met Efren, Deck, Randy

and Rey going the opposite direction. Apparently,

they have been calling me! But I couldn't hear my

phone, Anyway, they told me to abandon my sissy

route and go with them to have lunch at Sembawang

Hill Hawker Centre... and that was what we did.

Also, there's some logs missing in Rooty Trail

today. Whoever, did the clearing of those logs,

thanks guys!

#212 - Hiking

Above are a few pics from today's hike.

This is the first time that I used my Salomon XT

Wings 2... and I really appreciate the lightness

of these shoes compared to my hiking boots.

I guess, I'll be doing a mini-review of the XT

Wings 2 soon.

Today's hike is considered short. I went

in to McRitchie Reservoir, Rifle Range Road

and went into part of the Bukit Timah MTB Trail.

I think I was already home by 10:30AM.

I still had time for a nap followed by lunch

with my family :-)

#211 - Merrel Col Mid Hiking Boots

Merrel Mid Col's after the rain (see next pic).
This was also my first trail hike with these shoes.

I've worn my Merrel Col Mid's during this rain

Merrel Col Mid after 15 days.
They should be broken in by now.

According to most dictionaries, Serendipity is when

someone accidentally finds something good. Finding

the Merrel Col Mid Hiking boots should qualify as an

example of Serendipity.

Ever since I discovered that the trail in McRitchie Reservoir

connects to the various trails in Bukit Timah/Mandai area

via Rifle Range Road, I have always wanted to hike that trail.

Forget about running. My right knee has been operated on

already. My left knee has been very painful even if I just

walk from Lavender MRT to my house at Whampoa...

and those walks were done using running shoes with

anti-pronation wedges ... AND those shoes had aftermarket

inserts in them. I resorted to tying a patella band on my

left knee and that helped a lot.

One Friday, my wife and son asked me to accompany

them to Royal Sporting House in Suntec where they sell

cheaper jerseys, shoes, shorts, etc. Once we got there,

the first pile of shoes that greeted us was from Merrel

and well well well, it says all shoes were going

for 50$ per pair only !

I dived into the pile, let Serendipity do its job and

when I surfaced for air, I was holding a pair of Merrel Col

Mids in my hand. I went to one corner and surfed

the web for reviews using my iPhone. The reviews that

I read were a mixture of good and bad (as always), but

it seems the good reviews outnumbered the bad ones ...

and for just 50$, I decided I'd take my chance.

There was one hitch though ... one of the eyelets of the

right shoe was detached. The eyelet was on a piece of

plastic string which was attached to the shoe and so

my wife said 'maybe it can repaired?' ... so I thought,

ok, I'd still get it. Hey, even a pair of Havaiana slippers

cost over 50$ !

The Revelation began immediately after I paid for the

shoes. I immediately put them on ... It was like walking

barefoot on a thick pile carpet! I can feel my

knees were already thanking me! Walking with these

boots in the shopping mall make you feel funny.

They are clunky and unwieldy BUT they are very

very comfortable.

I wore them again the next day to work. I also

wear them whenever I walk home from

Lavender MRT to Whampoa. All this time, I still

have a patella band. Finally, when the weekend came,

I wore them on my walk from McRitchie

to Bukit Timah (10km).

From the time I bought them up to now, it has already

been 3 weeks and I have used them every weekend

on my hikes...Last Sunday (9 Oct) and yesterday (15 Oct),

I not only used them to go hiking from McRitchie to BT but I

also used them to climb the stairs in the Catchment Trail

in Bukit Timah. They are heavy, like almost all hiking boots.

However, yesterday, I forgot to bring my patella

band and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that

I don't need it anymore ... when I'm using these shoes :-)

Notice that I left out the specs of these hiking boots

in this review. You'll find the specs here at this website.

I don't understand much of the terms anyway

(e.g. "last", "rand", etc.). 

I just know that these shoes have saved me many

many times from twisting my ankles. It also has very

good grip even in the wet. It is waterproof but of course

if you use them during heavy rain, water will come in

from the top. Don't worry, though, once the rain stops,

the water does not slosh around inside the boot. I know

this since I have used it while raining.

But best of all, and I can't get over it, is it seems to

have 'cured' my knees!!!  I don't feel any knee pain

now ... so much so that I just bought a lighter alternative

to these shoes : Salomon XT Wings 2 hehehehe

#210 - Sunday Ride

Pic by Hup Leong Mechanic John

Sunday and I woke up late again. Good thing there
seems to be no group ride today. I was thinking of
taking my own sweet time in the trails.

.. and so being late already, I skipped the Bukit
Timah loop and headed straight to Zheng Hwa Park ...
only to find Efren, Sugar Rush Rey and Stair Rider
Deck waiting there with the rest of the MTB Brothers!
Arrghh they caught me!

The MTB Brothers group seem to be getting more
members? There are lots of new faces. After the
obligatory group pictures, every one went to Rooty
Trail. Everybody stopped for a regroup under the mango
trees and when we asked where they are going next,
everybody answered they're all going to Esso to clean up
their bikes ... and no doubt that will be followed
by the obligatory drinking session hehehehe.

So the four of us, Efren, Deck, Rey and myself went
to that trail that leads to Casuarina and had our lunch
at Sembawang Hill Hawker Center.

By the way, just before the trail exit, I almost
fainted when I saw people hiking and going the same
direction as us. I wanted to tell my buddies to do
a u-turn. But as I drew nearer to the hikers, they
turned out to be people playing with remote control
1/10 4wd crawlers. Whew!

#209 - Hiking

Wake up !

Today is the 2011 edition of The NorthFace 100 !

At first I wanted to go to McRitchie Reservoir to see
the starting line of  the TNF100. But I thought with the
large crowd of spectators, competitors, groupies, etc.
there, I would rather start my hike from Bukit Timah.

I woke up quite late (yeah still suffering from waking-up-late-
syndrome) and so got off late at the bus stop near King Albert
Park McDonald's. That is where my hike started. I walked
up the overhead bridge and went in to Rifle Range Road.
I turned left at the entrance to the Bukit Timah Mountain
Bike Trail ... and noticed that apart from the medics
and traffic enforcers ... there are no competitors to be
found?!? I walked the MTB trail and turned left
at the first junction that leads to the Visitor Centre.
It was here that a competitor or two passed me.

I then went to the Visitor Center and went right
into the South View path (?). I thought I should
return to the locale of my last defeat AKA Catchment Path
and set things right. I was climbing the stairs quickly
and descending them even more quickly ... but ! (there's
always a but), it seems my clunky hiking boots are
not the tool for what I was planning to do. Hehehe
and so that was my excuse. I reached the junction
of Cave Path and Catchment Path. Going left means
more misery but the end promises some form of
redemption from being such a wuss last week.
Going right means taking it easy and being a wuss
again... hehehehe no contest. You can call me
a weakling all week LOL.

Anyway, at the exit of Catchment Path, I turned
left to Rifle Range Road again and went into Durian
Loop. It seems I managed to catch up with those
running the 50km loop in Durian Loop.

I took some pictures while I was at the side of the
Durian Loop bridge. It seems the TNF100 participants
have really trained for this. Not one of them looked like
exhausted. A lot were even having conversations with
their running partners as if they were eating Big Breakfasts
at McDonalds. Then I saw this guy running who doesn't
have his right arm. I took his picture (see last photo above)
and basically was looking at him with admiration. I was
still looking at him when he was ascending the stairs after
the bridge that I didn't see his friend running after him.
His friend doesn't have one of his legs! There was just
a hi-tech looking prosthetic there. Wow, talk about
commitment and perseverance!

... and then yesterday NoLights Louie posted the below
video in our Facebook Groups page

#208 - Hiking

Since Saturday was MTB day, Sunday automatically

becomes hiking day :-)

This Sunday hike again started from McRitchie Reservoir.

I am still being plagued by this sickness called 'waking up late'

sickness and so I started the hike at 10AM. I was, however,

making good time as I have started to become familiar

with this hiking thing and the routes. The thing now is,

since there's only a limited area in Singapore for hiking

and trail running, the place is so crowded it's beginning

to look like a shopping mall...

... and so I ducked into the Petai Trail ... which was

a bad idea since I started late. Petai Trail added 2.25km

to my walk. It was a nice boardwalk 'trail' though.

At the end of Rifle Range Link, I saw a group

of hikers who seemed to be, first, doing an adventure

type race and second, lost :-) Good thing I heard them

speaking in my native language and so I didn't

let them go in a complete circle and pointed them

to the direction of Bukit Timah. Ah, that's my good

deed for the day taken care of.

Once, I was in the vicinity of BT, I went in

to check out this trail called Catchment Path ... oooohh

another one of my bad ideas. It consisted of stair climbs!

I think it will eventually lead to the Bukit Timah

Summit. It was already 1PM and I'm hungry and so

I wussed out and turned left to Cave Path...

I think I will come back here next week and

scour the area. Seems to me this place offers some

serious Zen experience.

#207 - Saturday Ride

3 fallen trees !

New fallen tree @Rooty Trail

Raining but still going to that trail leading to Casuarina

The Eastern boys still haven't gotten enough of
Pulau Ubin and so nobody was inquiring about
the possibility of a group ride in Bukit Timah.
Sugar Rush Rey and Stair Rider Deck have been
asking me to go for this Saturday Ride at BT
but the problem is I'm having difficulty waking
up early lately ... and so I couldn't commit.

Saturday came and I woke up at a relatively
late time of 9am... I knew it. If I said yes to my
friends then I would be making sooo much excuses
and apologies by now. I went to Zheng Hua via
Rifle Range Road and once there, I smsed Deck
that I am present although late and that I would
be going to Rooty Trail.

Surprise, surprise! The entrance to Rooty Trail
is flooded! I thought the lake has overflowed due
to the rain. But as I went deeper, my worries turned
out to be unfounded. But Rooty Trail was still
very wet and muddy.

Upon exiting Rooty Trail, I saw three guys who
seem to be playing at the farther end of the lake?
As I went nearer, the 3 guys turned out to be Sugar
Rush Rey, StairRider Deck and Fast Paolo.
Hehehehe it is turning out to be the season for
stupid accidents. Bukit Timah was soooo muddy
that these 3 guys thought to go wading in the lake
to wash off the mud that they have on them.
As Stair Rider Deck was stepping in barefoot
into the lake, the stone he was standing on moved
and so he dove into the lake! The dive cost him
his big toe nail!!! The stone chipped the toe nail
off his big toe! Nyahahaha needless to say, nobody
wants to go wading into the lake now.

It was then decided that we're going to that
trail that leads to Casuarina and have lunch at
Sembawang Hill Hawker Centre.

The ride was going very well ... until we reached
the third stream. I saw some 'official' looking
people with ID cards dangling around their necks.
I was saying a silent prayer : 'if you let me go today,
I will never again cycle to Upper Thomson on a Saturday'
Hah! My prayers were answered! Those guys didn't
even look at me. I am normally the last guy in our
group rides. But today, I pedalled like mad and
nobody caught up with me hehehehe. I only
stopped when I reached Upper Thomson. Once
the rest caught up with me, I asked them if those
official looking guys 'talked' to them ... Fast Pao
said they only asked if they were here last week.
I get the feeling that if my friends said yes, the result
will be different, but since Fast Pao said he just
came in to Singapore yesterday, those guys
just waved them away. That was close! Whew!