On May 29 (1953), Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary conquered the summit of the mighty Mt. Everest. On May 29 (2009), I conquered the summit of the mighty Mt. Kinabalu! It was one of the toughest hikes I've ever done. 
Now Mt. Kinabalu is only 13,435 ft, less than half the height of Mt. Everest (29,029 ft). But that's still a respectable height, and it's the tallest mountain in all of SE Asia. Since I was touring all over SE Asia, what better way to cap and already epic journey? So I set my sights on conquering this magnificent peak.
The trail is relentless, with no flat or rolling sections, just steps all the way up! Every hiker is required to go with a guide. It's about 6 km to the base Laban Rata lodge at about 10,000 ft. -- doesn't sound like much, but it takes about 5-6 hours to get there due to the steepness of the climb and the altitude. There you eat dinner and take a nap til 2 AM, when you wake up to hike another 3-4 hours of even steeper rocks in pure darkness (you absolutely need a flashlight) to reach the summit by dawn. The last 100 meters is even steeper and you have to use the cables to pull yourself up. 
Above 10,000 ft you really start to feel the altitude and the difficulty of breathing due to the thin air. My heart rate went up high and I'd go anaerobic every 100 meters or so and had to stop frequently. I honestly thought of stopping and turning around several times during the climb, but I just kept driving myself forward and upward, step by step. It was also freezing cold, and I did not have suitable clothing. The best I could do is layer 2 t-shirts together. 
But it was totally worth it!! The sense of accomplishment, the spectacular views from the top, and the feeling of being on top of the world, all make it worth the Herculean effort. It was definitely one of the (many) great highlights of my trip.
1 comment:
was it snowing?
Post a Comment