Climbing Up (Part 1 of 2)

Before the torture

When the office told us that our next company outing would be a climb to the Mount Kinabalu Summit, I envisioned an energetic trek through wild rainforest and dazzling views, taking pretty pictures along the way. I did not expect the extreme conditions that only a mountain climbing neophyte and non-athletic person such as me could truly feel. Mount Kinabalu is the highest peak in Southeast Asia, standing at 4,095 meters above sea level. Climbing it is like clambering up the steps of 9 Petronas Towers stacked on top of each other.

Climbing through East Malaysian rainforest

The climb to the peak started at the base at 11:00 am, and we were told we would have to climb 6 kilometers to the Laban Rata rest house at 3,300 meters asl. I thought, 6 km is nothing, I can run that in less than 1 hour. Apparently climbing 6 km is not the same! I huffed and panted my way though the 1st 45 minutes, feeling every cigarette I’d ever smoked in the past years. I ambitiously thought I could carry my backpack up the mountain because it was effortless on level land, but after a kilometer, I gave up and handed it to the nearest generous person who offered to carry it for me. Embarrassingly enough, it was my Norwegian boss.

Soundtrack: "Getting Harder to Breathe" by Maroon 5

The 6 km stretch upwards has about 5 stops where you can stop for water and to eat a snack. Snacks are all you’ll have the energy for, surprisingly, I was even too tired to eat lunch though I was stark raving hungry. I dumped my moisturizer-in-a-ceramic-jar as well as my full bottle of sunscreen by the 3rd stop, wondering where I thought I was going when I packed them…the beach??

No time to eat but still time to smile

To top it off, rain started pouring down throughout the 8 hour climb. I had invested in a very expensive climbing jacket, but scoffed at the garbage bag looking raincoats some fellow-climbers bought the day before and as a result my pants got soaked through to my underwear. Add to that, the mountain temperatures of about 12 degrees celcius. But at a certain point, there was no turning back. The only way to go was up.

I sighted the welcoming lights of Laban Rata in the fading dusk by 7:30pm and half crawled to building steps. I was just so glad to get there before it got totally dark. The rest-house was littered with tired climbers of all nationalities. I was so easily pleased to the point of giddiness by the chance to sit down, rest my wobbly legs, and eat a proper meal! Then I went into the room I was sharing with another colleague, and disappointedly found that the heater would only kick at 8pm. My lips were already blue, and that was the first time I'd ever seen them that way ever!

I couldn’t shower and sleep because it was too cold. They got us out of bed at 2:00am to complete the last 2.7 kilometers to the top by sunrise. With my freshly heated shoes and jacket, I though the remaining distance didn’t sound so bad. After all I had already gotten that far. Again I was mistaken! The climb is even steeper, with sheer rock face where the only way to climb is by clinging to ropes. The only light on the path came from headlamps and torches of the climbers.

Yep, thats the rest of the way up.

At below 10 degrees celcius, drizzling rain and with wet knit gloves, I had to give up at km 7, 3,600 m asl past the Sayat Sayat check point which is the last rest stop. I stayed near the Sayat Sayat peak to watch the sun rise over the expansive views across Kota Kinabalu. That's when I saw the distance we had climbed to get to where we were and I was just amazed.

Grand views from Sayat Sayat.

To be continued...