November 09, 2006

Mt. Kinabalu: 4095 m (13,450 ft)




The last stop for me in Malaysia was in Sabah at Mt. Kinabalu, the tallest mountain in southeast Asia. I encountered some obstacles in getting a bed on the mountain beforehand and showed up without a reservation having been told it would not be possible for me to climb because there were no beds available. When I showed up there were beds (or at least one bed) and it was possible. It's unfortunate though that in order to climb Kinabalu you must run the gauntlet through the never- ending bureaucratic process fronted by makeup-wearing (but smiley) asthmatic girls who have never before even climbed the mountain that pays their wages. I'm climbing a mountain not filing my taxes. Okay, I'm finished now.






To climb the mountain you must hire a guide for the duration. I joined a group of two other climbers, John from Colorado and Richard from Sweden, and our guide, Hansnin, who has climbed the mountain (and only this mountain) some 200 times. Climbing Kinabalu typically takes two days-- the first day we hike up to the camp halfway up and the second day we wake up early to make the summit for sunrise and then back down.





The first day we started at base camp at 1500 m and hiked up to Laban Rata hut at 3300 m. It was uphill all the way and in the last kilometer I really started to feel the effects of the altitude in my shortness of breath. The weather was perfect for hiking and when would stop to rest we would even get a bit cold, especially with our sweat-soaked shirts being cooled down by the chilly air. It was great to make it to Laban Rata and our hiking group and a few others sat around in the warmed room and talked about the next day. Because of the altitude I was feeling a bit dizzy and I lost feeling in my fingertips but other than that I felt good after the first part of the climb.





We watched the sunset and then had instant noodles and a chocolate bar for dinner. I took a hot shower and it was the best shower I've had in weeks, no joke. The water pressure was good and the water was actually hot (the first hot shower I've had in Malaysia), which was great since it was quite cold in the cabin. We had to get up at 2:30 am so we tried to get to sleep early to be prepared for the next day. It was cold once the sun went down and I put a hot water bottle in my bed to warm it up. The water bottle worked to warm up my bed but still I could not fall asleep, I kept twisting and turning all night but nothing would work and it went on all night. There were mosquitoes buzzing around and then I heard the rain start.






I must have slept a little because I was asleep when the alarm went off at 2:30 am but it felt like I hadn't slept at all. Richard decided to stay behind because of the rain but John, Hansnin and I took off. Once we started the rain was really only a fine mist and after not too long it stopped all together. Getting up to the top from Laban Rata was the toughest part of the hike. Some 200 m were almost vertical rock with rope to help. It was also pitch dark out and the rocks were slippery from the rain. The altitude was taking effect and it started to get very cold during the last hour. It felt like I couldn't suck in enough air to satisfy my lungs so I would stop every few meters and then after a few deep breaths keep moving on. Hansnin and I made it to the top in 3 hours, right before sunrise. John went on ahead and was the second one to the top (which meant he had to wait in the frigid cold for an hour before the sun came up). It was freezing at the top and I wasn't wearing a coat. The sun came up behind the mountains and the clouds rolled in forming a fluffy blanket below us. I sat at the top in a crevice trying to avoid the wind, shivering and not feeling my hands but watching the sunrise made the entire climb and the cold worth it. It was actually nice to feel the cold after so long without. But 45 minutes was enough.





After the sunrise show was over we went back down to Laban Rata for a breakfast before going all the way down to base camp. After breakfast I was completely drained wishing there was a gondola waiting to take me down. My tiredness fortunately evolved into energy and John and I nearly ran down the entire mountain wanting to be finished. I went so fast that I couldn't feel my feet but when we did stop to rest they started throbbing. So we didn't stop much and were down fast; I wanted to collapse when I got to the end. But we did it!