33 SUSS students and guests rose early in the morning of 30 November 2019 with an aim in mind – conquering the MacRitchie Tree-top Trail! This event was a follow-up after the Bat Walk event in April 2019, which was very well received as many of the participants gave feedback to express their interest for more outdoor events for students. Hence, the Student Support Events Team have planned for a list of outdoor events for all the active people to sweat it out!
Their day started at 8:15am where everyone gathered at the pavilion beside the Mushroom Café to register their attendance, redeem their free refreshments, and had a quick bite. To ensure everyone completed the hike safely, the staff on duty conducted a safety brief before proceeding to the hike.
The participants took a short walk leading to the starting point of the hiking trail. The pleasant and clear weather meant that they could see a handful of people running along the pathway and canoeing in the clear waters of the MacRitchie Reservoir.
When the group reached the starting point of the hiking trail, the staff on duty paused and pointed out to everyone the route that they would be taking, after which the group marched into the nature reserve. The trail was relatively muddy due to the torrential downpours from the past few days. There were occasional sightings of humongous millipedes, giant fire ants and furry long-tailed macaques!
About two hours into the hike, the tree-top bridge was right before everybody’s eyes. The exhausted faces of the participants started to gleam with excitement. As they stepped onto the bridge, the friendly ranger stationed at the outpost voluntarily offered to help everyone take the mandatory shot that one must take when you are there. Coupled with the natural sunrays, the view at the top of the bridge was stunning. Participants were whipping out their selfie sticks and cameras, trying to capture the best shot that they could on the bridge.
Despite the muddy trail, insects and exhausting hike of 11km, the participants successfully conquered the long hike and we could tell from their faces that they were satisfied and truly enjoyed the event!