Part 51: The climb, day one...
The early morning air was crisp and clear. I filled my lungs with a deep intake of breath as we commenced up a steep set of wooden steps - to call it a brief taste of things to come would have been the understatement of the century!
Behind us, Aslan the smiling guide allowed us to take lead, and dictate the pace.
'Take your time, save your energy' he repeated.
The mountain and its surrounding national park was rich in lush forestation and wildlife.
This was Malaysia's first world heritage site for its role as one of the most important biological sites in the world, with more than 4,500 species of plant as well as 326 birds, and around 100 different mammal species - incredible.
Mt Kinabalu's name is still a mystery, and one of the most popular view comes from the local Kadazan tribe words, meaning ‘the revered place of the dead’ - they believe that spirits dwell on the mountain.
And according to another folklore, the name Kinabalu actually means 'Cina Balu' which translates into ‘Chinese widow’.
Legend goes that a Chinese prince ascended the mountain in search of a huge pearl guarded by a ferocious dragon.
After his successful conquest, he married a Kadazan woman, but he soon abandoned her and returned to China. Heartbroken, his wife wandered to the mountains to mourn where she turned into stone.
It was wonderful discovering local legends and folklore, adding more mystery and enchantment to the experience - great stuff!
Not long after leaving Timpohon gate, we reached the summit trails first major landmark - a waterfall just ahead to our left down the crest of a narrow ridge pathway, named 'Carson Falls'. Spraying water as it splashed downwards, cooling the air.
The path then dipped for a few moments, slightly deceiving us, before continuing at a steep incline - it was not a gradual ascend at all.
At first, there were long sections of steep wooden steps, each one was high and the sweat was soon pouring off me. My thigh muscles were already working really hard increasing my heart-rate too, it was not going to be easy.
This was not uncommon and luckily, thanks in no small part to my experience gained from my other climbs, was your body adjusting and warming up - you eventually get into a rhythm. Its important to take deep breaths and allow your body to slowly acclimatise to the altitude, which effects everyone in different ways.
There was a thick oak tree forest acting as a canopy, shielding us from the sun poking through the clouds, it was just as well because the steps did not relent, even at this early stage.
The winding trail was already extremely challenging with the terrain constantly taxing your balance skills and leg muscles.
Right about now I was beginning to realise It was a good thing that I trained for this climb. Initially there were rest huts with toilets about every kilometre or so as we were consuming a lot of liquids. I carried three litres of bottled water in my backpack – dehydration can quickly contribute to altitude sickness.
The only water available to us was collected rain water which certainly was not a good idea to drink without purification tablets, which none of us had.
The scenery along the upward trek was awe-inspiring. All of us were still In good spirits greeting several climbers on their way down, winding us up about what lay in ahead, the banter was friendly.
What was beginning to concern me though, was the equipment and clothing everyone else seemed to have - we looked distinctly, and increasingly like amateurs in comparison.
We would be trekking for 5.5kilometres and our target was to reach the Laban Rata base camp at a staggering 11.000 feet above sea level by late afternoon where we would rest for the night.
It was hard to tell if the altitude was beginning to take a grip, symptoms from dizziness, vomiting and nausea are not uncommon, some sufferers have to turn back. My chest was tightening, and I was blowing hard.
Many people spend the night at 4000ft to acclimatise but that was an additional cost we could not afford.
We stopped for our packed lunch at the first hut and the temperature was noticeably cooler, especially after feeling the wind on my sweat drenched back, it was not pleasant. Aslan told us we kept a good pace up although I'm not sure how long we would be able to keep that up for.
Tracey joked how this climb would give her buns of steel. She was a great character to have in situations like this, her infectious laugh had us in stitches. I most definitely landed on my feet with this group.
Eager to not stop for to long incase of cramp, we continued at a steady pace. I was a little surprised how initially the climb was played down by locals and the guide, but make no mistake this was a seriously gruelling trek.
The black tree trunks ahead where twisted and contorted into almost mythical shapes either side of the trail, and amongst this we noticed one white leafless tree hanging over a sheer drop, framed by a misty background.
If I was not mistaken, it resembled the white tree of Gondor from Lord of the rings, my imagination was doing overtime here!!
The pathway dramatically changed to slabs of steep, flat charcoal coloured rock, making the view even more mythical - it was breathtaking.
Aslan pointed out a rare blood red carnivorous, pitcher plant behind some dry bushes, which we took turns to photograph - seeing first hand why this was a world heritage site was fully justified based on what I had seen so far.
We moved from the dense lush forestation which was gradually being replaced by rocks, and wind driven rough terrain. So far, the weather was holding out for us.
Although a brief look to the heavens, where the jagged peak loomed, hidden from view by angry looking misty grey clouds did not bode well, but the weather is unpredictable and can change for the better, or worse in an instant.
Ever mindful of the altitude sickness, we held a steady pace just incase it struck.
The large boulders beneath our feet were getting wobbly, and in some areas, wet from a mountain stream running directly down the pathway. Taking great care exactly where we were planting our feet incase of any unwanted twists or injuries, was now slowing our progress, but onwards and upwards we went nevertheless.
Incredibly, smiling local porters carrying huge back packs of supplies for the lodge, were making a mockery of us as they effortlessly passed by.
They earn money by the weight of whatever they can carry up and down, hence the freakishly large loads.
By now we were close to 9000 feet high and looking down at the clouds instead of up!!
And from this vantage, the intimidating rock face of the mountain was right upon us, making me wonder exactly how hard the next section would be!
The irrepressible view of both up and down which was beginning to now fully open up, was astonishing!!
If you were scared of heights then you would struggle to go any further at this point, because the height we were at was no longer disguised by dense trees, bushes and boulders .
We temporarily lost Aslan who stopped for a cheeky cigarette. Either he had more confidence in us, or he got complacent, I'm not sure which but it was a little concern, until he bobbled up behind us 30 or so minutes later.
I was now on all fours crawling up a particularly tricky section of steep wobbly rocks, it was a relief as the
The laban rata lodge was now in view.
We were consuming water to replace all the lost fluids which had the added bonus of making our back packs lighter, almost like an extra incentive to keep hydrated.
My lower back and thighs were in pain from the unrelenting climb before we arrived at the base camp where we would be sleeping for the night.
Directly upwards the dome like peak came into view through the misty grey clouds for the first time - talk about intimidating!!
Weary from the climb we could not have made the camp any sooner.
A huge storm cloud was coming in from the east - it was not a good sign!
But for now it was rest and a hearty meal at the army barack like lodge.
For the hardest part was yet to come....