Mt Kinabalu - A climb to remember.
I’ve done some cool hikes in my life but nothing can compare to the experience of doing Mt. Kinabalu in Sabah, Borneo. The highest peak in Malaysia, standing at 4000m high, I knew it would be a challenge but everything I’d read said it was open to all ages and fitness levels, so we booked it without any further thought. After all it was only 9 km, how hard could it be?
We booked our Borneo adventure for April, after a quick google search told us that it was one the best months to visit. The weather was dry which made for good trekking conditions and you’d have a good chance of seeing Orangutans - which were the two main reasons we wanted to go. After a seven and a half hour flight with a quick stop over in Brunei, we landed in Kota Kinabalu, where we spent a few days relaxing and exploring the city. We walked everywhere, trying to get as many km in our legs as possible, in preparation for the trek.
From KK we couldn’t see Mt Kinabalu, so it wasn’t until we woke up early for our flight to Lahad Datu, on the west coast that we caught our first glimpse of it. It was 6am, the sky was pastel pink and there was this incredible outline of a huge mountain protruding from the horizon. We nervously asked each other if we thought that was it, almost hoping one of us would say no. It was equally beautiful and scary to finally see what we would be climbing a week later.
Once we were up in the air we were able to see it more clearly. Sitting above the clouds in a world of its own. I’m not sure if this eased or added to our nerves but you couldn’t help but be mesmerised by it. We then spent the next few days at Danum Valley, trekking through one of the oldest rainforests in the world and forgetting what mammoth task awaited us, once we returned to KK. During our time there we were walking 10-15 km every day through the rainforest and humidity, which was good training for our legs but still nowhere near enough prep in hindsight.
Prep Day.
When we returned from the east coast we gave ourselves a full day in KK to rest, do some washing and prepare for the hike. We had a big dinner and spent the rest of the night repacking our bags. Because we knew we could leave our main bags at the base of the mountain, we packed our day packs with everything we needed for the next 2 days. They were full to the brim, mostly with all the snacks because we weren’t sure what the food situation would be like but it turns out we probably didn’t need to bring as much as we did, as the food on the mountain was great.
The next morning was an early start, we got picked up from our hotel and did the usual rounds of picking up other groups who were also on the tour. Then we drove for about an hour and half until we arrived at the gates of Mt Kinabalu park. It was a winding journey with glimpses of the mountain at every turn. Its huge rocky face got bigger and bigger the closer we got. Everyone on the bus was talking anxiously to each other; “Where are you from? Have you done anything like this before? Did you do much training?” Knowing full well we’d done no training, I was starting to feel a bit sick. The reality of what we were about to embark on was slowly setting in.
We arrived at Temphon gate and it was buzzing! There were people everywhere, all excited and eager to start the adventure. We dropped our bags off, had one last toilet stop, filled up our drink bottles, signed our lives away on a form that I didn’t fully read and then we were introduced to our mountain guide, Randy.
We hit the jackpot when it came to mountain guides, Randy was the coolest person I’ve ever met. He was friendly, calm and gave us the best advice that I repeated to myself every step of the hike; “keep a slow pace”. To give you a picture of him, he had dreadlocks wrapped up in a bun, sitting tall on his head, he walked the entire time with his hands in his pockets and wore sandals, as if it was just some leisurely stroll.
From the gate we jumped into another van and drove 5 minutes to the start of the trail. We quickly shoved the lunch we’d been given into our bags, (I still have no idea how we managed to fit that in), put on some sunscreen, took a quick photo and then started the 6km trek. There wasn’t much time to be nervous. It was go, go, go as soon as we arrived and next thing you know you’re walking!
Day One.
The best way I can describe the first day's trek is that it’s just a never ending staircase. A mixture of man made and natural ones, for 6km. You weave your way through all different types of terrain; rainforest, boulders, boardwalks, you name it. The scenery is stunning, it’s just a shame you don’t really get the chance to soak it all in as you’re constantly focused on your feet and each step. Thankfully there were markers every kilometre along the way, which helped keep you motivated. With each one we passed, I was counting down to when we would reach our destination. At most of the stops there were little huts where you could stop and take a breather, eat and use the toilet. These were also home to the cutest little squirrels that hang around in the hopes for some crumbs, from the hundreds of walkers and sherpas that pass through each day.
The sherpas were on a level of their own. Walking the track with steel frames on their backs and carrying up all the food, diesel and supplies to keep the base camp running. We walked past a man who was carrying a whole bag of towels, for the guests at the accommodation. Another had 20 plus egg cartons on his back to be used in the meals. Everything that is on the mountain was carried up there by sherpas. Including the mattresses, which you can see a picture of on the walls of the dining room at Panalaban. They’re the unsung heroes who make the climb possible, without them it would be a completely different experience.
Once you start getting closer to the top you begin meeting people who are on their way back down. You hear the usual; “you’re almost there” and “it’s so worth it, you’ll love it” But at that point in time your legs are dying and anything they say just annoys you.
Andy and Randy spoke most of the way up. They talked about their backgrounds, cars and camping, all while I struggled at the front, slowly putting one foot in front of the other, not understanding how they could be talking so freely, without gasping for air. Something else that I was in awe of, was that Randy and many of the other mountain guides/sherpas were all fasting due to Ramadan. This meant that not only were they not eating during the day but they also weren’t drinking water! I struggled enough to complete the trek as it was, but to do it without the help of food or water just blew my mind. I have so much respect for their strength and fitness levels.
I did struggle a little with altitude sickness, feeling quite nauseous and weirdly, burping a lot too, which helped with the nausea but kinda took away from the beautiful atmosphere. The first day was hard! I had to stop quite a bit to stretch out my legs, as pictured here. I promise I wasn’t vomiting although I probably could have at the time. But I pushed through and we finally reached Panalaban at around 1pm after five and half hours of trekking. We were pretty tired but also excited to know that we’d completed the first stage of the trek. Randy showed us round and then we checked into our dorm room, which we were sharing with two other couples. We dropped off our bags, got changed and then headed downstairs to settle in for the afternoon.
Panalaban.
The common room was like a cool ski chalet, the walls were filled with maps and photos of the mountain on one side and the other was filled with stickers from all the travellers that had passed through. We set up camp at a table near the windows, so we could take in the constantly changing views. I’ve never seen clouds move like this before, it was like they were dancing on the mountain, rolling up and around in so many directions, it put me in a trance.
For the next few hours we sat and read books, played backgammon and looked through the photos we’d taken that day. I also had the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had! Not sure if it was the sugar contents, or the fact that it was warm but man was it good! It was such a lovely afternoon, although we couldn’t quite relax, as we knew that the hardest part was yet to come and the next 12 hours were going to be tough.
They served dinner at 4:30pm to the 130 climbers that were staying on the mountain that night. There was an incredible buzz in the room, people from all over the world sharing their stories and bonding over their love for adventure and the outdoors. I don’t think I’ve ever been in a room with so many like minded people, it was amazing. After dinner we enjoyed the sunset and then headed upstairs to repack our bags and get sorted for bed. We decided to only take 1 bag to the summit, as we knew we didn’t need as much gear, so we filled Andy’s bag with everything we needed. We got into bed around 7:30pm, in the hopes to get a few hours of sleep before our early wake up call.
Day Two.
After not much sleep, thanks to a snoring couple in our room, we got up at 1:30am to have some breakfast. It felt strange eating so early in the morning but I knew my body would need all the energy it could get. My knees were sore from the day before but the adrenaline was already starting to kick in. We all set off at 2:30am, a line of head torches heading up 800m of stairs. It was a busy and slow start but eventually we all spread out and settled into our own pace.
I’d never hiked in the dark before and certainly not at 3am in the morning but I actually really enjoyed it. There was a strange sense of calm, all you could focus on was the patch of ground in front of you, that your head torch was lighting up. I’ve never felt more present and in the moment as I did that morning. In the distance, the sky behind us was flashing with lightning which added to the eerie nature of it all.
Although it was calm, there was also an underlying sense of urgency, as we knew we were racing the sun to be at the summit for sunrise. Thankfully Randy assured us that our pace was good and as we passed through the final checkpoint at about 3:45am, he told us to have a break. Weirdly though, I didn't want to take a break. I think it was a mixture of adrenaline and the fear that if I stopped my legs wouldn’t be able to start again but I really just wanted to continue climbing. Because Randy had done this trek over 1000 times and knew what he was doing, he explained that it was better to spend 15 minutes waiting down here, than 15 minutes sitting unprotected in the wind at the summit, which would be -2 degrees. I’m glad we listened to him, as the few minutes we did spend waiting for the sunrise at the top was cold enough and I probably wouldn’t have lasted 15 minutes!
After you finish all the stairs, it's straight onto the rock face of the mountain. There is a white rope that leads you all the way to the base of the summit, at times you need it to pull yourself up steep sections and at other times you don’t need it at all, but it’s a good reference to ensure you’re not veering off course. There were a few times I remember thinking to myself I’m glad it’s dark and I can’t see what I’m doing right now because I would probably be too scared, if it was daylight. I was right, on the way back down you can’t believe what you climbed up in the dark!
The Summit.
The summit is an incredible yet gruelling experience, your legs are burning from walking on your toes due to the angle of the climb, the wind picks up and turns your nose into a tap and you feel as small as an ant walking between these huge rock faces. It’s a cruel end, as you can’t see the summit ahead of you. You keep walking, hoping that you’ll be able to see it after you reach the top of the next climb, but with each climb you are faced with another. Until finally you can see the outline of the summit ahead, only to realise that you still have so far to go.
The final stretch is mostly fun, a rock scrambling mission to the top. The excitement takes over and your body manages to find another gear to help push you over large boulders until you finally find the sign (and the queue) at the top and realise that you’ve actually made it!
It’s pretty hectic at the peak, so we got a quick shot with Randy and the sign, then found a spot to sit between boulders and protect ourselves from the ice cold wind. It was at this point I was so glad we had listened to Randy about waiting at the checkpoint. We put on more layers and got our cameras ready, as the sky started to turn a golden yellow. We were so incredibly lucky with the weather and were rewarded with the most beautiful sunrise, although it wasn’t the actual peak that took my breath away. Even though it was very impressive and looked like a wave made out of rock, I couldn’t stop staring at the peak opposite us, which looked like it was on fire with the reflection of the sun. We stayed at the summit and soaked in the sunrise for a few minutes then moved further down the peak to explore some more. The sweeping 360 degree views were incredible, you honestly felt like you were on top of the world.
We probably only spent 15 minutes at the top wandering around and getting photos, even with the sun out, it was extremely cold up there and with no shelter from the wind, you’re pretty keen to get to lower ground.
The Descent.
The relief of reaching the top is pretty short-lived once you start making your way back down. The saying is true, getting to the top is only half the journey and we quickly realised that what we’d just spent two days climbing up - we now had to descend in one!
Walking back down the summit wasn’t too bad, I think the adrenaline of the peak was still running through us and it felt like a completely different trail in the daylight. Following the rope back down, it felt as though you were walking on the moon. We practically abseiled down some sections and apart from the pressure on your knees, it was a relief to be going down and not up for a change! It was only on our way down that we learnt of the devastating earthquake that had taken the lives of 18 people in 2015. During the quake one of the peaks called the Donkey’s Ears, broke off and caused a river of rocks to fall down the mountain, which is visible in this photo. It was sad to think that such a beautiful place could cause such destruction.
We got back down to Panalaban at 8am, where Randy encouraged us to have another quick breakfast and pack our things, so we could continue our journey down the mountain. By this point we’d been awake since 1:30am and had already spent 5.5hours walking just a little over 5km. So we filled ourselves up on french toast and more coffee, to help us get through the final leg of the journey. Then the worst of it began.
The descent was by far the hardest part of the entire climb, as you have to carefully make your way down steep rocky sections of trail, with legs that have turned to jelly. I fell twice, once near the top where I skidded down a section of rock and the second was down a flight of wooden stairs that were extremely slippery. My hip took the brunt of the fall, leaving me with a pretty impressive bruise for the next few weeks. Even using trekking poles, I just felt as though I couldn’t trust my legs to support my steps. Safe to say, it was a slow and painful 4 hour trek to get back down. But even through the pain, I found myself being that person who I hated on the way up, that was encouraging everyone. I walked past saying how much it was worth it! Looking back, I’m sure the way I looked and was walking, wasn’t very convincing to them.
The Finish Line.
We made it to the bottom and jumped straight onto a waiting van that had a few other climbers in it. On our way back, we stopped quickly at a lookout point where there was a memorial plaque to the victims of the earthquake. A young woman jumped out of the van and spent a few minutes at the plaque, it was then that we learnt she had lost her brother in the earthquake and had completed the climb in his memory. It was such an emotional moment and one I’ll remember forever.
When we arrived at Temphon gate, there was already a van waiting to leave with passengers, so we grabbed our bags and said a quick goodbye and thank you to Randy and jumped into the van. And that was it. What felt like a mammoth adventure was wrapped up and over within a matter of minutes. We sat quietly and watched out of the van window, as the peak disappeared into the distance. Exhausted both physically and mentally, we got to our hotel that afternoon and both crashed. We ordered room service and had the best night’s sleep I think we’ve ever had. Our bodies ached all over and we struggled to walk for 3 days but the huge sense of achievement that came with it, was worth it. It felt like a dream. We were both on such a high and instantly started planning what we could climb next. I can understand how people become addicted to climbing, there really is no better feeling.
We can’t recommend this climb enough. Even through all the pain, I would do it again in a heartbeat. Definitely add it to your list if you’re planning on visiting Borneo.
