Mount Kinabalu... What a climb

Last week I was at Kota Kinabalu for holiday together with my friends and one of the trip is to hike to the summit of Mount Kinabalu.

On Sunday morning, we took off from Kinabalu Park at around 7.30am, and 20 minutes later we were at the foot of the mount to begin our climb.



We decided to trail Mersilau over Timpohon simply because Mersilau offers a far more magnificent view around the mountain although Mersilau is about 2 hours longer to hike and a more difficult hike.

Around 9am, we started our hike.



This trail was simply breathtaking in scenery, as we climb higher, the trees that we normally see in a Malaysian jungle suddenly changed to weird looking bonsai trees growing around a rocky mountain alongside with other unusual plants and flowers.

As it started raining around 12pm, there were thick fogs (or clouds?) everywhere, not forgetting the strong winds.



We have no choice but to wear raincoats in the middle of the hike. At around 4.30pm we reached Laban Rata Hut, half way to the summit at 3272.7m above sea level at 10.5 degree Celsius. We stayed there for a few hours before continuing our journey to the top just in time for the sunrise.



At this level, I was already feeling quite dizzy and a bit hard to breath due to the thinner oxygen level.

On a very cold Monday morning, we were preparing ourselves for the second part of the journey.



As you can see, the outside temperature was at 8.7 degree Celsius. Around 3am in a blind morning, we continued our hike from Laban Rata to the top.

This was where the situation got tougher. The surroundings were all rocky with a few small patches of grass plants scattered in between. The oxygen was getting thinner and thinner and I was out of breath very easily. Every few steps I need to breathe hard in order not to blackout, not to mention the dizziness.

I arrived at the peak at around 6.30am. Thinking that I have missed the sunrise, those arrived at the peak around 5am and have waited there all the while said that there was no sunrise to see, just a yellowish glow behind the clouds.

Hah! the sunrise view at slightly below the peak was far more magnificent. I should have taken some photos while I was there. What a mistake to struggle to climb to the top.

But anyway, all of us that have made it to the peak took photos on the very top of Low's Peak (4095.2m above sea level)
*Click to enlarge



The view from the top. (2 pics)




Around 7am, flocks of climbers started to decent.



But we stayed longer for photoshooting eventhough the temperature was around 4 degree Celsius. My entire face was numb all the way

My reason was simply because by looking down the rocky mountain, it was like very steep and scary to climb down after just been struggled hard to reach to the top and I need to exert all my energy to climb down again. So I took my time around the summit eventhough all other hikers were long gone

Some of the pics taken there.
*Click to enlarge




I had to climb down anyway