Quest for Mt. Kinabalu

In every man’s heart, there is always this pursuit for inner satisfaction. It may be a physical, mental or spiritual quest. Some call it a dream, a vision, or an ambition. It is a quest to continuously achieve one’s desire. Nine years ago, we dreamt of climbing Mt. Kinabalu in Sabah, Malaysia. But it was only this year that the dream turned into a reality.

Mt. Kinabalu stands at 13,455 feet (4,101 meters) above sea level. It is the highest mountain in Southeast Asia. Kinabalu comes from the word Aki Nabalu which means the "revered place of the dead." Mount Kinabalu is a young mountain that is growing at the rate of five millimeters a year. The mountain itself is a hard granite massif that forced its way through the surrounding sandstone rocks of the Crocker range less than one million years ago and there still is evidence of the Ice Age which melted some 10,000 years ago.

Getting There

From Manila, we boarded a Philippine Airlines flight for Zamboanga. I was with Nikko, my climbing buddy of nine years. We conquered several mountains in the Philippines together such as Mt. Apo, Mt. Halcon and Mt. Banahaw, to name a few. We share the same passion for climbing that has blossomed into a lifelong friendship. We arrived at Zamboanga airport at 7:30 a.m. and then proceeded to the Zamboanga Port and boarded Allison Shipping Lines bound for Sandakan, Malaysia.

Passing the Philippine Immigration was the hardest part of our trip. It took us almost three hours at immigration. We could have opted to go in the fast lane but they were charging P500. We patiently waited in the line. This turned out to be emotional torture for us because we kept seeing people pass us by.

At the Malaysian Immigration, we were greeted by the Malaysian immigration officer who could speak Tagalog. To our surprise, the Philippine peso is accepted as a legal tender in Sandakan. We took a six-hour bus trip to Mt. Kinabalu headquarters. We were required to pay an entrance fee of 10 Malaysian Ringgit or P150. Well, the staff at the Kinabalu Park charged us 3rm or P45 because they thought we were Malaysians.

There are several inns and hostels inside the Kinabalu Headquarters. This provides wider option for those budget conscious travelers like us. We stayed at the Medang Hostel, a cheap place to stay overnight. Each room is equipped with five double deck beds. There were 10 persons in one room. It was affordable with room rates ranging from P200 to P300 per day. We were met by climbers from other countries like Britons, Germans, Japanese, and Koreans. Short greetings led to long exchanges of information about their country and places to visit in Mt. Kinabalu. The conversations provided us with tips on which places to stay and hangout in.

While in Kinabalu Park, you can explore forest trails, canopy walks, gardens, tourist center, or just enjoy the cool air coming from Mt. Kinabalu. Spending one day at the Kinabalu Park can help rejuvenate your body and find time to relax.

Day 1: Climb Proper

We woke up at 7 a.m., had breakfast and packed our things. Our guide, Sablin, was introduced to us and he briefed us before the climb proper. There were two trails to reach Mt. Kinabalu – the Summit trail and Mesilau trail. We decided to try both trails by ascending through the Summit trail and descending by the Mesilau trail.

We rode a jeep going to the jump-off point which was four kilometers away from the Kinabalu Park going to Timpohon Gate, Public Works Department Power station with an elevation of 6,000 feet. We started trekking at around 10 a.m. On the first few minutes of the climb, we reached the Carson Falls which is named after the first warden of the Kinabalu Park. The trail in Mt. Kinabalu is well maintained. They made sure that the thousands of climbers who climb every year do not destroy the mountain’s natural beauty.

The park management provides water refilling stations every 500 meters. This lessens the burden of the climbers. Each station was jam-packed with climbers trying to catch their breath. The climbers ranged from 17 to 50 years-old. We met a large group of Koreans in their 50s climbing to the top.

While climbing, we saw several species in the trail: the Pitcher’s Plant, which grows at 8,000 feet; Dawsonia, one of the largest mosses in the world; inexplicably large worms which made me squirm no end; colorful species of birds and flowers; squirrels I haven’t seen in a long time; and some other things which we could not identify but can only remember in the pictures at the Kinabalu Park.

We arrived at the Gunting Lagadan Hostel at around 2:30 p.m. The inn had cooking utensils, stove, hot shower, and a nice bed to rest a tired body. We found it comforting considering that we were not used to these kinds of amenities at 11,000 feet. The other inn was the Laban Rata, which was relatively better than our place. It has a restaurant, small convenience store, equipment that can be rented, and a heater in the room.

We used our free time welcoming other climbers in our inn, offering our hot coffee for free, chatting with other climbers, and appreciating the beauty of Mt. Kinabalu especially during sunset. While having coffee with our fellow climbers, it gave us the opportunity to chat with them. Surprisingly, we met Malaysians asking us the meaning of Pangako Sa’yo, which is also a popular soap opera in Malaysia. According to them, the whole Malaysia stops every 4 p.m. to watch Echo and Tin-Tin. It was like the Meteor Garden mania in the Philippines. This made us proud to be Filipino. We sort of acted like ambassadors encouraging them to visit Boracay, Palawan, Bohol, and Camiguin.

Day 2: Summit Attempt

We woke up at 2:30 a.m. to assault the summit of Mt. Kinabalu. This was new to us since we were used to climbing mountains during day time or even at night but not in the wee hours of the morning. At that time, the place was in chaos as the other climbers prepared to climb to the summit as well.

After having a light breakfast, we started trekking at exactly 3 a.m. We were very particular about the time because we might miss the sunrise. After all, this was the reason why we were climbing early in the morning. While on our way up, we encountered heavy build-up of climbers resting. This hindered us especially during steep climb. At 4 a.m., we reached the Sayat-Sayat with an elevation of 12,500 feet, the last resting place before reaching the summit. The forest ranger at this point was very strict in checking our IDs to ensure that everyone was accounted for before assaulting the summit.

From the Sayat-Sayat, it was another hour or so. While slowly ascending, one can be deceived by several peaks along the way such as the South Peak, Donkey’s Ear Peak, King George Peak, St. John’s Peak, and Ugly Sister’s Peak. The truth is, it was another one-mile climb to the highest peak which is the Low’s Peak.

Finally, we reached the summit at 5:30 a.m. Since it was the focal point of our climb, the first thing we did was to raise our hands in jubilation and shake each other’s hands. As we waited for the sunrise, we got the opportunity rest for an hour and appreciate the beauty of Mt. Kinabalu. The view of the mile-long depth Low’s gully was nerve-wracking. We took some pictures holding our banner which had the name of the San Beda Mountaineering Society.

As we went down, we thought that the ordeal was over. But the truth is, it was harder than the hardest part of ascending. While we slowly descended to the steep trail, our Korean friend, Chul, whom we met during this climb was injured. He felt that his physical strength was deteriorating and decided not to join us as when we descended since we would be taking the longer trail which was the Mesilau trail. This trail was four hours longer than the Summit trail.

We did not enjoy the Mesilau trail much primarily because there were nothing much to see that time. It was like prolonging the agony by walking longer without reason. When we did our research before the climb, we got a good review on the Mesilau trail. However, the guide told us that there was nothing much to see at that time because the best months for using this trail is during spring. Nikko and I laughed at each other in disbelief.

And then finally, at around 5 p.m. we reached the end of the Mesilau Resort. This was the end of our climb to Mt. Kinabalu. Our guide, Sablin, gave us our certificate of accomplishment for successfully climbing Mt. Kinabalu. We both proceeded to the restaurant and ate a sumptuous and well-deserved meal to satisfy our hunger. Then, we went to Poring Hot Spring in Ranau, Sabah to soothe our tired and ailing bodies with the medicinal hot water of Poring’s Hot Springs.

They say that it is not the destination but the journey that makes every trip memorable. It was indeed a wonderful experience for us. Knowing about the rich history and culture of other countries creates a definitive impact in our lives as we try to share our experiences with our families and friends. Our quest to Mt. Kinabalu was the starting point of our adventure as we seek to climb higher mountains all over the world. In short, it is only the beginning of our journey in climbing and not the end. See you on our next climb!