Climbing Mount KK was not really on my bucket list in Malaysia but the opportunity for me came up and I was indeed very excited. In fact, it is worth being put on your bucket list. Our trip was organised by APOH (A piece of hope) which organises trips to the summit, the proceedings of which go to charity. So, if you are looking to climb KK, why not do so together with a charitable cause in mind. You can check them out at http://apieceofhope.blogspot.com/. However the price might be slightly higher than the normal price but still, why not for charity?!
We flew by the morning flight from KLIA2 to KK, roughly 2h30 min away on the 19th of August. Once we reached, the APOH team welcomed us on board a bus, bringing us over to Kinabalu park where we had the day for ourselves, just relaxing and chillaxing for the day. We stayed in a Chalet which was very nice, with greenery around. Also, the place had a real fireplace, where you can actually light up a fire, unlike some hotels which have a fireplace just for decoration. We had a buffet-style dinner, after which the APOH people briefed us about the climb and what to expect.
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| The Chalet Room |
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| The Fireplace at Kinabalu Park |
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| A little night walk on the eve of the climb |
There is a good list of FAQs which they touched on, which can be found here:
http://apieceofhope.blogspot.com/p/faq.html
The real game started on the next day in the morning. We had our breakfast at around 6.45 am, after which we had to board a mini bus at around 7.20 am to go to Tiphon Gate for the most anticipated climb. There is actually 2 small shops there where you can rent a walking stick for RM 10 and poncho also for RM 5. The poncho comes in handy in rainy situation and the walking stick is really helpful, especially when you will be going down, on which you can lean your body and descend more easily.
We roughly set off at around 8.30 am and we had to hike for 6.5 km to reach Laban Ratah, our resting spot. In fact, the whole KK hike is 8.5 km and it is divided into 2 parts. The first 6.5 km, after which you will rest and sleep until 2am at night. The other 2 km is done at night, at 2.30 am in the morning.
The first 6.5km was a jungle walk with mainly stairs to climb up. It gets tiring after a while. So do stretch yourselves before the climb. Also, it is really helpful to climb up and down the stairs as a training for the climb. You can do so at any nearby condominium from where you stay. If you can do 20 storeys up and down for 3 times a week for about a month or two, the climb should be easier. As the climb gets tiring, do prepare your energy bars and water. I brought 1 litre of water and a 100plus and this was enough for me for the 6.5 km. Some people told me that they had a very clear weather when doing their climb. However, mine was accompanied by intermittent rain showers and as such, it is imperative that you have a raincoat or poncho, else you can find all your belongings getting wet, a situation you do not want to happen. At Laban Ratah, you can fill up your water if you run out of it. Energy bars, bananas, chocolates and so on prove to be on high demand during the climb. So do pack some. Of course, do not fill your bag until it's too heavy to carry. Judge the amount and also, you need to bring some warm clothes for the 2nd part of the trip.
For the 6.5 km, you can actually wear shorts and tshirt, there is no issue with the temperature as yet. While you ascend, you will see the awesome sceneries. The pictures further down will tell you more. Once you reach Laban Ratah, you need to register yourself at the counter and then collect your keys to go to your dorm room. At Laban Ratah, you might feel a little bit cold. So do bring your sweater. Also, a lot of people experience headache at that point which is normal due to the reduction in oxygen levels. Panadols are very helpful then. However, if you do have massive headache, it might be a sign of AMS (Acute Mountain Sickness) which can prove to be fatal as well. It is advisable not to climb to the summit if you have AMS as people have actually died from it. You can research and learn more about it through google.
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| There were 2 waterfalls on our way up |
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| One little centipede |
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| The bromance |
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| The climb until Laban Ratah, mostly stairs |
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| A little break |
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| 2 km Pause |
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| There are toilets every 1 km, except for the summit. The nearest toilet from the summit is 1.5km. |
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| Found them, fed them, shot them |
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| View while climbing up |
Dinner is actually served at around 4.30 pm and it is a buffet style. After eating, we went off to our dorms to sleep. Yea, indeed we slept at around 6pm. It is important to gather enough energy for the peak ascension at 2am in the morning. So, we slept. I did not have a shower there as the floor was really cold and there was cold water there. If you are not feeling well, it is better not to shower to help avoid deteriorating your health.
Armed with our jackets, beanies, torchlights and a small backpack, just bearing the essentials, we set off at 2.30 am in the morning to climb to the peak. At this level, it was no longer a jungle walk and we mainly walked on rocky ground. It was tiring and some parts were more difficult. The good thing about hiking at night is that you do not see your surroundings and so, some places which would be difficult to cross during daylight are actually very easy, especially people who are afraid of heights. The climb was tough but the pathway was very clear, with the long stretch of think rope which leads you to the top. Follow the rope, that is what you need to do. If you need to rope for some part of the journey, you are more than welcome to use it. Your walking stick also helps. When climbing to Low's peak, it was the part that we took most rest as different people have different stamina as well. I would encourage not to have a big group to climb. A group of 3 is good, so that you do not have to wait for other people that much. If you went to climb in a group of 20, you can always have sub groups for the climb.
Finally, at around 6.30 am we could see the first rays of the sun and you begin to witness the amazing sceneries around you. Clouds, hills, orange/blue skies, rocks, greeneries, everything started to come alive and it is such a beautiful sight. Some of us were tired and were willing to just settle down where we were. However, it is also such a waste to go all the way up there without going to the summit. With the encouragement and support of different ones, we were determined to climb further. However, as you go up, the temperature gets colder and colder. The fact that some parts were wet and we had to use our hands to climb kinda froze our hands, even though we had gloves. It was so hard to take pictures with our frozen hands. We spent only 5 minutes at the top, where the mountain guides took our names for certification purposes. We had to go down quickly because of the number of people at the top and also because of the temperature. But going at the top is the best feeling ever. All the challenges and obstacles to reach the top did not matter anymore at that point.
With a sense of satisfaction and achievement, we were on our way back and it was even more beautiful as you get to admire all the breathtaking views which were unseen during the night climb. INDESCRIBABLE was my description of the surroundings. The video at the bottom will describe this more. We went down to Laban Ratah at around 10 ish am and we went to our dorms to pack our stuffs, before heading for breakfast there. Once done with breakfast, we were already on our way down at around 11.30 am to Tiphon Gate, the last 6.5 km of the hike. This proved rather troublesome for me to go down as I stretched my ligament and it was quite painful. Luckily I had my walking stick. It was slow but I was going down. Also thumbs up for my colleagues who helped me out during that painful period, especially James Tan. That is what friends do when you get injured hehe!
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| The weather can be so unpredictable. Do bring your raincoats. |
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| The team |
We reached Tiphon Gate, our starting point, at around 5.30 pm and got on our bus to take us to KK resort where we spent the night before coming back to KL in the morning. In summary, KK was a very good hike. I used to be overconfident about climbing mountains as I was doing a lot back in Mauritius. However, Mauritius mountains are mere babies when put besides KK. It was challenging. Actually, it is more of a mental challenge rather than a physical one. If you can push yourself to do something, you will definitely succeed. It only depends whether you have the mindset and will to do it. After climbing KK, I feel like going on bigger treks like Nepal now. It's a really unique experience you will not regret, especially when you witness the awesome sceneries from the mountain top. SIMPLY INDESCRIBABLE.
Here's a video of my trip:
Here's a video of my trip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRnO72DquE0&list=UUh196n3wicmyOOkuTXFc_JA
