I missed my chance to attempt 100 KM Oxfam Trailwalker in Hong Kong just a few days ago, for good and for bad. Oxfam Trailwalker Hong Kong is one of the largest fundraising sport events, in which each team of four is required to walk in total of 100 KM and climb 5,582 meters throughout the entire MacLehose trail within 48 hours to raise fund for people who live in poverty with a minimum bar of HK$8,000 per team.
I had encountered some wonderful individual Trailwalkers who worked for Chinese NGOs and social enterprises when I took internship in the School of Philanthropy, Guangzhou, and I used to support their trail-walking in previous years. Last month, one of my trailwalker friends invited me to substitute his teammate who couldn’t make the game, I hesitated but I said yes. Hiking 100 KM two-day straight is truly challenging, but thanks to my young body, it isn’t so stunning either.
Two days before the commencement, November 26, a horrifying fire broke out at Tai Po Wang Fuk Court took away hundreds of lives and misplaced thousands. When most trailwalkers sailed to Hong Kong, Oxfam cancelled the event and redirected all the donations to communities perished by the fire. I was overwhelmed with sorrow for impermanence, as if I didn’t move from the estate under construction just like Wang Fuk Court a year ago, it could happen on me. Some trailwalkers determined to hike at least some part of the trail, and some turned into supporters to help them at the checkpoints. Honestly, I couldn’t understand why they are doing it. Without official support from Oxfam, it’s too dangerous to walk 100 KM trails, especially at night.
My teammates said that they’d still hit it, but I told them I won’t go. In these two days, when they are hiking their trail, I spent time consoling myself, sharing information about the fire, and arranging some material aid to halfway house with peers in the university. Meanwhile, I paid close attention in the group chat to make sure that they weren’t in serious trouble, but I didn’t join the support team at each checkpoint with some warm soup to make their journey easier. It was their own choice, I thought. Some retreated halfway at the third checkpoint, 9 trailwalkers eventually finished 100 KM with only replenishment from our own support team. Why were they asking for trouble walking such a long exhaustive trail? I wonder.
I joined their online sharing events and found that most walkers were uncertain whether they could finish it in the first place. So, what drove them to push it through? Trailwalkers held different reasons: for some it was the faith to raise fund for the affected families; and some wanted to copied-paste similar sport fundraising event in their home city; and some mentioned the campfire lit and warm food prepared by the support team at checkpoints where collective force empowered them. Indeed, It is irrational but somehow reasonable. I am inspired. Whatever rationales they had, they told a story in which they bent meanings from what had been given by Oxfam. Whatever they completed the Trailwalker or not, they lived in their own stories which gave meanings to their unique journey. I regretted for a moment, but I relieved. For the truth behind their stories that what we do and how we interpret our actions make why we are and who we are.
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