The highest mountain in South East Asia lies about 1 hour out of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Borneo. For some strange reason I got it in my head it would be a good idea to climb it. Swept along by the words and writings of manic backpackers. So the planning began. It was easy actually. Just find the best price, buy a torch and some gloves and the rest will be easy!
So on Thursday morning we caught a cramped rusty mini bus to the national park. Three hours later we arrived outside the park and ate at a small restaurant. We entered the park to book into our lodge/dorm for the evening. No accommodation around here is cheap. The park air is cool and clear. We are given a dorm of 4 beds to ourselves-Jackpot! The bathroom is a shared one but is pleasantly clean and has hot water...luxury. After showering, we head out to walk down the road for a “climbers briefing.” Behind the hut, now very visible, stands Mt Kinabalu...it’s my first glimpse, the clouds and mist have lifted and there it is! ......holy crap...I’m climbing that!!!
Suddenly I realise the enormity of our task and am filled with excitement and anxiety. The climbers briefing adds to these feelings...this is big!
Sleep is somewhat spasmodic and we wake early for breakfast and registration. We are assigned a guide and head off by 8am.
The path quickly decides that it will go up, and up it does! We have all day and take it slow and steady. We are rewarded with amazing viewings. We lap up the silence, plodding along admiring birds and plants as they arise. The varieties of orchids are dazzling. In trees rocks and banks, from large to small, not so many are flowering but all just growing so happily! The conifers are quite stunning and vary in height and structure according to the soil at the time. We also delight in the rhododendrons and pitcher plants that we come across.
Rest stops are placed at each km marker and they are needed. The going is hard and steep; the steps upward are uneven and very tall. Squirrels are at each rest point ready to pounce on any dropped food, they are fat and well fed! If you’ve ever watched a squirrel you will totally understand the meaning of manic, I mean these guys are the epitome of movement, they never stop and they don’t move slowly, it’s here there and all over the place! I get more exhausted just watching them!
As the day passes we get higher and my knee begins to complain....
It takes five and a half hours to get to our rest stop for the evening, Laban Rata. At this point we are at 3800m. We ‘check-in” to our dorm. It’s cold and basic. I lie down and rest. Even Reece lies down and rests. Altitude sickness affects people in a variety of ways. Headaches are common and mine was throbbing, so was my knee. I didn’t hesitate to drop panadol, I still had a distance to complete in the morning.
After a short rest I made my way outside to lay like a lizard on a rock, soak up the heat and admire the view. The mountain loomed above us. The bare rock faces and rocky pinnacles sculpting a variety of shapes from donkey’s ears to big knobs! Below were the clouds...we were above them!!! Beautiful big fluffy clouds..below! On occasion they would clear and the distant lower hills would come into view. It was truly stunning.
When Reece emerged from his rest he was sick. Headache and nausea. I convinced him to come to dinner which was a bad idea for two reasons. One, we had to walk back down 500.m to where food was served, an incredible effort after the day’s walk and the condition of my knee ( at this stage I was still in denial, hoping that at any moment it would miraculously get better!). Two, at the sight of food Reece become worse and wanted to puke over everyone! Ah, what a fun time we were having at this point of time!!
At the Reception they sold ‘O’. Oxygen in a can. Willing to give it a go, I bought some for Reece. He was convinced at this stage he had food poisoning and was going to die.... We returned to our room and he puffed on the “O”.....cured, unbelievable!!! It was all altitude related. The knee was a different story!
We were tucked up in bed by about 7pm....telling each other from our single dorm beds that it wasn’t imperative to climb in the morning, here was good enough...
Sleep was erratic. The pulsing of my knee filled me with anxiety and the lodge was noisy till about 9pm when everyone finally settled for an early 2am start.
The time you start is determined by your guide in relation to the previous days climb. We were one of the early starters.
First of all it’s back down to the food lodge, again! Even though its only 500m down its an effort, but we are keen and the mountain awaits. It’s dark and eerie and clear, oh so clear.
We begin the climb at 2:30am. Not surprisingly the way is up! Up stairs up rocks up side of mountains really. A white rope lines the whole way. The briefing has warned us to stay with the white rope no matter what. Apart from it being necessary to pull myself up rock faces, there’s no way I’m straying far from that rope, as it’s now obvious there’s huge drop offs and this is possibly not a climb I would do if the daylight hours illuminated the way!
We continue upwards. The air is chilling, we are grateful for our thermals. It seems endless and when I see torch lights far up ahead that are nearly vertical from where I stand, I realise there’s a fair way to go. Journeying 100m seems to take forever and my spirits are low. Unlike other times when I have been able to focus on the walk and the moment, now all my head is filled with dread and pain.
Finally I get into a rhythm, albeit a limping hobbling one. I begin a meditational mantra and walk to its rhythm. I suck in the cold air and move ever upwards, one foot in front of the other. As the sky around us began to change colours, the pinnacles became more obvious. Silhouetted against the sky their grandeur is breathtaking. At this point it becomes obvious that we actually climb to the very top. Not just to the saddle point, but the top most tip! The highest tip!
My guide reaches for my hand and I stretch out for it. He physically helps me up the final 50m,...to the top.
The top
The top
The air is so clear, the view is, the view is, the sensation is .....awesome.
As I clung to the sign announcing our arrival my body heaved and the emotion was raw. To be honest, as much as i wanted to shout for joy and expose my amazing climbing talents, it was the climb down with a bung knee that filled my mind and preoccupied my thoughts.
I did get down, the journey was slow and deliberate. Two sticks/poles aided my way. My knee was heavily strapped. The view and surroundings were stunning despite my pathetic limp. Across the escarpment in the daylight hours, the wonderful shapes of the mountain exposed themselves. The rock formations of the granite were truly incredible. Water ran across the surfaces we walked upon, lit buy the rising sun, glistening and adding to the spectacle. 
At 5:30 in the afternoon we arrived at the base. On occasion I resorted to climbing on Reece’s back, until that became so exhausting I couldn’t even pull myself up. We barely rested on the way down. I wanted to return before dark. Upon arrival, the final steps out of the park were up stairs, I didn’t think I had anything left, but somehow dragged myself up.
A total of 14 hours walking for the day....
Kinabalu mountain....ahhhhhh!...I did it!..................Ax
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