Unraveling the mysteries of the Hongsan labyrinth

I love neglected trails. I am no trailblazer, mind—I hate getting lost, and dirty, and finding your own way often involves way too much work in the absence of switchbacks and general geographical information—but I do love the feeling of being the only one on the trail. Though I know that in order for there to be a trail, others must trod on it from time to time, I still feel a special kinship with that path. Like it’s a secret only I know about. Therefore, I was delighted today when I chanced upon an unexpected trail. Hongsan keeps surprising me in this respect—I was convinced there were no trails at all, after months of searching had yielded nothing, but apparently there is a small network. Today’s trail is simply another part of the system I discovered last June. (Since the only maps I’ve seen have been half in Chinese and lack orientation completely, it’s been difficult to find all the connecting trails. Workin’ on mysteries without any clues…YEAH.) I’d been taking a short walk before dinner. It’s been super hot and humid, so outside has not been very appealing this week, but it turns out my decision to brave the evening oven was well-rewarded. I was going to look at a trail sign I saw last year when walking down a big road near Hongsan, when I found one that was even closer. It was steep and faint, but the view from above was surprisingly spectacular. The ridge I found myself on was rocky, so I could see far in every direction (the added bonus being some climbing!). Though the high point was only 330m, I was satisfied—that’s pretty high for around here! I feel newly motivated to explore this trail system, if only I can beat the heat…