Mt Kinabalu

Pictures to come
Mt Kinabula is the tallest mountain in Malaysia and was the first to become a world heritage site. While when planning my holiday earlier in the year this was not a place I thought about, on learning about it I became somewhat excited and a little nervous about the prospect of climbing it. I knew however it was not going to be any Mt Kilimanjaro which I had hoped to climb earlier this year and no Mt Kenya which my sister has just climbed.
The travel agent and the tour company left out a few details on the Mt climb. This included the lack of emphasis on the need for water protection for not just you, but your gear as well. That as silly as a poncho may look, they are actually way better than an expensive rain and wind jacket. It was also failed to mention that there would be the need to climb up/down very steep surfaces in darkness with only the aid of a rope and a head torch. Lastly, they neglected to mention the level of fitness required, stating that only moderate fitness was required. Now with all that said, it was truly a great hike filled with so much more than sore muscles, wet clothes and tiredness.


My two day climb started off at Mesilau Nature Resort where we had spent the night before. After an amazing smorgasbord breakfast (honestly one of the best I have seen) and passing our gear to our porters we were ready to start the 8km hike to the Lagoon Hut. Now little did not know at the time that our wonderful leader had decided for us to take the longer and harder route. Thus, we all started with eagerness and enthusiasm. We happily stopped and took in the views along the way, had our regular food and drink stops (which at times were excuses for us to catch our breaths). Have to say the drink stops were not always that great as we were taking dehydration mixes which tasted disgusting. The first part of the climb was a mix of steep stairs and uphill climbs, with equally steep descents (we were never happy with the declines as we felt cheated due to the effort it took to do the climb) and some undulating. Every 0.5mkm was marked along the way. All in the group felt these were inaccurate however as they are the longest 0.5km we have ever done. The rest spot were covered and every now at then there were toilets (which you did need to hold your breath for). All in all the walk was going well until during lunch. This is where the changed. No more did we want to stop and take picture and no longer were we dodging puddles to keep our boots lean and dry. Every step was based on what was going to get me to the hut the fastest and easiest.


Most of the group arrived at the lodge which sleeps about 150 people around 4:20pm. All we wanted to do was sleep, but before we could do this we needed to repack for tomorrow, eat from the restaurant and arrange for our clothes and esp. boots to get try. We also spent a lot of time stretching mostly in vein to try and keep the muscle pain form seeking in. By 8pm it was lights out in our cabin. Early even for a week night.


After a rough sleep it was all up at 1:30am to get dressed and eat the first of two breakfasts. It really does feel unnatural to be eating at that time of the morning. Just after 2:30am four of the six with our trusted two guides head off for the 2.6km hike up to the summit. The first 30mins were nice as we needed to stop a lot for other people and the path was relatively smooth. After this however it turned into walking along cliff surfaces and 80 degree inclines with nothing to aid you but a rope. Let me say I have never held onto a rope so much in my life. It was at this time I had my minor freak out which my guide Banker (pronounced Banka) was very aware of as I was followed directly every step her made. It was at this time, he decided that I was going to be for most of the walk up and then back down to the lodge a “1 Assist” and a “Full’s Risk”. He took my hand every step I took and calming told me where to place my feet. At first I wanted to reject it, but in reality I knew I needed it to get me up the Mt.

As time ticked on, I became calmed and my steps also became smaller. I was also too physically exhausted to really be thinking about walking. By 5:45am we were approaching the summit. At this time a sudden rush came over me and the last part of the steep climb became easier. We arrived just as the sun was coming up behind one of the ranges. It was a glorious array of reds, oranges and reds. There was also the clouds scattered amongst the ranges. Apart from many, many people being on summit at the same time it was a really great time.


Once all the photo’s were taken and the cold were starting to set in, it was a steady decline down in daylight. Again Banker guided me down, not always successfully as I still managed to full while holding onto him. The rock climbing up, became abseiling down which was less frightening due to feeling more in control and being able to see clearly were you were going.

Once back at the lodge it was time to congratulate each other and have our second breakfast of the day. After an hour our 6km hike down began. While it was physically a lot easier to go down, the constant downward motion was killer on the knees and my poor left foot big toe (which is still sore). I still am thankful for having a walking stick to help with the balance and taking some of the shock. At times I were wishing for uphill. Though when right at the end there were a step uphill and stairs I was changing my mind. Once at the end my energy was completely gone and every step was labored and I just had no energy to even eat the late lunch.

After it all while I am proud that I completed it, I am still amased by how easy the gudes and the porters make it. II really do not now know how the porters can climb it so fast with up to 30kg on their backs. It is truly amazing to watch. Some apparently climb to the lodge 2 to 3 times a day! The other amasing thing is that there is a yearly race up and down the mountain which is the length of a half marathon. This years one will be happening in about a months time. The fastest recorded time is 2hrs 30 something minutes. The fastest girl is just under 3hrs 30mins. I am proud to say that a NZ girl Anna Frost came second last year. How she did it I have no idea.