Monday, January 15, 2018

Josh's Travelogue: Mt. Kinabalu - We made it to Low’s Peak


Mount Kinabalu

Twenty-four hours after we landed in Kota Kinabalu, we were already wide awake for our 2 A.M. hike to the summit.

I was geared with a headlamp, bonnet, two layers of shirts and a jacket, and another two layers of pants.

It was warm inside Laban Rata restaurant where we ate our super early breakfast (or a super late dinner) of stir-fried noodles (like a Malaysian version of pancit canton), eggs, bread, and coffee.

I’m estimating 80 people were in the room; all excited to reach the top.

I had no expectations of the trail or the summit as, I’ve already mentioned, I am still a beginner in climbing mountains.

We waited five minutes for the food to settle down our bellies and we were literally out in the dark.

With only our headlamps illuminating the path, we trudged step by step on what felt to be the longest staircase I’ve ever climbed.

Part of it was because many hikers went out all at once and there was human traffic (not human trafficking, ugh).

I guess we were better rested than most of the other groups in front so we had the most energy during that ascent.

We overtook more than 30 people on our way! The cold didn’t get into us as we continued to climb up the rocks and stairs.

I grasped on to the ropes tightly because I do not know what will happen when I take the wrong footing. (In the back of my head, I’m going to fall and die.)

As I glance back to the trail we just passed, the headlamps of the other climbers shone like stars in contrast to the still dark but lightening sky above.

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