Sharings : Mt Kinabalu Climb (Borneo)

view from my hometown Kota Belud, April 2014

Mt Kinabalu - I have climbed this mountain a few times but for those who had scaled it umpteenth times, I know it is not a big deal. I have a friend who does it almost every year to a point that it is no longer a challenge. Like the mountain guides and the porters who carry stuff of unbelievable weights up and down its slopes daily, it must be effortless for these people to climb South East Asia's highest mountain at 4,095 metres (13,435 feet) above sea level - a walk in the park? Seems like it to me and I admire them.

For me, the five times I have climbed (well, technically only 4 full climbs) is a big deal and it is enough to last me my life time. The first time was in 9th grade but for just part of the way, then in 12th grade I managed to reach the summit. Some more years passed when I started working, before I climbed again twice within a couple of years in between. After that, I had no inclination to climb anymore until two years ago in March 2012 when my son was about to turn 16 and our church was organizing a large group climb. My main reason to join was to do it with my child. Time passes very quickly and it is good to make memories.... The other reason was to make it my final one.

view from Kinabalu National Park HQ, March 2012

For those who plan to scale our iconic landmark but have not done it yet; the thing to keep in mind is to have good physical stamina for a vertical walk - yes, it is literally a walk, but a long one upwards! Also know that the air gets thinner nearer the top; which means, possible dizziness and nausea for some. So yes, be in reasonably good health, have good stamina and strong legs and....the mental endurance for what seems like a never ending walk...but don't forget to enjoy the beauty of the nature around as you plod along, that is, if you plod along (like me); for all I know, you might be skipping up the mountain! Oh, by the way, I am only describing the "normal" climb. For the more adventurous, there is also the ferrata type climb. Well, here is sharing my last and final climb two years ago with pictures. Hopefully, it will give first timers a little idea of what to expect. To learn more about climbing this mountain, click here .

Day 1 - morning
gathered at the church

About three months before the climb, we began our training to build stamina; mostly by walking up and down hills around the city, graduating from gentle slopes to steeper ones. We had to discipline ourselves to go after work or after school; in the late afternoons just before sunset, at least twice or thrice a week. After a long day at the office, sometimes it was hard not to slack. The day of the climb finally came whether we were physically ready or not. We gathered at the church grounds in the morning and prayed first before getting into our coach which would bring us up the mountain road. Everybody was still looking fresh, energetic and excited as we moved out. We arrived at the mountain lodge located just outside the Kinabalu National Park, to stay the night. The cool mountain air was welcoming after the stifling city heat. There was still plenty of time to settle in and walk about. And most certainly enough time for more physical training to stretch those leg muscles.

Day 1 - late morning
arrived at the mountain lodge

Later, some of us decided to take a walk over to the National Park and to stroll around the place. This park has been here for as long as I can remember. An old diner and cabin brought back memories from when I was in 9th grade. It was unbelievable how some things can last for so long! A phrase that has been around this heritage place is "Take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints".

In the evening, we had an early and hearty dinner before calling it a night. Tomorrow was going to be a long day ahead scaling that mountain.

Day 2 - morning
at Kinabalu National Park HQ

We woke up early the next morning and prepared to go to the Kinabalu National Park HQ with whom we had registered ourselves for the climb. At the park, it was roll call time and giving out of name tags, packed lunch, weighing of any stuff for the porters to carry for us…. generally just getting everything sorted out.

It was a gorgeous day. The sky was blue and almost cloudless. Mt Kinabalu stood very clear in the background and it almost felt close enough to touch. I was glad we were doing this climb in March. It is one of the best times of the year to do so, unlike the month of December which is usually wet and cold and the mountain covered by clouds. Before leaving the Park HQ, we took a group photo with the mountain as our backdrop. The sun was shining, the air was cold and we had our jackets on as we boarded our ride to Timpohon Gate where the ascent was to begin.

Timpohon Gate

Timpohon Gate – this was as far as vehicles can go. We gathered here and was briefed by a guide on thethe route. Then we were on our way. As I had mentioned earlier, it was a long and seemingly unending walk to the top. Those who were stronger and faster, especially the youths, went quickly ahead. I was among the slower ones.

This mountain had always fascinated me by the gradual changes in surrounding vegetation accompanied by drops in temperatures, the higher we went up its slopes. From the equatorial dense jungle to temperate vegetation to tundra-like shrubs to the barren rocks of the summit, this mountain is naturally and uniquely beautiful. In spite of my tiredness, I appreciated being surrounded by such natural beauty and took time to pause and to enjoy it all. I took lots of photographs and video recordings as well.

Most of us started our climb wearing our jackets or windbreakers but had to take them off as we started to burn calories. Wooden milestones marked our journey indicating how far we had gone and how much further to go to reach the chalet at Laban Rata (11,000 ft). This is the scheduled overnight stop for climbers after completing the first phase of the climb before proceeding to the next one to the summit – purposefully timed so we could reach it for the next morning’s awesome sunrise.

Other than the wooden milestones, our climb was also interspersed with little huts at specific points along the way which indicated where we were exactly, besides being places to rest a while. The huts were welcoming for tired legs but I have found that it was best not to sit for too long as it gets harder to get a move on again, once adrenalin charged bodies start to relax.

As I trudged on, with only a light backpack, a mountain walking stick and two small video cameras; it was amazing to encounter mountain porters carrying heavy gas tanks and other stuff on their backs as they walked up the mountain…unbelievable strength and stamina! I was rather amused by the thought that we, the registered and paying climbers were going to each receive an “achievement certificate” for reaching the summit but for these porters it was just another day…it was routine, it was their job…..

After several hours of walking, the vegetation began to change very obviously from dense tropical to one that was more temperate like – less dense and shorter trees. Even the air was getting colder and there was drizzle from the clouds enveloping the mountain at that altitude. My first thoughts were – oh, that’s a good sign as it meant the chalet where we were going to stay the night was very near…but I was wrong. I kept going and looking up expecting to see the chalet any time. It became rather tedious to be disappointed (sigh)…..beautiful plants and surroundings and refreshing air, but....."Oh, where is that chalet??" Then suddenly, as I turned the corner of the trail; through the fog, I saw it, very faintly. Oh, what a sight (for my sore feet)!! By then, it was already late afternoon.

My son had already arrived at Laban Rata (11,000 ft) much earlier. He was fast and I did not want to slow him down and stifle his enthusiasm; so he went on ahead and was there before me.

Laban Rata chalet was where we could rest, eat, drink, and shower. We tried to catch some sleep early that night to be ready for the ascent to the summit during the wee hours just so we could make it in time to enjoy the sunrise.

At 2 am the next morning, we got up and had breakfast first before the second phase of our climb began. It was freezing and we bundled up looking as if we were going to trek in the snow in winter somewhere but this was in equatorial Borneo! And it was still dark. So we had to depend on torches (hand held ones and those attached to our foreheads) to see in the pitch dark as we ascended the rocks. We had to totally depend on our guides to lead the way. The torches shone only short distances, so we did not really know what was around us. We had to trust our guides and follow their instructions. They knew the place, we did not. There were certain parts where we had to hold on to thick ropes to guide us and to pull ourselves up.

After a while of climbing, we reached the checkpoint, the only one - Sayat Sayat. There were headcounts at this point. The guides did a good job taking care of us and making sure we were alright. Beyond this checkpoint, it got tougher for me to climb as the air was thinner and we were going against gravity. This reminded me of my climb in 12th grade. It had been as tough as this one....I had to be pulled up by a classmate and this time, it was my son and also my nephew and a guide who helped me up. It would have been so easy to just sit and wait on the rocks while the rest went on to reach the summit. But I did not want to give up....not when we were almost there and this was my final one... I likened this part of the climb to my journey of faith in God; holding on and never letting go of Him who is faithful and true no matter how tough the way because at the end, it will be worth it to hear Him say "well done, good and faithful servant."

Day 3 - awesome sunrise!!

The sun was already beginning to rise even before we reached the summit. Oh, it was just awesome, a sight worth getting up so early for; even my exhaustion was temporarily forgotten! We finally reached the foot of Low’s Peak, the summit of Mt Kinabalu. By then, we could clearly see the silhouette of its other peaks, and a sea of white clouds covering the valley below and climbers everywhere around. My son and I went up this last lag. And yes, we made it! We both stood on Low's Peak at 4,095m above sea level – a first for my son and fourth time for me. I remember overhearing someone saying, “oh, I must look good for the camera when I reach the peak!” Now I wonder, did she bring make-up with her? (haha). Well, I was too tired and happy to bother how disheveled and exhausted I had looked. I took plenty of pictures to capture the moments.

capturing a moment in time - on Mt Kinabalu summit

(Low's Peak) March 2012

The sights were truly amazing standing on the mountain top; worth our every effort. But in rugged beauty such as this, I was reminded of the dangers too seeing the sheer drops and the jagged rocks. It is advisable not to contemplate going beyond the rope fence surrounding the summit to take selfies or wrongly thinking one could get better pictures of the mountain from beyond it. Just early this year (2014), I read about a tragedy in the news here ; it was just too sad.

the mountain guide who had been so kind to help me

We did not stay long on the summit; the sun was brighter when it was time for the descent. Now that we could see clearly, we saw how steep our ascent in the dark had been early that morning. And on the way down, I saw pretty tundra-like vegetation growing out of the rock crevices. I thank God for such good weather and for His wondrous creation and for those who had helped and encouraged me to continue until I made it to the top.

We continued descending until we reached Laban Rata; rested a little here and took another group photo before continuing all the way down. Descending was an altogether different challenge from ascending because legs were now wobbly and tired – so having the mountain walking stick was good as support. It was already afternoon when we saw the “Timpohon Gate” sign welcoming us back to where we had started the morning before. What a relief to be down here at last. Our vehicle was waiting to take us back to the Kinabalu National Park HQ. And so we ended our two days of climbing up and down Mt Kinabalu with receiving certificates from the park office to show for our effort. Well done my son, you did your first climb at age 15 plus, I am very proud of you! And I am very glad I chose to do this again; managing to accomplish what I set out to do with my child and to write this account for his children.