Since I’ve been living in Asia, I’ve been trying to maximize my time here outdoors. I am a proud Vancouverite who loves being one with the wild and climbing mountains. Now the highest I’ve climbed in British Columbia is around 2500 meters which is a lot smaller in comparison to the mountain I wanted to tackle. Mount Kinabalu is the highest mountain in South East Asia, located in Sabah, Malaysia. It was a bucket list goal for me to climb a mountain over 4,000 meters tall which you could say is a bit eager, considering I’m quite a novice hiker but yeah, that’s me! GO BIG, or GO HOME!
I didn’t know anyone who was crazy enough to join me during Chinese New Year break or had the time off so I set off to Malaysia by myself to accomplish my goal. I arrived in Kota Kinabalu in the late- afternoon and hopped on an Uber that took me into the city to my hostel. The hostel then arranged for me to take another minibus to another hostel closer to the mountain since we needed to start early for the hike to base camp. It was not easy travelling in one day. It was a 15 hour journey with one bus, one plane, two grab taxis and a mini bus. I was exhausted just getting there!
The minibus ride. I stayed at Jungle Jack’s Hostel. Very friendly owner and dogs!
7:00 am: I met up with my guide, Margaret, who has been doing this job for years. On a normal week, she hikes up and down this mountain 3-4 times. Since January is considered low season, twice a week is considered pretty good. We set off around 9:00 am and the beginning part of the hike was not too bad. Manageable. It was well laid out and well equipped with lots of pit stops for hikers along the way. One thing I did regret is carrying too much stuff. I ended up getting a name for myself, the solo hiker with the big backpack. My backpack was around 7 kg but which the warm weather I definitely could have packed lighter but I didn’t regret it after knowing how cold it got once I got to the peak. First lesson: Yes, it’s warm now but it will get cold later!
Start of the hike. Picture with Margaret and I.
During the hike, I made a lot of friends from all around. Some people from Singapore, America to Australia. They all had one goal in mind. MAKE IT TO THE TOP BEFORE SUNRISE! Although I started this hike by myself, I definitely didn’t leave by myself . I made heaps of friends as my Aussie friends would say. When we arrived at the base camp , it was around 3:00 pm. I was gassed. I took a shower, had a nap and woke up for early dinner. As we ate dinner at the base-camp, we shared our experiences and got to know each other a bit better over some Jenga and cards. We all headed to bed pretty early as we had to wake up at 1:30 am for breakfast to begin the summit. Second lesson: Get some sleep!!
2:00 am: Woke up for the summit. ( but really, I didn’t get much sleep) I was in a dorm room of 20 people and people kept on getting up, turning on lights, talking. It really wasn’t the optimal sleeping condition but I was also feeling loads of emotions. Nervousness. Excitement. Fear. Anxiety. What if I don’t make it up? What if I can’t control my breathing well enough and I pass out? Because it was 2:00 am and everyone was starting at the same time. It was quite busy and bustling. As I began the accent, I felt myself gasping for air and it was harder to breath. I was tired from the lack of sleep. I just kept on telling myself, one step, two step, one step, two step. Just keep going! Don’t stop. And I’m so glad I didn’t!
Overall, I must say this hike is not for the faint-hearted. I think I wanted to bail or give up at least four times during the summit which took about 2.5 hours to complete. My fingers and face started to feel numb. My legs felt like they weighed 100 lbs heavier. Thank goodness, I didn’t have to deal too much with altitude sickness and didn’t have to take any medication. I had to take a lot more breaks but it was all worth it. It was the best feeling getting to the top and seeing the sunrise against the mountain silhouette. The feeling and sights at the top cannot be described because it was unreal.
I hope this can be an encouragement for anyone who wants to do something crazy. Lesson three: If you set your mind to it, just do it!!! You would be so glad that you did!
