Mt. Kinabalu (Part1)

It was a moment of quick&dirty decision making which led me to scaling one of south-east asia's tallest mountain- Mt. Kinabalu. Looking back, i would say it is one of the least thought out decision i have ever made which turn out pretty darn fine.

Jeslyn (my best buddy and partner in all things criminal and frivolous) told me she is going mountain climbing and i thought to myself, "yeah, why not?, climbing a mountain will be cool" plus "if Jes thinks she can do it, i should be able too!" and with that, i filled up the form and made the 50% down payment to Adventure Quest.

The first briefing cum meet up session at Adventure Quest (Sims Ave) was a little awkward as none of us really knew each other- Evonne (youngest and joker of the team), Jeremy (has a freaking fit mom), Jeslyn, Kayne (taught at AISS), Mark (i still cant believe you are a medic but is terrifically efficient) and Suichen (looks so good for her age) would come to be a group of people who i may not be able to reach the summit without.

My first thought to myself was "What?! nobody had climbing experiences??" and "Will the guys be able to pull me up the mountain, if i cant make it?", but of course, what I did not know then was the mental strength of everyone as well as the commitment we would put into our trainings to ensure that we reach the summit.

The trainings we undertook during the 2 months prior to our trip was a collection of climbs at Singapore's tallest peak (dripping with sarcasm) and HDB stairs master regime. Some of us also went ahead with jogs and swims to add variety and compliment our monotonous and routine climbs. 5 crazy enthusiastic people even manage to pull off an overnight walk around Singapore (21Km) - they are Evonne, Jeslyn, Kayne, Mark, and myself.

In no time at all (really, because during the 2 months, I was undergoing some major upheavals at work as well as my recovering from poor health), the time for training has passed, we went to the new relocated Adventure Quest (Clark Quay) for our final briefing and got to know of the last minute addition to our team - Ivan (the question mark that turned out to be a great help).

When the plane touched down, we learned that we may be facing some tail wind of the recent typhoon that affected Philippines and all of us are praying that the major bad weather would pass over that first night (when we are safely sheltered in the hotel). The first night was difficult for me for a couple of reason - terrible noise pollution and maybe (just maybe) me being too excited. I clocked 3 hours of sleep - at best.

2nd Oct morning, we woke up bright and early (6.30) for the 2 hour drive to the starting point of our climb. The drive was peaceful and the view was a serene if unrealistic prelude to our climb. The chill sat in once we alighted the mini van at the base. We were introduced to our friendly and helpful porters cum tour guides (Johan and Jinus) who proceeded to carry our extra luggage (16Kg at RM$10/ Kg) for the whole trip- to and back.

The hike up was tiring but manageable, the terrain made up of steps as well as messy placements of rocks pretending to be steps. While I didnt get to see the Rafflesia, I did saw the Pitcher plant and some kinds of orchid look alike flower. The most difficult part would be my sudden coughing fit as well as the last flight of stairs up Pendant Hut. (note to self, do not get a house that has many steps (5 is max) leading up to the entrance)

Dinner was good after some kind people gave up their seats for us (it was packed). We tucked in to the stewed lamb, noodles, rice and i esp. like the banana cake. We headed back to our bunks early as we were told that we will need all the rest we can get for the next part of the climb. Kudos to the sleeping bag man, it was the warmest sleeping bag I had the pleasure of using hahaha.. which is really saying a lot because throughout the bitter cold, howling night, the sleeping bag kept me and my toes toasty warm! (10degC indoors).

At 2am, we got up, or at least most the them got up, I didnt sleep much (again clocking only 2-3 hours). We had a simple breakfast of toast before we brave the darkness of pre-dawn. The initial challenge was the darkness, our paths are solely lited by the headlights on each of us. Then the cold seeped in as we made a slow journey up the steps and onto the steep granite terrain. I believe that everyone of us was fighting physically as well as mentally throughout the climb. We had to grip onto railings when available, and take the steps and rocks at a tortoise's pace, grab on to secured ropes on the slopes and pull ourselves up most of the way. It is made harder knowing that a fall would cause you your life (or injure you badly) and it is so dark, you barely make out the steps 3-5 meters ahead.

At Sayat Sayat Checkpoint, we had to make a decision - to give up on the summit or to give up on Via Ferreta. I thought- "how about both?" but I wasnt able to voice it out because I really wanted to complete what I have set out to do - Reach the Summit. Of cos, conquering Mt. Kinabula is the grander accomplishment and that was what we decided. We persevered (and I have say, perseverance never seem so hard) despite our slow speed. The sky turned bright when we were only half way (estimate) to the peak. All we saw of the rising sun was the slight ribbon of orange before the mist wrapped it up from our sight. This stretch is made up of entirely steep, endless granite. So many times, I had to stop and ask the team to slow down, so many times, I tell myself "I cant do it anymore", "I am not going to make it" but the team kept me going with their encouragement and by their willingness to fight with me against the cold and wind.


 (to be continued)