Mount Kinabalu 2015: Solo Climbing

Trekking to Mount Kinabalu has always been a dream to me since I was a kid. The idea of walking in the footsteps of mountaineers sounded incredible (at least for me). I didn't know when I would have the chance to turn this dream into a reality.

Luckily, I found Sutera Sanctuary Lodges through blog-walking and I started to send email asking for a quotation for a solo climber. They quoted me, RM435.66 for 1 person for 2D1N - Laban Rata Resthouse which I found affordable.

Sutera Sanctuary Lodges is the operator of Kinabalu National Park. They provide a variety of accommodation within the Park and in its surrounding areas. Mountain climbing packages are good as you book directly with the service provider instead of dealing with travel agent. You can find more information on http://www.suterasanctuarylodges.com.my/ .

Three-weeks planning went well for me.

Day 1: 24^th May 2015

I took second flight of the day with AirAsia and landed safely after two hours and forty minutes of flying. I took the airport bus to downtown. The bus fare was cheap considering the short journey from airport to downtown. It would be around 20-30 minutes depending where you want to go. Since I need to catch the minivan to Kinabalu Park, I got off at Bandaraya. It was easy for me to find minivan to Kinabalu Park but bear in mind that, you will have to wait for the minivan to be full before they begin the journey.

Since climbers have to register with the Kinabalu Park HQ latest by 9am, I decided to stay at Tahubang Lodge at which was situated in front of the entrance Kinabalu Park HQ. I booked right after I secured my permit to climb Mount Kinabalu. You can call +60 88 888 094 for booking. I paid RM53 for open triple sharing room. But I occupied the lodge by myself since it was not a peak season.

Nothing much I did on that day since it had been raining since noon. So, I spent the rest of day reserving my energy for the next day.

Day 2: 25^th May 2015

I stored my luggage at Tahubang Lodge before I registered myself at the Kinabalu HQ around 0730. In return, I got a tag, meal coupons and was introduced to my mountain guide, Mr. Frederick Alim. I collected my packed lunch at Blossom Restaurant.

Having set on taking the Timpohon trail instead of the scenic and hardcore Mesilau trail, I was driven to the start of the trail at Pondok Timpohon gate. After Frederick gave me a simple advice on climbing and explanation of the route, we started climbing. For the first few hundreds, it was not a climbing, merely a flat trail. After I passed Carson Fall, I started to feel dizzy. This was where the self-battling happened. That little inner self-critical voice won’t stop hurting your feelings every time you stepped the man-made stairs.  I even started to doubt and ask myself, “why am I doing this?’.

Frederick helped me to climatize by taking care of all my belongings. He wanted me to climb light so that I could easily adapt myself with the altitude. Though I didn’t bring much stuff, I accepted his offer and handed him my stuff including camera and phone. Thus, I didn’t have many photos while climbing up to Laban Rata. I was getting better from time to time when I allowed my body to adapt the altitude. I had my three set of sandwiches and an apple for lunch at Pondok Layang-layang.

It was 1420 when I reached Laban Rata even though I took lots of rest breaks. I shared the 6 bunk beds dorm with an Australian family from Melbourne who brought along their 3 little kids aged 6 to 10. They just made it to the summit that morning. While waiting for the dinner, I chose to stay in the dorm and exchanged stories with the Australian family. They had been in Sabah for the past 2 weeks and spent their time at Kinabatangan river before decided to climb Mount Kinabalu with their kids. The parents wanted to go to Sipadan but they were not going to jeopardise the safety of the kids.

Taken at Laban Rata Resthouse balcony

I felt very tiny talking to their son. He was enthusiastic for the summit push he made that morning. I was worried about my summit push when I saw his excitement. But to think that “kids can do, why can’t you” makes me realised that age was just an excuse and what far important was your climbing spirit.

Food being served buffet style from local dishes to western.

Luck was not on my side when headache attacked me after I had my dinner. I kept telling myself it was just a headache and I would be fine after taking a medicine. I went straight to bed to re-charge my energy for the final ascent.

Day 3: 26^th May 2015

I woke up at 0100 to get ready for the summit push. Soon after we finished our supper, it started to rain heavily. Frederick told me that we might not be able to proceed with summit push if the rain did not stop. Luckily, at 0300 we finally moved our asses and climbed to the Low's Peak.

This was where the climbing process getting tougher and challenge your emotion physically and mentally. Since it was too crowded and everyone was relying on ropes, Frederick held my hand and we started to ascend freely but cautioly without depending on the white ropes. I was happy to follow his lead when we managed to increase our speed before I started to take a break every 30 metres.

I didn’t feel like climbing alone when Frederick and other climbers were kind enough to motivate and push me to reach summit.

As soon as I saw the peak, I kept asking myself, “Isn't this the peak? Why can I still see people climbing further up?” I feel like I had been cheated.

I met Syakira and her group during the last 500 metres and she quite surprised to see me climbing all up alone without the motivation of dear friends. I told her, it was a last minute plan and I decided not to invite any of my friends. They were happy taking photos with their cameras and I was dying a little inside.

At the summit with Syakira

I reached Low's Peak around 0700. I considered myself as a slow climber since I was not able to witness the sunrise at the summit. I was shivering. I couldn't handle the weather well. I couldn't smile. I couldn't feel anything until the mountain guide from the other group asked for my phone and took a few photo of me.

As usual, I forgot all poses that I had been dreaming to pose on the summit. The only negative point in climbing alone was you won’t have a good photo up there.

After I had enough of the breath taking view of the beauty nature of Kinabalu, I started to descend. The descending part was little faster and I reached Laban Rata two hours later. I quickly had my breakfast and went upstairs to pack my things and checked out.

The descent from Laban Rata to Pondok Timpohon gate was similar to the ascent. I couldn't trek faster due to lack of energy and it was raining on and off. I was afraid of the slippery steps.

I was driven back to Kinabalu Park HQ to collect my climbing certificate and packed lunch at Blossom Restaurant. I went down to Tahubang Lodge to re-pack my stuff and headed back to the city by minivan. The journey to the city was astounding when the sun falls behind the Mount Kinabalu.

My mountain guide, Mr. Frederick Alim

I got off at Bandaraya and wandering around the city before figuring out my accommodation that night. I then decided to stay at Borneo Backpackers Hostel I previously stayed during my trip with Maryam Syamimi, my ACCA batchmate.

Day 4: 27^th May 2015

I got up quite early considering the fact that I slept at 2100 the night before. I went exploring the market to stock up my mom’s dried seafood. I wouldn’t be able to decline my mom’s request so I brought home a box of dried seafood for her.

I checked out around 1030 and went to the airport at 1100 since my flight would be departing at 1230. While waiting for the airport bus, I met one that had travelled for the past 8 months. She decided to leave everything behind including her job, family and friends in United States. I was impressed when one could be on the roads for that long.

My flight was on time to Kuala Lumpur and I had to wait another two hours for my flight to Penang at 1700. I was jolly to be reunited with family on my mother’s birthday.

The End.

Note: Summiting a mountain is a breathtaking experience that is hard to forget. Nothing feels better than finally reaching your flight back home and feeling the relief rushing through your tired body, while you think about the last few hours and what you just accomplished.

When you summit the metaphorical mountains in your life, it's just the same. You look back and realise that the struggles, stress and work paid off, and you've finally reached the peak of your own personal mountain. And nothing in the world feels better than that.



How much did I spend for climbing Mount Kinabalu?

Suggested Itinerary for Climbing Mount Kinabalu