Crabby after Seven Soggy Hours

My goal of 60km yesterday was thwarted by the Hong Kong monsoon. VKHF and I hit the trail at about 6:30am making our way along the Round the Island Race trail. Fortunately it was not raining when we started, or else I might have spent the day watching 30 Rock on a treadmill at Pure. Hmm...come to think of it...that doesn't sound so bad...may do that today instead of Tung Chung to Mui Wo.

Highlight of the day 1)- watching the sheet of rain sweep down over Shek O Peak and pelt us on the exposed part of Hong Kong Trail. Painful.

Highlight of the day 2)- VKHF being attacked by a crab on the trail. (See picture above.) She wasn't really attacked but he did put out his pincers. Come to think of it- what on earth are crabs doing on mountain trails?

Interesting discovery- my GoLite backpack is NOT waterproof. While I don't think that will be a major problem during Gobi (you know the whole desert, no rain thing), thank goodness VHKF brought a ziplock bag or else I would be purchasing yet ANOTHER Blackberry Bold.

Hiking in the monsoon isn't so bad actually- minus the pelting rain part. It keeps you cool and "hydrated". The only problem is your feet. I was trying my 7th different type of sock- Injini toe socks, but to be honest, I don't think it would have mattered what I was wearing; there was no escaping wet feet, and my baby toes blew up. Given that I didn't get any blisters in NEW places, Injini socks may just be the answer to my prayers. After seven hours, feet felt excruciating; I was soaked; and thunder and lightning lit up the sky, so I packed it in at about 35 kms.

Other exciting developments:
1) I tried Gu for the first time and found that I LIKE IT!
2) I wore my gaiters, and they proved very helpful for keeping out the dirt and pebbles although they hug my ankles in a rather unflattering way.
3) VKHF did her longest hike ever and was inspired to go buy hiking shoes.

Capped off the day with dragon boating practice at the Pickled Pelican as the Coast Guard wouldn't let teams out on the water given the size of the swell and the high potential for capsizing. We practiced paddling on our bar stools, and the team hydrated with a tower of Carlsberg. Definitely my preferred way to dragon boat. I stuck to an Early Grey tea, but am psyched for Thursday. Looking forward to the first Tuen Ng festival that I will remember in its entirety. Now that is a feat!