Canyoning at the Ping Nam Stream
I went canyoning with a group of friends at the Ping Nam Stream. This trip came just in time to catch the last stretch of the summer heat. We met at the Nam Chung parking lot at the foot of MacLehose Trail Section 10 for our professional guides to begin this exceedingly adventurous day.
The Ping Nam Stream originates in Ping Fung Shan and flows through the Nam Chung area to exit at Nam Chung River. Located in the Nam Chung area in Fanling, the stream is part of the scenery at Pat Sin Leng’s northern ridges, and it lies within the Pat Sin Leng Country Park. There are nine major streams in Hong Kong and Ping Nam Stream is one of them.
Like the Ping Ka Stream in the vicinity, the Ping Nam Stream shows the similar feature of the potholes. Although there were no potholes as significant as the one at Shek Pan Tam, I saw quite a few small ones as I rested in the stream.
The Gear and the Preparation
It was my first time hearing the term canyoning, and even when I arrived at the waiting spot, I kept thinking we were doing canoeing. But canyoning is a notably different activity, as it requires a whole lot more physical strength and willpower, especially for abseiling. As a result, I was under-prepared for this day. I was so glad that I survived the activities without injury.
Before meeting with the group, I had a proper breakfast. This is the type of breakfast that would typically last me a whole day with regular hiking. I could survive on this amount of food for six hours of hiking. But abseiling, and other adventurous activities on this trip, required a lot of physical strength. A full stomach for regular hiking would not do. I brought a small bun with me for lunch and it turned out to be not enough food for the day. Therefore my advice is a full breakfast plus a proper sandwich.
When we gathered for instructions, we took the harness and fixed it on our laps. There were quite a few large carabiners on the belt, and we would learn how we fix our rope when we abseil. We would keep the harness on throughout the trip. Then came our safety helmets and the stream-trekking shoes. Finally, we reorganized our belongings, and stuffed them into dry bags. The normal hiking bags that are “waterproof” will not protect your belongings, for we would be soaking in the stream throughout this trip. Even with the watersport dry bags, my belongings were all wet in my hiking bag by the end of the day.
The tour operator has advised us that we should wear long pants. I did not fully understand the activity, and thinking that it was such a hot day, I wore beach shorts. My beach shorts were of a sturdy material. But indeed, the uncovered parts of my legs suffered from some scrapes as we hiked upstream. There were a lot of rough surfaced rocks on the way and we had to use our knees as anchors throughout the hike. Therefore, listen to your guides and wear long pants.
The Trail
We probably spent a couple hours hiking up stream. We passed by all the pools, of which we would eventually descend by abseiling, diving and sliding. The scenery was beautiful under the sun rays of the late morning. The trail was difficult, however. We trekked both the rocks and the streams. Some of these rocks required strong upper body strength as we had to pull ourselves up with the aid of tree branches. The whole group made it and no one fell on the way.
On our way, we also did a bit of diving in a couple pools. The water was flowing, but our guides said that it was not considered strong currents. Although it felt clean, it was not really pristine and in fact a little muddy. We were glad that we could be in the water though, as the sun was approaching its noon prime.
These were the beautiful waterfalls that we saw on our way.
We were at upstream finally and sat by the pool to rest. Then our guide did a trial with abseiling. She showed us how to fix our rope properly. For right-handers, you would be holding onto the rope with your right hand. The key is to never let go of your right hand. Your left hand will provide balance. If you slip on the rocks as you descend, you can use your left hand to push the body back to position. The abseil is done facing the cliff. When your right hand releases the grip slowly, you would descend as your body weighs down. Keep your legs in a half-squatting position (in the air, yes). The waist remain straight throughout as well.
We conducted this trial abseil on relatively dry rocks. At the real abseiling sessions, we would be coming down on rocks that are consistently washed by the stream. We did abseil down a few waterfalls, in fact.
It was lunch hour and so we sat around with our buns and sandwiches. The abseiling would begin.
Abseiling, Sliding and Diving
We would not be trekking the rocks downstream. Instead, we abseiled, slid and dived down quite a number of waterfalls and pools. As shown above, the abseiling was a true test of both physical and mental strength.
The standard itinerary would require three sessions of abseiling on waterfalls and cliffs. At some point in this tour, we heard our guide exclaiming, “I love this Ping Nam Stream.” We asked her why, and she said because it is the easiest stream. I could see that, as the three abseiling sessions increased in difficulty. As such it was probably suitable for beginners. We had some practice before the last difficult one.
Abseiling is dangerous. The first session was doable for me, because the stream was not washing so rapidly. The difficulty is, when your body is hung on a rope and your right hand is the key to your survival, your attention is very much drawn only to your right hand. But abseiling is more than the right hand. Your feet are supposed to be on the cliff as you descend, it is not about being roped down in air.
With the rapids washing your whole body (and the beautiful sound of water splashing all around you), there is almost no mind power left to watch your feet. So I kind of felt my way with my feet, without knowing what the next step might be. Needless to say, you can easily lose balance on a single rope and slippery cliff surfaces. When I did, it took first the left hand to prevent my body from banging on the cliff and sustaining bruises. Then I told myself to seriously calm down before the next move, at the same time reminding my right hand that it must not let go. Then I exercised strength in the waist and the knees to get my feet back on the cliff, and facing the cliff in a half-squat to continue the descent properly.
And this is what I meant by serious willpower. The act itself is intuitive, it is what it looks like. While I was at it, however, all the motor skills that I have developed and exercised so automatically over the years required determination. Move this first, hold on there, step on this—yes, I had to make conscious decisions, remaining absolutely calm (deep breathing helps) throughout the process.
Perhaps after two intense session in abseiling, I came across a problem. The next descent is to slide down a 4-meter, smooth-surfaced cliff. There was no choice in this. The guides must watch over the safety of the whole group and I could not say “can I trek down the rocky path instead.” Once you are there, you must do what the whole group does. And I felt quite frightened here. But I did it, it was not so bad, and maybe it was fun.
Then came an even more difficult task. The next descent was to jump off a 5-6 meter cliff. It turned out to present a serious problem for me, by then a very scared soul. When I dived, I felt my heart popping out before I just entered the water. As a result, when I went into the water, I could not coordinate my breathing. Also, the shoes that I was wearing did not help with the swimming. It was nothing like swimming in a swimming pool, and no matter how much I used my legs I was not heading forward in the water. I could not get myself to swim back to the edge of this pool, and I could not coordinate breathing.
I had to call for help, and my friend came to my rescue. Again, there was no choice in this dive. And I rested for a long time at the pool before the next task.
At round 2-3pm in the afternoon, the third abseiling session became perhaps a little too strenuous for me. When I descended, I felt this pang of hunger and light-headedness. Also, by that time the heat has really tapered and the water was becoming quite chilly. Yet I must not lose my willpower. I was hoping that it would be the last abseiling I had to do.
The final descent of water came with two options. I either slide down eight meters, or abseil down the same 8-meter cliff. I decided that, despite the near-exhaustion from the day, I would abseil down. An 8-metre slide down the cliff is simply too frightening.
Some Concluding Thoughts
The most enjoyable part of this day was the natural spa in the streams. Although the guides said this could not be considered an abundance of water, it did flow rapidly. When we were waiting for the others to abseil, we could sit at the flowing streams and enjoy a natural spa. I am pretty sure that has eased some of my fatigue.
When I showed the pictures to family and friends, they came back with mixed reactions. The young ones tend to say, “how fun!” While the older generation said, “how dangerous.” Perhaps they are both right in that the fun comes from the risks, and that combination is known as adventure. I think I am at an age where I prefer not doing this type of activity. Upon reflection, it was a lot of fun, but if I were to get hurt, I did not think the thrill would have justified the injury. This is a kind of thing that doing once in life just for the experience is perhaps enough.
Dangers
Due to a number of fatal accidents, including hikers slipping or getting washed away by unexpected currents, the Ping Nam Stream has also acquired the name “God of Death.” Having spent one adventurous day there, I can say that this is a kind of activity that requires professional guidance. Even with all our safety gears and two professional guides I thought it was very dangerous. Certainly, do not go alone; and certainly, get a group together with professional guides. And even then, you must pay full attention when you do abseiling. Your life is literally in your right hand.
Finally, one member in our group lost his wedding band after diving one of the cliffs. Both jewelry and contact lens should be avoided in this activity. Believe it or not, our guide dived 6 times into the pool and found his wedding band. What a lucky man.
