Last week I took part in the Planeterra Trek Challenge with some of the Nomads Giving Back team. Our goal was to each walk/run/hike the 65 kilometres, or 85,000 steps, to Everest Base Camp. Virtually of course! I’m normally pretty active, so I thought I had it in the bag, but there were some things conspiring against me. Let me take you on a journey through the ups and downs of the Planeterra Trek Challenge.
Monday 21st September – Day 1 of the Planeterra Trek Challenge
I woke up excited and ready to get right into the challenge. There was only one problem; the weather. It seemed that nature had other ideas. Some storms had developed overnight and it was raining heavily. There was even a bit of thunder and lightning.
I hoped that maybe the storm would dissipate by the afternoon, so I could get out and do some walking. That did not happen. In fact, it seemed to be getting worse as the day went on. Needless to say, I didn’t get to do any walking for the first day of the challenge. But there’s always tomorrow, right?
Tuesday 22nd September – Day 2
Once again, I woke up excited to get my challenge started. Once again, nature had other ideas. The storm was still going strong. I was hoping that it wouldn’t cause me to lose another day. Luckily, the rain started to abate around midday and I seized the opportunity to get outside.
As there were still some dark clouds hanging around, I decided to start with a relatively easy flat walk along a river in my district. That way I’d be close to home if the rain started again.
Although it is a natural river, the course of the Shing Mun River (城門河) and it’s tributaries were altered in the 70’s when land was reclaimed for housing. That means that the banks are artificial, with paved walking and bicycle paths all along their courses.
The Shing Mun River also seems to be full of jumping fish.
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Day 2 Stats
15,326 steps
– 69,674 to go
11.74km
– 53.26 to go
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Wednesday 23rd September – Ups and Downs of the Planeterra Trek Challenge Day 3
After half a day that was almost dry, the rain came back again. I thought the day might be another washout, but there was a short window in the evening where I was able to get some steps in.
I also use an app called Sweatcoin which allows me to earn Sweatcoins for my steps. It generally records steps at a lower rate than my fitness app, but earning coins that can be redeemed for goods is still pretty cool, none-the-less. If rewards for exercising interest you, check out the app here.
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Day 3 Stats
8.96 Sweatcoins
– 23.74 Sweatcoins accumulated
11,173 steps
– 58,501 to go
9.13km
– 44.13km to go
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Thursday 24th September – Day 4
Rain was still looming, so I headed back to the river again. When I made a short detour into town, a drunk rat ran into my foot. Okay, maybe it wasn’t drunk, but it was certainly acting like it. After it ran into my foot, it slowly zig-zagged across the road before just hanging out on the edge of the opposite footpath.
Back at the river, there was a mural depicting various things to be seen and activities that take place in the district. One of those activities in Dragon Boating.
On any given day the chances of seeing someone practicing on the river is high.
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Day 4 Stats
14.86 Sweatcoins
– 38.6 Sweatcoins accumulated
13,819
– 44,682 to go
10.56km
– 33.57 to go
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So by the end of day 4, I had completed just over 30kms, or 40,318 steps. That meant I was a little under halfway to the 65km/85,000 step goal. It wasn’t quite where I wanted to be by that point. I wasn’t worried though. I still had 3 days left!
Friday 25th September – Day 5
This was always going to be a tricky day to get some steps in as I had a training day to attend. Obviously, I was tired when I was done and wasn’t going to attempt anything but a flat urban walk. It was of course pretty uneventful, except for the helicopter rescue that I witnessed. You see, I was walking near the base of a hill called Lion Rock, which is a bit of an icon in my city. It can be seen from almost anywhere in the city.
Helicopters flying around is something that has been sporadically happening since protests broke out last year, so I initially ignored it. Until I realised it was hovering right near the ‘Lions Back’. I knew straight away what a helicopter hovering over a hill meant. It appeared to lift three people up before flying off. I couldn’t help but think how lucky we are to have a service like this. It has no doubt saved many lives.
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Day 5 Stats
11.33 Sweatcoins
– 49.93 Sweatcoins accumulated
13,524 steps
– 31,158 to go
9.5km
– 24.07 to go
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53,842 steps down, 31,158 to go! Finally over half-way!
Saturday 26th September – Day 6
I had big plans for a hike this day. Unfortunately, I woke up feeling sick and wasn’t really capable of doing anything but resting. And binge-watching some TV shows.
Sunday 27th September – Ups and Downs of the Planeterra Trek Challenge Day 7
I was still feeling unwell when I woke up, but I was also determined to finish the challenge. With nearly 25 kilometres left to finish, it was not going to be easy. Luckily, I live right near Lion Rock, so that was the target for the day.
Things started off well and the trail was surprisingly empty, despite it being a weekend day. This could’ve been because there was a strong chance of rain.
The rain held off until I was about three-quarters of the way up. This was disappointing because the mist obstructed the normally awesome views from that point.
There was a possibility that the mist could clear by the time I got to the top. I realised once I got within sight of the Lion’s Head that was not going to happen. It had actually gotten worse.
As you could imagine, by the time I got to the top, there was no view at all. Here’s what it should’ve looked like –
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Day 7 Stats
22 Sweatcoins
– 72 Sweatcoins Total
30,695 steps
– 84,537 Total
23.82km
– 64.75km Total
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Final Total – 84,537 steps or 64.75km and 72 Sweatcoins earned!
Considering I lost so much time to weather and illness, near enough is good enough for a victory photo, right?
That’s totally me on Mount Everest. Or that’s me photoshopped on Mount Everest, courtesy of The Top Of Mount Everest. Who can really know for sure?
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