Short-distance hiking more popular as epidemic fades

Baima River in Huizhou, Valentines Valley in Shenzhen, Huoshan Mountain in Heyuan, Liuxi River National Forest Park in Conghua, Guangzhou... Maybe you have been living in Shenzhen for a long time but still haven’t heard of or visited any of these hidden natural gems in its vicinity. These spots, however, have served as a nice option for weekend escapes during this special pandemic period.

Twenty-nine-year-old Lin Yixiong has a good eye for these and he, the initiator of Global Hiker, has organized a number of short-distance hiking trips in the surrounding areas of Shenzhen for people of different nationalities.

A lover of outdoor activities, Lin one day came out with the idea of organizing hiking events for expats in Shenzhen. “I find the idea quite interesting because I didn’t know of any such event before. We not only can enjoy nice scenery, but also learn from each other and make more friends. Expats can practice Chinese with Chinese people and vice versa,” said Lin.

As soon as he got the idea, Lin acted on it and organized an event to climb Wutong Mountain on Dec. 2, 2018. And he get off to a good start, as one American friend joined his very first event.

He officially started his hiking events May 1 last year, first to Xingxi Trail in Conghua, Guangzhou, under the name of Global Hiker. Thus far he has organized a total of over 70 hiking trips, with most of the routes in Shenzhen and its surrounding areas including Dongchong and Xichong coastlines, and routes in Guangzhou and Huizhou.

With the epidemic, this year has been a bit harsh for Lin as the tourism industry suffers in general. “The epidemic has a huge impact on us. We couldn’t organize hiking events during this period,” Lin told Shenzhen Daily.

However, as the epidemic fades and long-distance travel is still not recommended or basically impossible in the foreseeable future, Lin’s short-distance hiking has gained more popularity.

Lin resumed his hiking trips April 25, leading a group of 16 people from Shenzhen to Heipaijiao Coastline in Huizhou City, one of the most beautiful coastlines in Guangdong Province.

Carla Horgan from the U.K. joined this hiking trip after nearly three months of very limited social activities and no hiking. “It was a huge delight to finally do some outdoor exercise, to enjoy fresh air, socialize with people and get some vitamin D from the sunlight, not to mention doing a different form of physical activity other than online yoga classes at home. It was such a relief and seemed a very healthy thing to do.”

So far Horgan has joined around six hiking events organized by Lin. “Ever since my first hike on Heipaijiao Coastline last year, I’ve been hooked on Global Hiker expeditions. I appreciate their ease and convenience. I sign up for a hike, get myself to the meeting point, and then the coach takes me to where I need to go.”

She loves that she always gets back from every trip with new friends. “In a fast-paced city like Shenzhen where people are working hard and constantly coming and going, one can feel isolated at times so I whole-heartedly support organizations like Global Hiker that bring people together,” added Horgan.

Chen Ke joined Lin’s hiking trip to Lion Island in Huizhou on May 10, her first such hiking event. Over 20 people joined the trip and around two-thirds of them were expats from the U.S., the U.K., Spain and Mexico.

“What I felt at that time was ‘finally we can go enjoy some outdoor activities!’ We all wore masks and needed to show our green health code. There were not many people on the coast so we could take off the mask,” said Chen.

Chen added that such trips injected her with new energy after staying at home for a few months. “Now we are at the later stage of the epidemic. Traveling to other cities or overseas still poses a risk. So a short-distance trip like this is a nice option which brings me fun. I got some exercise and got to know new friends.”

Elena Camacho from Spain has been living in Shenzhen for six months. So far she has joined two hiking events with Lin. “I joined the first hiking event May 3. We went to Huizhou to Dananshan Mountain. It took 13 km of climbs and descents. The experience was very gratifying, although I have to admit that it was hard. I’m not as fit as I expected. This hiking was difficult for me, but it was well worth it. The views and nature were incredible. In this hiking we were like 50 people. It was a special holiday in China and we all wanted to do something.”

For Camacho, it was a pity not to be able to travel long distances, especially to go tranquilly without thinking about the risk that this situation entails. “But seeing the positive side, it gives me opportunities to explore Shenzhen and its surroundings more which I previously had not taken time to do.”