The much awaited day, 20 March 2008 finally came. Ainul Khalidah Idura and Melissa Anne Swamipillay from the Head Office Human Resources Department, Tan Li Li of Accounts, Penny Tan and Fauziah Harun from Corporate Communications departed for their 4 day 3 night trip to the Land Below The Wind – Sabah, to conquer the highest mountain in South East Asia, Mount Kinabalu standing at 4,092 meters.
"On 21 March 2008, after breakfast at Kinabalu National Park (KNP), we were introduced to our guides, Francis and Doina. We hired porters to carry our belongings at RM7 per kg while we ourselves carried a small backpack containing some food stuff, water, disposable raincoat and a t-shirt. Everyone was excited as we boarded the van to Timpohon Gate to begin our climb. Some of us bought a walking stick for RM3 to assist us during the climb.
At 9.00 am, Francis briefed us on the trail before leading us on our adventure. Ten minutes later, the group started to get loose as we could not keep up with each other’s pace. Penny was ahead of Li Li and I while Melissa and Khalidah were behind. It is important to keep to your own pace and not to over-exert yourself to keep up with the others. We were told to take small but steady steps and not to stop for more than 4 minutes as a longer rest time may cause muscle cramps when resuming the climb.
The trail comprises rocky paths and man-made steps. There are rest areas every 0.5 km, equipped with toilet facilities and a tank storing untreated mountain spring water. Unique flora and fauna such as the pitcher plants and giant moss and small creatures like squirrels, giant earthworms, are everywhere along the trail. The higher elevation is covered with mist.
Along the way, we overtook other climbers and vice versa. I was full of admiration for the porters, both male and female; some are senior citizens but still going strong despite their heavy loads. Even young boys and girls were already learning the trade and transporting backpacks for climbers.
After passing Willosa Shelter, there was no human soul in sight except for myself. One stretch of the trail was full of silver-white tree trunks just like a scene from the "Lord of The Rings" movie. It was a spectacular sight although when covered with mist, it exuded an eerie and mysterious atmosphere.
My stops were more frequent as it was getting very challenging. Even my backpack which was only a couple of kg felt like tons of bricks on my back. As I passed by some climbers, including senior citizens descending from Laban Rata, many offered encouraging words of "pelan-pelan" (go slowly) and "hold on, almost there".
At 3 pm, I reached Laban Rata resthouse. I got a message from Penny who had reached at 2.20 pm, to continue walking for another 10 minutes to our accommodation at Gunting Lagadan Hut. The trail was even tougher that I felt as if it was the longest 10 minutes of my life. Luckily for me, as I entered the resthouse, it started to pour heavily. At 4.00 pm, Li Li reached our resthouse. | It was getting darker and the rain hadn’t stopped. We could see water gushing from the top of the mountain like a waterfall. There was no sign of Melissa and Khalidah and we were getting worried. Calls to their cellphones were unanswered. Francis decided to go back to look for them. After 7 pm, Melissa reached our hut, followed by Khalidah an hour later. Both of them would not be joining us in the climb to the summit as they would not get enough rest.
Our climb on 22 March 2008 was scheduled at 2.30 am but at 1 am, we were awakened by the noises from other occupants preparing for the climb. As the temperature was below 10oC, we were clad in thick jackets, socks, gloves, snowcaps etc. We had a simple meal and hot drinks.
Francis reminded us to reach Sayat Sayat, the checkpoint to the summit by 5 am. The gate to the summit was a few steps away from our hut. It was dark, so we relied on our individual headlight to see the trail. It was very challenging, first the steep steps, then the rocks where we had to hold on to a rope. After about 15 minutes, Penny and I were feeling uncomfortable and hot so we took off our jacket, snowcap and headlight.
We continued walking without our headlights as the sky was clear and there was moonlight showing the way. After 4.00 am, we reached Sayat Sayat. As the elevation gets higher, the oxygen is thinner making the trail more demanding. Fatigue made our eyelids heavy and at one point, Penny was lying down on a rock while I almost dozed off while leaning on my backpack.
The temperature grew colder and we had to put on our jacket and snowcap. As we were almost nearing the summit, and the sun was about to rise, we decided to rest and watch the sunrise. It was a spectacular sight and our fatigue vanished as the sun rose.
The trail up to the summit named Low’s Peak was made of big steep rocks. There were many people waiting for their turns to take photographs. While waiting for the crowd to disperse, we were lucky to feast our eyes on a beautiful rainbow which looked as if it was just below us.
After capturing our historical moments at Low’s Peak, we descended, a greater challenge that I had to use both my hands and legs to balance and support myself. When we reached the lower trail, we could see St John’s peak which resembles a monkey’s face; the south peak which embellishes our RM1 note; Donkey’s Ears and Ugly Sister Peaks clearly.
After Sayat Sayat, descending became tougher. For someone who is scared of heights, I cannot describe my feelings of holding onto the rope and navigating the narrow steep trail. Luckily it was dark when we ascended and could not see much of the trail ahead, otherwise I might have backed off from the climb.
Just before 10 am, we reached our hut, packed our things as the checkout time was 10.30 am. As soon as the porters carried off our backpacks and we left for breakfast at Laban Rata resthouse, it started to pour. Melissa and Khalidah had descended at about 8 am.
The rain made the ground wet and slippery. Penny and I kept the same pace until we reached the Layang-layang rest area. After Layang-layang, my legs could not hold the stress any longer and my pace became drastically slow. I had to rely on the walking stick for support and became clumsy, hitting the rocks, steps and even the walking stick. My toes were so excruciatingly painful that I decided there that there will be no more mountain climbing!
We were so relieved at the sight of Timpohon Gate but at the same time, our knees were wobbling so much that climbing up the steps to the gate felt like a lifetime of agony. Khalidah and Melissa were already there. After Li Li arrived, we boarded the van to KNP office to collect our certificates. Penny and I received a beautiful certificate in full colour endorsing our achievement in conquering Low’s Peak while Li Li received a black and white certificate for reaching Sayat-Sayat.
Climbing mountains can be addictive, at least for Penny and I. As I write this article, I have already made arrangements for us to try the night climb at Gunung Merapi near Jogjakarta in May. Nothing is impossible, it’s how much you want it." |