Mt Kinabalu

OK, this is a pretty old post from almost 2 months ago. I found it in the draft pile.

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Yesterday, we did the mount Kinabalu climb and returned safely.

It was not an easy climb, but I find it less dangerous than Sharp's peak. Maybe I would find it much more ridiculous if it rained on the way down.
We arrived at Kinabalu Park HQ to get climbing permits and a mountain guide. The guide came in the form of a newbie with just 6 summit ascents. In T-shirt, shorts, ankle socks and trainers, he carried a small backpack with only the absolute necessities, and no water. By necessities, I mean a thick windbreaker-jacket, headlight and poncho (our guide brought an umbrella). His technical confidence doesn't stop there.
The intiial stretch of 2km was easy, so my mates made the mistake of walking too quickly and then getting out of breath. At first, the breaks were relatively far beaten, but gradually became very often. Actually, even at 1500m, the air already feels cleaner and thinner. But just 600meters up, it became surprisingly easy to lose one's breath.

And then, something about the path reminded me of our hike up Lantau peak and the "steve method". I found out the best way is to take one breath for every step I took, and the synchronise beating in with taking a step. This way of climbing would make Kinabalu the most relaxing and enjoyable experience in hiking, all the way to the top.
The hill got better as we ascended above the rainforest canopy, towards the top. Stopping to take photos every hundred meters or to catch the breath back was epic.
It took us 6 hours to reach our hut for the night. The hut was very chilly inside and you really couldn't remove most of the layers. It was not until I woke up from the rest that I realized there was a blanket under the sheets. I could really have did with that one.
Being the second least fit out of my group, it turned out I was the least affected by the high altitude. On the way up, you will hear a lot of panting and people stopping every few steps.

But sunrise has its special powers that can give one a kind of energy that flows through the body and inspires the mind to go higher.

I want to do that again someday, but do it faster and summit twice so that I can sit at the top to enjoy the entire sunrise and do the climbing course that traverses a part of the mountain. Having said that, the weather on Mt Kinabalu changes quickly and we really got some very good weather this time.

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