2021/04/11_Report_Big white Buddha to Luang Pu Thuat and high ridge back

The worst of the smoky season seems to be over, and our number of hikers got back into double digits. Our twelve participants included at least three returnees from southern islands.

Our bread-and-butter of our hiking was on forest paths, a bit stony but clear enough, the forest still looking dry but relieved by some young growths and blooms. This bread and butter enclosed a unique filling in the form of a visit to Wat Mae Ta Khrai, with its old Hell theme park and new giant statues of Luang Pu Thuat.

The forest hiking had its own highlights, especially in the views from the high ridge that we climbed (most of us) in the second half.

Most of us… . Yes, we lost two of our most experienced and ardent hikers at the junction between a ridge that went upwards and another one that went downwards. Not easy to see or explain in the forest which was which, and they did want to press ahead of the leader. But with GPS, phone contact and the road nearby they didn’t get badly lost, and we picked them up on the road at the end.

The upsurge in Covid-19 cases in Chiang Mai in the last week meant that restaurants were now observing a strict alcohol ban, and many were closed altogether. We counted ourselves lucky to find a local place willing to send out for soft drinks and serve simple dishes, and where there was space to talk to each other while spread out in a socially-distanced way. Many thanks to our leader for this interesting and enjoyable hike.

Distance 13.5km. Elevation gain 640m. Hike time: 5 hours, including breaks and temple visit.

Hike leadership by John. Reporting by Michael. Photos by Michael, Othmar and Bussakorn.

2020/11/15_Report_Doi Lang Lo / Huai Lan to Mae Pha Han

Option A: To the rocky pinnacle of Doi Lang Lo

A total of eight people chose option A, including some newcomers to this particular hike. The climb up was uneventful, although there were a number of audible gasps when we reached the rope and rock sections. However, everyone ascended safely.

Above the rock ridge the clear air and fine weather made for superb views and many cameras were in operation. Interestingly the summit appears to have been subject to a religious visitation with no less than five small Buddhist shrines erected on the various rocky outcrops and a number of trees have been blessed and wrapped. We had our lunch on the south slope and enjoyed the view and cool breezes. Our pace slowed somewhat on the decent but everyone made it down safely and we finished the 8km hike in a reasonable time of four hours and thirty minutes. We met up with group B, who had completed their hike some twenty minutes earlier, and the enlarged group of eleven stopped at shop/restaurant for an enjoyable lunch.

Option B: From Huay Lan to Mae Pha Han

The three Option B-ers had an adventure of another kind. Driving back into the neighbouring valley, we parked by Huay Lan dam and found a path going eastwards through the forest. At first, the way was easy, peaceful and serene. Then, after skirting the edge of some orchards, we began to climb.

At a certain point we needed to take a sharp left branch of the path, to take us along the hill contour for a while. But the leader chose a contour path too early, leaving us with some awkward climbing to do.

After some scrambles and navigational bewilderment we reached the saddle-point that we had been aiming for, and began picking our way down the stony slopes on the other side. One of us had a nasty slip and tumble, breaking a lens of her glasses, but picked herself up and carried on cheerfully. After a while the gradient became more gentle but the bamboo was so thick and tangled that the most viable route was in a dry stream bed.

At last we emerged at the Mae Pha Han reservoir with time to spare. We ate our packed snacks and sandwiches in a waterside sun-shelter before returning to the carpark to await the A-Team.

Leadership and reporting by SRR and MM. Photos by Champ, Bussakorn, Michael and Young-hee

2020/11/08_Report_Tat Krok deeper hike

15 lovely hikers, 9 enjoyable km, three-and-a-half short-but-sweet hours.

Leadership by Michael. Photos by Bussakorn, Champ, Young-hee and Janet

2020/11/01_Report_Nam Mae Kwong Circular Hike

Nine people turned up at the meeting point for this ridge hike. However, on the drive out one car detached itself from the convoy to refuel, and the driver could not re-establish contact. On the other hand, a recently returned hiker from the UK was waiting for us at the start point, giving a final tally of eight hikers.

The hike up to the turning point on the ridge was uneventful, with the path at the higher level surprisingly clear. After the turnoff on the ridge the path did at times become indistinct but cross checking between two GPS’s kept us on the right track. With a small fast moving group we made the snack/lunch spot before the two hour mark.

On the final steep descent the group split into two with the hike leader and one other going down the normal route and the second group finding an allegedly easier route down a second slope and we completed the hike in a good time of four hours and ten minutes, with about 11kms covered.

After the hike we adjourned to the “white cat” restaurant, which has reopened, for lunch. One of the said felines made an appearance but, to the embarrassment of the hike leader, refused his offer of a tuna/salmon snack in favour of a chicken piece from another hiker.

Leadership and reporting by SRR. Photos by Champ and Bussakorn.

2020/10/18_Report_Around QSBG

As soon as Queen Sirikit Botanical Garden opened its gates on Sunday, our fifteen hikers were at the ticket booth. It was a little chaotic, but we received a price reduction from the friendly staff, perhaps in recognition of our mixture of young and old, Thai and non-Thai.

We began our hike by slinking round the back of the administration block, from where we got on to the old concrete system of steps and causeways, leading us into the rainforest, and now richly carpeted with moss.

Photo by Champ

From this we graduated to stone-paved trails, a bit of wooden decking, some asphalt driveway, gravel-and-weed alley, and then an overgrown mud path that brought us to emerge on the main access road just below the Canopy Walks. Here we divided into two parties: some to descend the hill again and return via Banana Avenue through forest on the east side, and others to amble ahead and spend time among the glass-house exhibits.

The Banana Avenue group quickly got lost in the forest. The path that had been cleared for a trail-running event at the start of the year is by now hidden in many places by new growth and fallen bamboo. We missed the right way and spent nearly an extra hour dodging and hacking though bamboo clumps to get back on track. Excercising maturity and restraint, most of the hikers kept well together in this difficult phase and we did not lose anyone.

Highlight of the eastern forest track: a pair of tall vine-dressed trees embracing each other. Photo by Champ

Belatedly but triumphantly we re-emerged in civilization near the Canopy Walks.

By that stage, nobody was raring for the 3km southern road loop. We just met up with our exhibit-visiting friends near the fountains and began the homebound trek.

The leader did his best to get us lost again on the way down, but only managed a relatively brief diversion.

We regained the garden entrance in nice time, about four and a half hours after setting out. Instruments showed we had walked quite a bit less than 10km, but it felt like it had been a serious outing, especially for those who had been lost in the forest.

Everyone checked in for refreshment and fellowship at Between cafe, happily rounding off our trip.

Path paving block. Photo by Champ

Leadership and reporting by Michael. Photos by Champ and Janet.

2020/10/11_Report_Ban Khun Chang Khian Easterly Loop

On a sunny morning, 13 hikers assembled, one a first-timer with us. The drive up to Ban Khun Chang Khian was made memorable by the final section of road, which is now so badly degraded that a saloon car can hardly find a way among the holes and ruts without scraping its underside.

After parking in the village, everyone agreed to try a slightly longer hike than the main one advertised. To depart northwards, instead of using a path from the middle of the village, we took the track that begins on the west side. There was a persistent trickle of hill-runners walking up from Huay Tung Tao. We merrily descended about 440m in around 3km, which was a little too far, as our leader missed the intended turn-off to the right and needed to be assisted by other GPS-wielders to get back on plan.

We orbited the village clockwise from north to south. On the track we disturbed a rather fine bridle snake, but were too slow to get a good photo before it slithered up the bank.

Approaching what we call the Hidden Waterfall on the southern side of the village, most of the hikers had got ahead of the leader, and missed the turning. Some were successfully called back but three finished the hike ahead of the main group.

A local lady, working in an orchard nearby, told us that the waterfall is more properly known as the Mahidol Waterfall, after the father of King Rama IX, who worked in Chiang Mai for a while in 1929.

Hanson, who had become our chief navigator, then led us on our final section, up a steep forest path that reaches the village near Srinehru school. One of our usual restaurants was closed, but the other, though busy at first, provided a lovely place to wind down.

Stats: Distance:11km, Highest point:1370m, Lowest point:930m, Total elevation gain: 690m; Hiking time:about 4 hours.

Leadership and reporting by Michael. Photos by Dennis, Bussakorn, Michael and Christopher.

2020/10/04_Report_Nam Mae Kwong water margin hike

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A small group of six people turned up for this ridge/river hike. The initial ridge climb proved uneventful although there was ample evidence of rain overnight.

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When we reached the river, however, the effect of the two month rainy season was self evident. While the higher water level in parts was still manageable the heavy rains over the last couple of months had resulted in parts of the bank collapsing into the river, obliterating parts of the previous path while several of the grass areas at the side of the river were now festooned with flood debris, including some large trees. With the hike leader at times forced to look for a new path this resulted, on one occasion, in the hike leader trying to extract himself from a barbed wire fence with the other hikers were taking photos of a juvenile Cobra, also on said barbed wire fence.

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There also seemed to be more Water Buffalo in evidence, who regarded us with unanimous disdain, and later in the hike we met two of their local keepers who were fishing for “the big one”. Our previous snack area was now covered in debris but we found another smaller area further on.

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Despise a number of diversions there were few problems and the small good spirited group completed the hike in a good time of four hours and fifteen minutes. Afterwards we stopped at the small restaurant at Doi Saket for a good meal and much welcomed beer.

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Leadership and reporting by SRR. Photos by Champ and M

2020/09/27_Report_Buddha Footprint dual hike

19 or 20 people participated in this hike; it was hard to count because we were never all together. While most of us arrived for the start in Ban Hmong Doi Pui, one unlucky carload carried on up to Ban Khun Chang Khian. It’s members therefore started hiking more than half an hour later than the rest of us. These, by the way, were people who have taken part in literally hundreds of Sunday Chiang Mai Hikes and have been up down the mountain scores of times. It’s worth mentioning because we also enjoyed the company of five people who were joining the Sunday hike for the first time.

Roughly equal numbers of hikers chose the tougher and the easier option. Both groups left the village through the flower park gateway, enjoying the perfect weather conditions and with pristinely clear air.

Cloud strata and either a nearby insect or a distant dragon

The less athletic group headed directly toward the Buddha Footprint, reaching it in about two hours. At this moment, the ridge on which we stood seemed to be valiantly holding back a sea of cloud from the north. We were just in time to catch a good panorama from the viewing platform while we ate our sandwiches.

Immediately on departing for the return walk, the non-athletes encountered the misguided folks who had started late. And not long after that, we came upon some of the quicker hikers of the quicker group.

The quicker group – i.e. those who opted for the longer and more vertically challenging hike – had descended easily down the road from the village towards the Somung Loop road. At the insistence of one of the more veteran CM Hiking members we took an early turn off the road to cut across to the trail. This made the hike somewhat shorter and also reduced the elevation climb from the advertised figures.

As this was a clear trail with no intersections we could go all at our own pace to the junction where we managed to meet up with the shorter hike option participants on their way down from the Footprint. Most of our group continued up to the summit before returning to the village.

 

By now the cloud was spilling over the ridge

On the last leg, the quicker of the quick overtook most of the less-athletic group. But the slower of the quick did not. So we were all pleasantly jumbled on arrival. And we stayed that way because, while some wanted to eat the excellent Kau Soi in the Muslim restaurant, others felt unable to face post-hike existence without a cold beer. A few managed to do both (consecutively). It seems a good time was had by all.

Buddha footprint

For the longer hike: Total distance was just under 14km with 900m elevation.

For the shorter hike:

Total distance was 9.5km and elevation recorded (surprisingly?) as 737m.

Hike leadership and reporting by David and Michael. Photos by Champ, Bussakorn and Michael.