We walked in towards Hapen 哈盆 about 5 km, and went down to the stream to rest and play. The Podocarpus are now in bloom such that the dark green trees appear to have a dark-yellow tint to them from a distance. Some of the ground vegetation appeared wilted. There was new growth in the bird's-nest fern.
On the way back we encountered a picnic of about 40-50 people mostly 40+ years old set up in the stream bed. Tammy had a friendly talk with them about cleaning up their mess after they had finished.
The Mandarin Ducks appeared to be a couple, and perhaps, there is a chance that they will breed there. They were on an isolated pond in the riverbed which was separated from the main stream due to the low water, and a small island in the middle of the riverbed.
The weather is cool and a little breezy. The drought has not let up and the river seems to be about 50cm below normal levels. We walk downstream along the river about a half kilometer before going back up to the trail.
304585 2740499 turn-around point in river (red dot on map above)
