Borneo - Mount Kinabalu
Our final challenge in Borneo was to climb to the summit of Mount Kinabalu, which is SE Asia's highest mountain and half the height of Everest. It is fair to say that we could have been a little better prepared physically and I don't think that either of us really knew what we had let ourselves in for.
The guide book had suggested that we could just turn up and climb the mountain but on arrival, but it became obvious that this was not the case. The walk was to take two days, so you had to book accommodation in a hut that was 3/4 of the way to the top. Unfortunately, the huts were all full, so we put our name of a waiting list in the hope that two people would not turn up. To cut a very long story short, we arrived at the national park's HQ on the morning we planned to walk and waited around for hours, believing that there was little hope that we were going to be able to walk. I would have been really disappointed but Catherine had already set her sights on spending the day at the natural spa resort that was close by! Just before the cur off point that we would have been allowed to set off to climb, we were informed that we, along with another couple from Belgium - Ann and Pieter, who were on their honeymoon! - were informed that we could do the climb, so we set off together.
The climb started well, as we bumped into Will and Gill who we had met at the Borneo Rainforest Lodge and were very pleased to see. We had only been walking for about an hour and were still feeling fairly fresh. They were in the national park to do a bit of bird watching and see the pitcher plants, which Will had told us all about.
Catherine and I, with Will and Gill - only an hour into the walk!
Pitcher plants are carnivorous and there are 40 species that can be found in Borneo, with many of these being found in the Kinabalu National Park. After a brief synopsis from Will we were keen to see some, so asked our guide to show us a few examples along the way. The largest was to be found a short detour of the main track and was a formidable sight. The plants have sticky leaves, quick closing traps or slippery pitchers that they use to catch insects, before digesting them to get the precious nutrients.
We were only carrying day packs for the climb and packed them full with energy snacks and chocolate to keep us going. The first day's walk was about 4 hours and was pretty steep but not too bad. The air was heavy and humid and the view was obscured by a thick layer of mist. A couple of hours in, there was a tropical downpour and we were to stay drenched for the next 2 days! Our camp for the first night came as a welcome sight, despite the lack of comfort - the huts were very basic, with a few bunk beds and an outside toilet. There was however, a small restaurant that served a buffet, so we tucked in and ate as much as we could - I think that's the point of buffets anyway, isn't it?! It was early to bed as we were to be up at 2.30am to get to the top before the sunrise. The night was very cold but with a sleeping bag and a ton of blankets, we managed to get some sleep, although we were both very nervous about what lay in store for us the next day.
Our hut and still a lot of climbing to be done
We had a small breakfast and set off at 3am with the aim of getting to the top before 6.30am. The rain had cleared and the sky was beautiful, with no light pollution to spoil the night's incredible display of stars. The only light was the small but steady procession of torch dots that led a path to the top. The climb appeared to be hard for almost everybody, especially as the top drew closer. Exhausted bodies were collapsed on the side of the route as people tried to summon up the strength to take a few more steps. It was a very strange experience, with very little noise and almost no communication between walkers. The landscape was so barren, as almost no vegetation is able to survive at that altitude, so it felt as though we had been transported to a silent and rock covered planet that was far away from earth.
On many of the walks that we have done before, I have been the one encouraging Catherine to keep going but this was to be the exception. The air felt very thin and I really struggled with the altitude, which effected my body for the remainder of the climb. I felt overcome by sickness and completely sapped of all my energy and strength. It is without doubt the toughest thing that I have ever done and there were many occasions when I thought that I could not take another step, even when the top was in sight and only a few hundred metres away. Catherine seemed to have more strength than me and tried to keep us both going, although I'm not sure that I appreciated all of her encouraging and positive words!
Battling on through adversity!
When we finally reached the top, I think that the most overwhelming emotion was relief. It took quite some time before the exhilaration of achievement or any appreciation of the incredible views became possible. It was very, very tough but we still made it to the top in time for the sunrise.
Above the clouds - the view from the top as dawn broke
Finally we made it down but our joints seized up and we were stuck in this pose for a week!
