Sabah Borneo: Climbing Borneo's Mount Kinabalu

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Sabah Borneo: Climbing Borneo's Mount Kinabalu

Everything about State of Sabah, one of the state in Malaysia

Climbing Borneo’s Mount Kinabalu

It’s 2:00 am, summit day and I am exhausted and exhilarated at the same time. I am going to climb my first mountain this morning. Mount Kinabalu in Sabah, Borneo. At 4095 meters it is South East Asia’s highest peak.

Mount Kinabalu is a 2-hour bus ride from Kota Kinabalu, the capital of Malaysian Borneo’s northern province. My husband Dave and I have come to this island to experience adventure. We have already spent time in the Jungle at Uncle Tan’s Safari Lodge watching the proboscis monkey, monitor lizards, civet cats and many other creatures exist by the river in their natural habitat. We have witnessed human nature at its greatest, helping orphaned and injured Orangutans at the Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre and we have relaxed on the beach by the Sulu Sea. It is now time to see what we are made of at our final stop in this exotic destination.

As we ride along the winding mountain road, Mount Kinabalu comes into view and it is an intimidating sight. Its impressive granite peak juts out of the jungle casting a shadow over the land. My heart races just a bit faster and a fear creeps into my mind as we are let off at the parks entrance.

We haul our packs onto our backs and walk towards the headquarters where a guard meets us and we pay our RM15 ( CAD) park entrance fee and book a room for the night. We are climbing tomorrow and within minutes, we secure our permit, guide and accommodations on the mountain for RM300 (0 CAD) each. Excited and relieved to be able to climb so quickly, we head to our dorm room where we begin to organize ourselves. Deciding to pack light for this 2-day expedition, we leave behind our large rucksacks and fill a day-pack with only the essentials. Chocolate bars, cookies, cheese and water for energy, layers of warm clothing, camera,video, journal and hiking shoes is all we need. While buying a few toiletries at the canteen, we even manage to snag some warm hats and mittens from other travelers who have just returned from their climb. By the time we settle in for the evening, we have scaled down our loads and we feel well prepared for task ahead.

The first day of our climb starts at 7:00 am where we hop into a mini van for the 5km shuttle to the start of the trail. After signing in, our guide Japly sets a strong pace and for the next 5-hours it is a steep and grueling climb. At first the trail has steps and handrails built into it, but as we gain altitude, it becomes rocky and turns into a narrow, nearly vertical path. Porters put us to shame walking briskly in their flip flops carrying large barrels, loads of wood and even piles of steal strapped to their backs and balanced on their heads.

After struggling for hours and wondering if the pain will ever end, we finally reach our camp by early afternoon. At 3263 metres, Laban Rata has our dorm rooms and hot showers. The sun is shining brightly above the clouds and we lay our sweat soaked clothing on the rock to dry as we munch on our snacks and bask in the warmth.

Dinner at sunset is breathtaking. A blazing light show fills the sky with fiery colours, above the pink clouds pillowed below. The celebration doesn’t last long however, as we must turn in early for our 2:00 am wake-up call.

The night passes slowly and my sleep is fitful. Having to brave the cold a couple of times for a visit to the toilet, it seems that I will never rest. I am too nervous with anticipation for our summit push. 2:00 am comes all to quickly though and just as it seems that I am finally falling asleep, it is time to awake. Quickly dressing in our
layers, we head up to meet Japly, who will guide us through the darkness.

The air is thin and it is difficult to catch my breath. The pace seems fast and I wonder if I will make it. Luckily, we come to a bottleneck of other climbers and our pace slows and my heart has a chance to relax. Soon I feel in the zone and keep a steady pace along with our group. We climb for 2 1/ 2 hours walking on steep sheer granite keeping our balance while holding on to rope bolted into the rock. I cannot not see the sheer drops below or the daunting summit above. I am simply forced to focus on my climb putting one foot in front of another following the line of people up to the summit.

By 5:15 am we have made it safely. The excitement and emotion is overwhelming and we joyously celebrate, until we realize that we have to wait in the freezing cold for another hour until sunrise. It is the longest 60 minutes of my life. I am wet, cold and soon my fingers and toes go numb. I want to sleep, and I want to be down the mountain, relaxing in a comfortable bed.

Instead, we perch ourselves on the edge of a rock facing the sunrise where we wait. And wait. The first few rays finally burst into the sky and as it rises, our bodies warm and we take in the magnificent view. The sight is worth the wait as we overlook the vast jungle and into the surrounding mountains feeling emotional and proud of our
accomplishment.

Dave and Deb are Canada’s Adventure Couple. They have traveled to over 35 countries where they have taken on extreme adventures from Cycling from Cairo, Egypt to Cape Town, South Africa and Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. Every new adventure takes them to remote corners of the world where they paddle, hike, scuba dive and trek their way around the globe. http://www.theplanetd.com http://www.picturetheplanet.com

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Sabah Borneo: Climbing Borneo's Mount Kinabalu

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