Mt Kinabalu Climb - Take 2! Part 3 - The Final Day
I woke up before the alarm, which was set at 1 am, went off. After washing up, a check was done to ensure all the essentials were brought for the summit push. Headlamps, extra batteries, gloves, water, and snacks. Breakfast began at 1.30 am sharp and included scrambled eggs, sausages, fried vermicelli, and french toast. It still amazes me how they can whip up such a feast on the mountain. The answer would come on my way down. Hot coffee and tea were included for a dose of caffeine to perk sleepy climbers up. After breakfast, the final preparation before setting off. On my body, I have my fresh wool socks and base layer which I wore to bed and put on my fleece mid-layer, waterproof outer layer jacket, beanie, and some thin gloves. We located our guide amongst the crowd of hikers gathered at the entrance and headed up the steps behind Pendent Hut in the darkness, led by the light from our headlamps. 10 mins after leaving Laban Rata, it started to feel warm, and beads of preparations started to drip down my face. I checked the temperature - it was 8 degrees but I was overheating. I unzipped my outer jacket and lifted the sides of my beanie to allow more cool air in. I did not want to stop to remove my midlayer as the path was narrow and I did not want to hold the rest of the climbers up.
From my conversations with the guides, there were about 120 of us attempting the summit climb today and the snaking long line of climbers shows how popular this trek is. Every one of us had the same goal: To reach Sayat-Sayat Hut which is the final checkpoint before the cutoff time of 4.30 am. Fail to do so and you would not be allowed to proceed to the summit. Sayat-Sayat is the highest hut on the mountain at 3,668m. The path leading to the hut involves lots of wooden steps, with varying widths. Missing a step and the result would be exceptionally traumatic. You had to concentrate on each step, one at a time and not let fatigue nor fear set in. Thankfully, we reached the Sayat-Sayat checkpoint before 4 am and had some extra time to rest. After Sayat-Sayat, the route consisted of endless steep inclinations with a guiding rope to lead the way. It felt as if you cranked the inclination to maximum multiplied by two on the treadmill. The steps had to be short and steady. If you went too fast or had a large step length, you certainly felt it in your lungs. That's how it feels at high altitudes, a walk would feel like a sprint. The hardest part was the last 800m which felt like an eternity. You had to use 3 points of contact to scramble up and this is the segment of the mountain where the trekking poles were more of a liability than an aid.
We finally reached the peak at about 6 am, which was perfect timing. The sun was just rising and you could see the sun rays creating a kaleidoscope of colours in the sky. There was a jam close to the signage at the peak and you had to wait your turn to take your pictures. If you reached too early, it would be dark and cold and you wouldn't want to stay too long at the top. If you reached too late, there's gonna be massive jams and you would miss experiencing the sunrise at the peak. After taking your mandatory pictures as evidence of summiting the mountain, we made our way down. What used to be steep slopes going up became steep slopes going down. To alleviate the strain on your quadriceps, you could descend in a zig-zag manner reducing the degree of inclination. The view you get descending was magnificent. I had the tune of 'Top of the world' by Imagine Dragons playing in my head. Pictures don't even do it justice and you have to be here live to experience it, much alike to a concert. It's never the same watching it on a screen. I would highly recommend anyone who has never experienced being on top of a mountain to do so. It's life changing and addictive. One peak is never enough. That's how my wife got hooked on climbing mountains too. All she needed was to climb the first. It may be painful during the journey but when you reach the top, you soon forget the pain and once it's over, you would be itching to climb the next mountain.
Apologies for the side track, back to Mt Kinabalu. We retraced our steps back to Laban Rata where breakfast awaits us. Don't get all excited, breakfast was exactly the same as the pre-summit supper. But I'm not complaining. It was warm and delicious enough to have it again for a second meal. After breakfast, we quickly cleared our belongings and checked out at 9am. While rushing to pack, I left my trunks behind. If anyone found a pair of Adidas trunks in room 6 at Laban Rata, that's mine.i only realised an hour after leaving the lodge. Too late to go back. If you checked out later than 10.30am, you had to pay extra fees of $150RM per hour, so it pays to descend fast. The clouds were closing in on our descent from Laban Rata and within 30mins, it started to drizzle. Thankfully I have my rain jacket and umbrella in my day pack. After hipping my rain jacket out, I jammed the stem of my umbrella under the chest straps of my bag and secured the handle with a carabiner and a hands-free system was born. This allowed me to still use my trekking pole one hand and free use of my other hand in case I needed to grab on a tree or scrub when descending, all while having a ‘roof’ over my head’. The descent took longer than expected due to the rain where you had to watch each step to avoid the disaster I suffered during my first Mt Kinabalu experience. Some paths were slippery, some rocks were shaky. Choose the right path and your choice will be rewarded with efficiency. Choose the wrong path and you get punished with a more arduous journey or even risk injuries. Whatever the path, you just had to ‘take the next step’.
We started to see the first groups of trekkers on their ascent and thought how incredibly fortunate we were to have been able to ascend dry the day before. It would have been harder to keep morale up when you’re soaking wet from the beginning of your journey and I was deeply grateful. Making their ascent were also porters, bringing all sorts of logistics up. We saw them carrying huge sheets of steel for what I assumed was for construction, gas tanks which would have weighed more than 20kg and cartons of eggs which had to be carried gingerly. More to be thankful for. Every successful climb was also contributed by the porters, the unsung heroes that enabled shelters to be built at every rest stop for respite from the heat or rain, lodges to be built so climbers can have a place for a restful night, they enabled the chefs to cook warm delicious meals to nourish tired bodies with produce hand-carried up the mountain. All these not possible without them and everyone that contributed to the journey up Mt Kinabalu. The motion of gratitude filled my heart while I took each step towards the foot of the mountain.
The emotion of gratitude unexpectedly turned into amusement when we saw this man in a business suit walking amongst this group of climbers. He was whom we later found out was tailor, adventurer and later TikTok star Nobutaka Sada promoting his suit. As we passed him, he exclaimed that he had a business meeting at the peak of Mt Kinabalu. Besides his suit, he carried a laptop sling bag and wore leather shoes. No trekking poles, no beanie to shield the head from cold, no neck scarf to keep you warm, I wondered if he wore thermals or compressions underneath to protect him from the freezing temperatures expected at the summit. As the amusement wore out, I returned to gratitude for all the experiences I've encouraged during the climb. The smooth arrangements of the trip, the great weather on our ascend, the amazing lunch on day 1, the warm lodging at Laban Rata, the amazing views of that even pictures do no justice, the best dorm mates that anyone can ask for, journey mercy throughout the trip, the amazing warm food that fueled the climb, the ability to catch the sunrise at the summit this second attempt finally, the but most of all, my climbing partner and wife who shares the same passion of the mountains and ever willing to join me in my adventures. If you have stayed this long in the article, I also thank you for embarking this journey with me and hope it would at least spark some interest to take the next step to get out in the wild and find your own adventure.
Lessons learnt from the trip
When trekking, do not carry more than what you have trained for. You will fatigue early and suffer rather than enjoy the trip.
Train for every big trek. Do not be complacent and think that just because you have gone for other hikes, you can handle the next. Fitness is transient and trekking requires specific skills training just like any other sport.
Prepare well. This included not only the administrative and logistical needs but also prepare for if your morale dips and you need a ‘pick me up’.
Keep a steady pace. If you are still able to adopt nasal breathing, it is a good indication you are not too fast.
Do not bring curry up the mountain. There will be a mess.
When trekking in temperatures of single digits - midlayer is not required to avoid overheating.
Do not rush to pack. Failure will risk losing your trunks or other items.
Be grateful for everyone and everything that contributes to your experience.
Choose the right partner. Travel partner, climbing partner and life partner. The right relationships make your life more fulfilling.
