Conquering Mount Kinabalu II

The Great Ascend
It was because of this final ascend, I didn’t wear my jacket and gloves the day before, fearing that they might get wet and not dry in time. We got back our shoes, cleaner than before and absolutely dry!

Many grab a quick bite and started on their climb. Initially, there was a human jam at the beginning. With thin air, some people (like me) had to stop more often. We couldn’t really see where exactly we were walking, so I tried to follow the person in front closely. Din suddenly appeared on my side when I was resting. Told me he had walked a friend back. Well, that meant I was the last one. He had to wait for me.

There were a few parts that we had to pull ourselves up by the rope. Many part of the mountain has little waterfalls even without rain, so parts of the rope will always be wet. Waterproof glove are good here. But after the check point, I noticed that many were climbing without the rope - especially the guides. Having Din with me really helped. I told him to just walk slightly ahead of me and I will follow his steps. It was easier. I guess our biggest challenge was breathing. Our legs were ok, but it was getting really difficult to breathe. Plus we were getting quite dehydrated. Somehow we were silly enough not to bring any food and water. I was also a fool not to take Jee Ing’s advice to bring sun block along. I wanted to be free from holding anything except my camera.

The other guides were also very helpful. Even when Din wasn’t around, they were checking if I was ok, and asked where my friends and guide were.

The last few meters took us really really long. The other guides who were around pretty naughty. They kept telling us to hurry before it rains. They were also teasing us by offering to carry us for that last few meters. By the time we reached the peak, most people were already on their way down or many have decided to call it quits. Hew Chui and I were glad that there were very few people waiting for their turn to take a photo with the Low’s Peak signage. :)

I wasn’t taking that much photograph. Had to remind myself to keep breathing! The view was great. No sunrise but it was a great feeling of being above everything. It was a great feeling knowing that we have achieved our goal. The other side of the mountain is really steep. But looking down the path we need to go through again kind of dampen our spirit a little. We also encounter the ugly Malaysian right up on the peak. Paper wrappers of chocolates and candy were thrown around the peak. I noticed that the porters and guides were the ones picking up the trash along the trail.

The descend to Laban Rata
It felt so good at the peak; I could just sleep there and not move. I was telling the guide that they should offer sky gliding from the peak. A real fast way to get down! The air didn’t get any thicker. So we were still breathing pretty hard. But we really have to thank God for a fantastic weather. No rain, no strong wind. I was thirsty and asked Din if I could drink from the puddle of waters on the mountain. He told me "ada cacing" (there are worms) and only if I really had to. As we follow Din’s steps we realized our toes were hurting. It was a slow journey down. We met a couple of other people who didn’t dare go down. The part where we pull ourselves up with the rope looks pretty scary in day light, but like abseiling, as long as you hold on to the rope, all is cool. I had really good gloves as well. They dried up after I slide down the rope.

When I reached the checkpoint where the silly highest phone booth and toilet are, I found a pipe with flowing mountain water. I drank from it and I’m still alive to type this post. So, I guess it is safe to drink.

I finally reached at 10.15am. They stopped cooking food by then. Good thing I brought my instant noodle. We were advised to make our final descend before 12pm. Just in case we took too long and it gets dark. I managed to have a quick meal and we descend by 11.30am. I thought I saw the kitchen prepare some fried noodles for the some people who descended after us. Not sure if they had to pay.

The final descend
It was definitely much easier without the rain. We decided to take the Timpohon trail down. It is shorter but steeper. It wasn’t easy on our knees. But hey, we needed to get down whatever it takes. We reached the Timpohon check point at around 5pm. I noticed Din’s face was pretty red, so I asked the rest what happened to him. No one seems to know. But I found out later… when I looked into the mirror. My forehead and nose was as red as his! We got sun burned! I think it was probably during our descend from the peak to Laban Rata. The rest didn’t get it as bad as Din, Hew Chui and myself. So silly. We didn’t put on sunblock. I figured if I applied at 2am, it wouldn’t have lasted till the morning anyway.

By the time we took the ride and get back to Marina Court it was after 8pm. Thank God for Nelson, he bought us dinner. We couldn’t possibly walk more to find food.