The Climb: Akinabalu Day I

Continuing from previous post, woke up at 5.30 am & greeted with the morning breeze, coupled with birds chirping. Sabah, being located at the east end of Borneo, means u get to witness sunrise earlier than anyone else in the Peninsular. U can see bright sky at 6 am here. Can't really sleep the night before, probably being overexcited about this climb. Still, the mind is so fresh & heart is so willing to take on the upcoming challenge ahead.

By the way, no typo error on the title of this post. Akinabalu is the name of the mountain, derived from a Kadazan Dusun word "Aki Nabalu", meaning "the revered place of the dead". So, when guide say, "Don't curse the mountain", u better listen. We had breakfast & met the mountain guide assigned to us, a young Kadazan chap named Fazilin. Each of us got a rented walking stick at MYR 10.00 per stick.

Our individual climber's ID tag, to be worn at all times, while the guide will keep the climbing permit

Group shot outside Timpohon gate entrance

Proceeded to Timpohon gate entrance by van & started our walk at 8.30 am. The whole walk from the Timpohon gate till Laban Rata covers 6 km. The other trail used by climbers is Mesilau trail which is 2 km longer. There's practically every shelter hut provided for climbers in each kilometre. Each completed with water tap for water refills, & toilet. As u slowly walked up, u can see the changing climate at the highlands allowed different floras thrive in its habitat. This allowed us to witness different dimensions of sceneries altogether on a single trail, besides providing different challenge levels of terrains for the climbers. I find it fascinating to see this, completely unspoilt, probably just the way it is when Sir Hugh Low made the first Kinabalu expedition way back in 1851. Just let the photos below do all the talking.

First 2 kilometres with walk on mixture of flat surface & ascending steps

 

Next 2 kilometres are all ascending steps like this. Imagine walking up Batu Caves for 2 kilometres

After stop at halfway Layang-Layang hut, the gradient is now higher with more uneven surfaces & curves 

Energy gels - Helped in providing the much needed push. No one seems to care of having this but I could have made a profit by just selling them at the huts !!!

Next kilometre is now filled with drier clay surface, with cooler climate & higher gradient of course

The last kilometre to Laban Rata is filled with rocky paths & totally depending on walking stick by now to avoid using more energy of the already tired legs

At point of last 300 metres to Laban Rata, u just need to stop & gasp momentarily at the beauty of the weather & mountain. If there's a time to show gratitude to Him, this has to be it. Priceless

Laban Rata resthouse at 3,272 m - The resting place for the night before the ultimate climb up the next day

Had early dinner at 4.30 pm in Laban rata resthouse. All 3 of us got into bed almost immediately after checking into Gunting Lagadan Hut at the same area. Don't even ask me if taken any shower or not. The water here will surely freeze u to pain. Just merely wiped the body with cloth. Woke up momentarily 3 hours later because of constant sneezing, had this annoying ache at the temple side of my head & found myself not able to breath properly besides, having faster heartbeat. Altitude sickness or widely known as acute mountain sickness (AMS) has probably found its way into the body. Cant get myself back to sleep by now....