For some time now I’ve been intrigued about the notion of climbing Mt. Kinabalu. Ever since a friend of mine told me about her adventure I wanted to try and climb it. Which is quite odd since I’ve never really done anything close to climbing a mountain, let alone a small hill. Regardless, I bought my plane ticket and copious amounts of mountain hiking gear and headed off to Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia Borneo.

I arrived at my hostel at the base of the mountain on January 5th, 2008. Here is where I would be briefed on the climb and begin my hike early January 6th. I met several other climbers who decided to team up with me for the long haul. It was a rainy day with many clouds which worried me for the upcoming hike. Rain could mean no climbing to the summit, and that was my only priority. I went to bed filled with angst for the morning hike.

Before I detail my journey up the mountain let me brief you on the mountain. Mt. Kinabalu is the highest point in Southeast Asia, with Low’s Peak (the summit) measuring in at 4095 m or 13,435 ft. It is considered a climber friendly mountain with no real hiking experience necessary. Nearly 100 climbers attempt the hike everyday, and lodge chatter indicated roughly 80% of these climbers actually make it to the summit (these facts varied on the internet but you get the idea). The climb is 8.7 vertical kilometers, separated into two hikes (it is possible to climb the summit in one day). The first part of the climb is 6 km, where you stay overnight at a lodge. The average time taken is 4-5 hours. The last 2.7 km are climbed at 2:30am in order to see the sunrise. This can take 2-3 hours. After reaching the summit, you climb back down to the lodge to checkout before making the rest of the decent. Mt. Kinabalu hosts a high altitude race very year and the world record for climbing up and down the mountain in one day is 2 hours 36 minutes, absolutely crazy. My climb would take a bit longer than that.

I woke early replete with nervous excitement. I quickly got dressed in my new hiking gear and set off to meet the others. As I marched to the park headquarters, behind my lodge, peering out of the clouds was Mt. Kinabalu. It loomed over me like impending fate. The massive granite rocks seemed so daunting from afar, how little I knew how really daunting it would be.

There were six of us in my group, setting off with many smiles. We began the first leg of the climb at approximately 8:55am. New walking sticks in hand, we cheerfully marched up the base of the mountain. Soon the comfortable trail turned into jagged rocks, forcing ourselves to carefully maneuver our bodies in a safe manner. Higher and higher we climbed, chatter silenced as all of our energy was being funneled into conquering the mountain. As we progressed up the mountain, the air thinned out and became cooler, along with a cool mist. The climb is unrelenting, as the Lonely Planet says, 99% of the hike is uphill. At about 3.5 km mark the hike steepened. The burning sensation in my thighs never subsided or gave way to numbness. Each step I took brought about an uncomfortable, muscle burn that made the climb more mental than physical. Enduring this pain and looking up at an endless trail of steep rock can really depress the mind. At no point do you see the light at the end of the tunnel. Just a pile of unforgiving rocks. Around 4.5 km my thighs began to cramp up. I don’t believe I properly hydrated myself before hand and I was exerting a tremendous amount of energy which lead to a massive amount of sweat. There is no worse feeling than climbing a mountain and having your most vital muscle group cramp up, further damaging the psyche.

I had to slow my pace in order to let the cramping subside, which it did to a mild extent. The last 1.5 km to the lodge were so excruciatingly painful. Along with the muscle pain, it was becoming increasingly difficult to breath. Doubt creeped into my head as to whether or not I could finish this long awaited journey. Whenever I doubted myself I imagined the feeling of reaching the summit. I wanted that feeling of accomplishment, I needed it. It really helped me push myself to the top. After five strenuous hours, I finally reached the lodge at the 6 km point.
Reaching the lodge alone was an accomplishment that brought about its own good feelings. Seeing the sunset from above the clouds was unbelievably beautiful. This though, was not what I came for, I was not done.

My hike that day left me sick and tired. I had fever like symptoms and a splitting headache. I worried if I was too sick to complete the journey. This was not how this was supposed to happen. I choked down a few pain and fever meds and rested up. At 2:30am I was to set off for the summit; my only goal of this journey.

I couldn’t sleep before my second hike, I was too scared and anxious. My alarm went off at 2:00am after hours of tossing and turning. I jumped out of bed and quickly dressed (due to the cold weather in my unheated hut) and I was off to the summit. I wore my head torch which lit up an area just a few feet in front of me. It was all I needed, there was a line of people who started out at the same time as I did. We marched up the mountain like ants. You could look up in the darkness and see the trail of lights winding up the mountain. When I wasn’t concentrating on breathing, my next step, or the trail of lights, I was looking down at the city and up at the clear sky. The clarity of the stars at that height was a sight never seen by my city eyes. I couldn’t believe how bright they were. Unable to capture the stars with my digital camera I took a mental snapshot because I might never see stars like that again. Soon my fascination with the stars was forgotten as I reached the point of the climb were vegetation dies, granite reigns king, and climbing rope is the only way to proceed.

This part of the journey was quite scary to me. Falling was a real option and the limited vision lead you to believe you were on a cliff with a steep fall to death lingering to your right. Remaining calm, holding tightly with two hands was the key to success. Pretty soon I was past the steep, edge of the cliff section and onto the vast gradual incline of granite rock. This section of the mountain was like a desert. No change for long periods of time. Everywhere you looked, there was nothing but rock. The only thing guiding you was a thick white rope. My ability to breath was decreasing at this point, by 7.5 km I was resting every few minutes. I again questioned myself, but the ant line of head torches in front of gave me reason to persist. I slowly maintained my pace, only concentrating on the summit. Shortly after the 8 km mark did it occur to me that I was actually going to reach the summit. It was quite an emotional feeling knowing that my goal of climbing to the summit of Mt. Kinabalu was about to come to fruition.

The last two hundred meters of the hike was quite steep with jagged rock. It was even more imperative to watch your step here. I gazed out at the clouds over Kota Kinabalu and saw the sun start to peak through the clouds. I had a few minutes before the sunrise and I had to reach the summit before hand. As I reached the summit, which consisted of a cluster of jagged rocks, I saw the sunrise. My initial reaction was disbelief that I made the track all the way up to the 4095m summit. Upon fathoming what I had just accomplished a sense of euphoria engulfed me as I stared out at the breath taking view. To my left was the sunrise and to my right was more of the unbelievable Mt. Kinabalu. Those who had climbed the mountain with me from the bottom posed for pictures while congratulating ourselves with our accomplishment. The piercing cold and wind could not deter us from basking in the glory of our triumph. We had made it to the top of Mt. Kinabalu. We were higher than we had ever been before, both figuratively and literally. Words can’t properly articulate the feeling I had when I reached the summit. If you’re curious to know, then climb a mountain.

* During my climb I took video clips of myself and I will put them together and post them on YouTube when I get the chance.

My previous blog about my first encounter in Malaysia seems like ages ago. I’ve done so much since that odd encounter. After Kuala Lumpur I headed to the Cameron Highlands for some hiking. I had no idea what to expect, especially since I am not a rugged outdoor lumberjack. My time in the highlands was filled with many different adventures. I went to the highest point in the Cameron Highlands, I met with the chief of the Oranosli, and hiked in the Mossy Forest. I met several interesting characters in my guesthouse dorm. I met a Englishman who quit his job on the railroad to travel for a year, a Canadian JET teacher (Japanese English Teacher), a Ukranian hitchhiker, and a plethora of other travelers. I hit it off with this Canadian JET teacher so we decided to head to Penang together. All of a sudden I had a travel buddy.

While in Penang we met up with her two JET companions from the US. The four of us had a nice little Penang adventure. It was Christmas and we hiked to Monkey beach and gazed at wild monkeys. I have a nice picture of two monkeys mating, which I will post in due time. Other than that, Penang wasn’t the most thrilling place. It had a nice beach and night market, but nothing spectacular. Pengang is renowned for its food, which I thought was alright, but not as good as advertised. However, Penang is good for a layover on your way to Langkawi Island, which is where my Canadian friend and I headed to next.

Langkawi is a beach resort area with white sandy beaches. It’s a beautiful island in the Andaman Sea. However, because of this beauty, it’s being developed at a rapid rate. Despite the new commercial interest, once you hit the beach all is forgotten, as you are entranced by the beauty of Langkawi. What more can I say? If you can, see it before it becomes another Cancun.

My New Year’s Eve was spent in Singapore, where I stayed for five days. Sinapore is a pleasant country and when I have more time, I will make a seperate post about my days there.

Tomorrow (Jan. 4 2008) I will head to Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia Borneo, east of the peninsular Malaysia. There I will attempt to climb Mt. Kinabalu, a 12,000 ft mountain. I have no climbing experience so this will be quite the adventure. I’ve been looking forward to it for sometime now. I am extremely nervous but am quite ready for the challenge. Hopefully I won’t die and I will be able to blog about my mountainous venture. Happy New Year everyone! I promise more travel stories will be coming shortly after my Kinabalu experience.