MOUNT KINABALU CLIMB 2-3 MAY 2005

[神山之旅]

Compiled by Kevin Chia; Photos courtesy of Alex, Herman, Kevin, Michael & ZhengJia 

The objective of creating this website is to share with interested climbers on our recent climb at Mount Kinabalu.  We aim to share with readers the entire process from training, preparation to summit climb and back.

Introduction

Mount Kinabalu is the highest mountain between Himalayas and the Snow Mountains of New Guinea Island. The summit - Low's Peak stands at 4,095.2 m.

Day 1 - Arrival at Sabah, Mount Kinabalu Parks HQ (1,564 m)

1st May 2005: We started our journey at 0830hrs assembling at Woodlands Checkpoint.  It was May Day (Holiday) so we expected heavy traffic. The queue at JB was long so if you are taking MAS or Air Asia at Senai Airport, you should factor in the queuing time & travelling time.  From JB Customs, we walked about 30 mins to City Lounge near J. Terus where we took a bus (RM2 only) to Senai Airport. The journey was about 30 mins in air-con bus.  Visit www.senaiairport.com for more information including the Shuttle Bus Schedule.  The flight from JB to Sabah was about 2 hrs. You should arrange for local transport (Kinabalu Parks HQ) to ferry your team from Sabah Airport to Kinabalu Parks HQ & the journey was about 2 hrs. 

Tip: Remember to get the booklet on Mt Kinabalu at the Airport.

	(Left) View from Kinabalu Parks HQ. You will see the peak on a clear weather. We were lucky to have a sight of what we would be climbing in the next two days. We registered at the Parks Office, got our climb permits & engaged our guides.  Guides are compulsory for climbers.
(Right) Climbers should attend the briefing sessions conducted by Parks Guide at scheduled timing.  We attended the briefing at 1800hrs. The friendly & cheerful guide was very encouraging as she didn't use any words like "tough" or "challenging". She just assured climbers that it would be a beautiful journey.  A video show of the "Climbathon" followed the briefing session. She assured us that climbers would not need to run like those in the video. Do you believe it - the record was less than 4 hrs from base to summit and back!		(Top) A signboard just outside HQ Office stating the map of Parks HQ and Mt Kinabalu Summit Trail.  I personally love the slogan stating "Take Nothing But Photographs, Leave Nothing But Footprints"
	(Left) We have our first dinner at Parks HQ near the Souvenir Shop.  It was the first time that I have my Sabah Tea which I fell in love with the scent. (Right) If time allows, you can follow our schedule. We went up to second floor to look at some of the exhibits & information about Mount Kinabalu.

Tip: Remember your mosquitoes repellent at Parks HQ. Our Team was "enjoying" the mosquitoes' songs throughout the night at the chalet.

Day 2 - Mount Kinabalu Summit Trail - Start at Timpohon Gate (1,866m)

2nd May 2005: We have arranged with the Guides to start trek at 0730hrs & we have chosen the normal Summit Trail. There are two trails climbers can take - the Summit Trail or Mesilau Trail (New). The New trail is reported to be more scenic but tougher and starts at 2,000m while the old trail starts at 1,866m. Climbers need to register which trail they are taking on the 1st day.

Take Nothing But Photographs Leave Nothing But Footprints	(Right) Starting point at Timpohon Gate. You can get your walking stick here at RM3 which is cheaper than those at Souvenir shop.  We did some warming up exercises & off we embarked.
(Right) The starting trail looked easy as it went down. We came across a small waterfall known as Carson Falls about 500m away. The first Hut was 1 km away.
	(Left) A typical Hut for rest.  There are about 7 to 8 Huts (about 1 km apart) for climbers to rest.  Facilities at the Hut include untreated mountain water & toilet (Ladies - it is enclosed).  We did not try the mountain water as we brought 1 litre of mineral water up. One team member (Patrick) even brought 2 litres up.
		(Top) Squirrels not shy towards humans.  They can  be found near the Huts. This cute one even posed for a photo.
(Top) Pitcher Plants.  We were told that there were many species of pitcher plants.	(Top) Some vegetation along the trail

Trekking along Summit Trail to Laban Rata (3,273m). The path got tougher & rocky & the use of the walking stick was a blessing.

(Top) Victory signs all the way despite the drizzling & sweat		(Top & Left) Regardless of the muddy tracks or rocky paths, we were determined to move on. The tougher the trek, the tougher we became.
(Bottom) What's the feeling of standing above the clouds? Ask our team mate Chin Huat & Siew Yen in the photo. At Laban Rata, there is a helipad used for heli-evacuation [army term].	(Right) Laban Rata at 3,273 m. According to websites, a normal healthy & fit person will make it to this guesthouse in 6 hrs. We took about the same time minus some "tea-breaks".  Do note that if the climbers were unable to make it in time, the Guides would advise against summit climb.
	(Right) Zhengjia, Patrick & Kevin. We were the only three in the team without actual mountain climbing experience. We were happy to be successful in the first phase.
		(Top) Our room with heater at Laban Rata. To have the heater facility, you have to book early via Internet. Shower (Hot bath) & toilet facilities are available, & you can have a good "makan" (food) too.   (Bottom) You must be wondering where is the supply of food? Look at the local porter below for answer.  We spoke to the waitresses there & they informed us that they would work for a few months & break for about a week. Imagine you have to climb up the mountain for work. Next time, thou shall not complain heavy traffic jam or walking a bit far from work......
(Top) View of summit from Laban Rata. Fog will come in quickly. As the saying goes, the Mountain makes its weather.

Day 3 - Mount Kinabalu Summit Trail - Start at Laban Rata (3,273m)

3rd May 2005: We have arranged with our Guides to start summit climb at 0245hrs. Climbers have to start early in order to catch the sunrise at 0545hrs. We didn't sleep well as the rooms were not sound-proof & shook when people moved around.  You should try to rest early.

The first part of the journey saw all climbers lining up & taking turns to take the next step. The feeling was like "traffic jam" in Bangkok.  For this part of the journey, we wore thick clothing & put on our torch (Some of us used army L torch).

We followed closely along the white ropes on the track. It was reported that people had gone missing in the fog & dead from exposure. So, do respect the mountain & the Guide & follow closely to the ropes.  At certain sections, we have to hang onto the ropes to climb up & now you know the usefulness of gloves.

(Top) Climbers gathered for breakfast or snacks before summit climb. The weather outside was cold as it was only 2 plus in the morning!	(Top) Start of the journey. It looked "scary" trekking in the dark.	(Top) Walking up slippery rocks & it is important to have good high-cut boots to prevent sprained ankles.
	(Left & Right) Walking up the slopes required determination & will power. We remembered our training & the determination to catch the sunrise.
(Top) Trekking in the dark with only torchlight. Climbers would need to take attendance at Sayat-Sayat Hut (3,668m) by showing our climb permit/pass. Dun forget to bring.  The path followed would be granite faces & steeper terrain. You should start timing your pace as you still have another 1.5 km to walk.

Tip: Dun bring the walking stick up - you need both hands to hold onto ropes. Follow the white rope & put on water-proof gloves. The trick is to continue walking & dun stop for too long. Carry the minimal load. For me, I carried only water bottle, towel, beanie, torch, camera & my Bible.

Reaching Low's Peak (4095.2m). Climbers would station & standby the peak to wait for daylight to break. Sunrise is estimated at 0545hrs.  You can hear yelling along the way even though climbers have been advised not to yell (a form of disturbance).  Determination is necessary as each step becomes tougher due to the lack of oxygen.  And around 0545hrs, climbers got their reward.

	(Top) Successful! Climbers took turns to take photos. The summit was the most crowded place on Mount Kinabalu at 0600hrs.

Going down was not as easy as we thought.  There was a section where we required to hang on to our dear lives to trek down on vertical cliff (about 80 degrees).  The rest of the trek would be straining on your toes & knees. Be prepared.

Check out more details at www.worldisround.com/articles/165303/index.html

Preparation & Training

On 13 Apr 1997, CNN posted an article stating "Promise of an easy hike stumbles on Bornea's Mount Kinabalu". The article asked climbers to be prepared and "Don't believe everything you read".

A group of us [Zhengjia, Siew Yen (Team Leader :P), Patrick, Herman, David, Michael, Alex, Kevin, Lian Peng & Chin Huat] decided to climb Mount Kinabalu.  We booked our tickets (MAS) during Chinese New Year & Siew Yen planned our training programs.

The typical training programs (relevant if you are based in Singapore) are two months long covering the weekends and they consist of:

(a) Trekking at Macritchie Reservoir to Bukit Timah Hill (About 10 km) and Bukit Timah Hill Parks HQ to its summit (Take the steep slope up, rock path, dairy farm, jungle fall then summit) - This builds up your stamina for the Day 1 of Kinabalu Trek to Laban Rata (abt 6 km).

(b) Stairs climbing at 30-sty HDB Flats (You can choose Toa Payoh Lor 1. There are 40 sty blocks but we felt that the staircases were too short & winding) - This builds up your stamina for the Day 2 of Kinabalu Trek to Summit (abt 3 km).

Packing List

One golden rule is to travel light, very light.  This is my packing list for reference:

Backpack [Deuter 28 litre Air Comfort, a small Day pack (Summit Climb), Whistle, Torch Light with spare batt, Hat, Zip blog bags, two sets of dry clothings, sweater cum raincoat (Beach Road Army Sweater), fleece jacket, gloves, 1 L water bottle, Olympus Camera, snacks (Uncle Toby & Ribena 2 packets), cash for makan at Laban Rata,  slippers, long johns (top - but I didn't use as not necessary), good trekking boots (high cut to prevent sprained ankles - mine is from Colombus), towel (Polyester - quick dry) and toiletries.