Come the next day, we were up early and cruised by the empty Sunday streets of Kota Kinabalu on our way to the foothill of the majestic Mount Kinabalu. Along the way, we took in some spectacular views of the towering mountain; accentuated by the wonderfully bright, sunny weather.
On the way I also noticed the entrance to the via ferrata route. Having no prior mountain-climbing experience whatsoever, this wasn't something I was going to take a chance on this time regardless of the temptation of adventure. However, I certainly won't rule out the possibility of me doing it at some point down the years.
Soon we arrived at the entrance, and in all our enthusiasm drove all the way up to the Timpohon Gate without stopping to register at the Kinabalu Park Headquarters first. Heh. After making our way back down in a hurry (with Kwong Hann displaying some daredevil driving lol), we met our guide for the climb - Andrew Sundang. We geared up in a jiffy and were all set for the climb. Just before I embarked on the challenge, I purchased a wooden climbing stick for RM3 - be not fooled by its sheer cheapness for it truly proved a worthy companion throughout my ascent and even more so on the descent.
The Timpohon Trail is known to be the steeper of the two trails (Mesilau being the longer and more winded one), but I'd say a little bit of adrenaline and persistence will get you up in no time at all. Along with Andrew the guide, we didn't rush it to fully appreciate the beauty of the trail itself.
Along the way there are a few huts where climbers can stop to catch their breath, or even a bite for that matter courtesy of the 'compulsory' packed lunch provided to us at the park headquarters. In short, I'd recommend any climber to start early and simply take it slow and steady up the mountain - and it'll really feel like a nature walk with fairly well-paved pathways, which in retrospect is exactly what I remember my ascent to the Laban Rata resthouse as. A good 5 hours later, we reached Laban Rata, greeted by a wonderful view of the Kinabalu peaks before us.
At the resthouse, a buffet dinner awaited us. Of course it was all included in the new exorbitantly priced climbing package, and the food was reasonably good. After happily stuffing ourselves, we wrapped ourselves in blankets (did I mention it was freezing cold and there was NO HEATER at the showers!) and went to bed early as we were expected to wake up at 2am that night to continue with the summit climb.
The next morning, after a short breakfast (again, part of the package), we were off to the summit on a dark, moonlit trail that only got steeper. I had my torchlight with me, but I didn't really have to use it since the light from the moon and stars was more than sufficient. Anyway, I once again began walking up at a quicker pace (I guess I'm just a fast walker by nature), leaving the guide and Kwong Hann behind. Some of the rope sections could prove to be a little challenging, but I'd say as long as you keep your head up (eyes on the rope, NEVER LOOK BACK) and never let go of the rope, you'll do just fine.
To be frank, the trail to the summit was much less of a challenge than what I expected it to be. I only made two short stops on the granite phase to munch on some frozen Snickers that I carried along. Getting my teeth to sink into the snack bar though was incredibly difficult! Nonetheless, I reached the peak with a few foreigners and waited for Kwong Hann and Andrew, as I sank my teeth into another Snicker trying to build some heat. The temperature wasn't all that cold, but the chilly winds that constantly hit my ears were really killing me softly, very reminiscent of those bitter Chicago breezes during winter. What's more - I spent almost an hour sitting at the peak waiting for the rest of the trio to turn up. The two of them timed their ascent quite well though as they arrived just in time to catch the sunrise.
The swelling glow of sunlight warming the cold granite formations is really a spectacular sight. I'd even go so far to say that the sight alone makes the entire climb worth the effort. After a few photos at the peak (so I can legitimately brag about reaching the highest point in South East Asia for the rest of my life wtf), we began our descent, with much help from the climbing stick and the trusty Adidas Kampung. The shoes' grip on the slippery granite trail is really incredible. Not once did I lose my footing in my entire journey up, nor down the mountain. The fact that the shoes came at such a low price only goes to prove that pivotal lesson in life that the best things don't necessarily have to be the most expensive.
After a short stop at Laban Rata to grab our stuff and check out, we were headed back to the bottom with a sense of accomplishment (and for Kwong Hann a sense of pain in the form of blisters that troubled him all the way down). Upon recognizing Kwong Hann's pains, our wonderful guide Andrew actually helped Kwong Hann carry all of his stuff all the way down. If this wasn't enough, it began to rain heavily halfway down, upon which he gave Kwong Hann his raincoat and used his climbing stick cum umbrella instead. Along the way he even offered to take my slightly off trail to catch a bunch of pitcher plants growing in the wild.
Upon reaching the foothills our legs and feet were way beyond tired, so much so even walking on the flat roads around the park headquarters proved difficult. After running on adrenaline for over a day, the effects of the long and arduous climb finally began to tell. We spent quite some time at the restaurant next to the headquarters where we were provided with one final buffet lunch as we waited for the rainy clouds to pass. One thing that we did know thanks to our prior research was that the climbing pass also entitles us to a free entry on the same day to Poring Hot Springs. Ahhhh... exactly what we needed at that point, as the rest of the body began to ache as well.
After soaking our legs in the spring water for a little over an hour, we checked into our nearby accommodation for the night - Ernah Lodge. The lodge was the cheapest of our accommodations, and accordingly the most disappointing in terms of basic amenities. There wasn't much of a choice though at that point, as we uneasily slept through constant sounds of rats scratching the roofs above us.
Such was the Kinabalu adventure - but the story doesn't end there, in fact, it stretched further eastward..
*To be continued*
