Mt Kinabalu
Well that is what I call a climb!!
Have now done the math’s (That’s what you get when you have QUITE a few hours stopover) & have worked out that that @#*!! Mountain has a gradient of 0.37. In other words for every 3 meters horizontal you walk you climb over 1 meter, doesn’t sound much but pull that out to 9km and it equals one monkey of a climb!!
So enough of the math’s B.S. Yes it did hurt, yes I did curse at the sun, moon & anything else in a 5km radius, but man what a result waiting for you at the end! OK so we started at about 12:30pm on Weds. I’m fairly sure most of us Kiwi’s had visions of a casual, maybe a little taxing jaunt through a bit of bush. Much like a wonder to the Pinnacles in Coromandel, or maybe Mt Tongarero in the National Park. You have to remember this is a 2 day hike so how hard could it be? VERY! Think of emergency stairs in a high-rise for 6km… then make every 3rd or 4th step a double step. Ow ow where do I sign up? So that gets you to the night camp, with was fairly decent, good food, hot showers & a bed (although I was so buggered I would have had the best sleep of my life in the middle of a Slip Knot concert).
So it’s up at 2am the next day to start climbing at 2:30. Yes I did say climbing & not hiking as this is a pull yourself up by a rope over a sheer rock face while trying to hold onto your torch jobby… for another 3km (Note to anyone planning on doing this: buy a miners light, it’s much easier & it pulls those mountain climbing chicks) Did I mention this is all at the coldest time of the day in an exposed area? So now I understand why people climbing Mt Everest turn back when they’re 100 m from the top (& no I am not comparing Everest to my climb … well maybe just a little) By this time we were so stuffed we were climbing 80m in 10 minutes & stopping for a rest, & there is not as much oxygen at 4000m so your gasping for air for longer.
Anyway we got to the top just before sunrise (well some/most got there well before sunrise) , after resting & catching your breath the view is AMAZING. Most other times of the day the summit (4095m) is covered in cloud but at sunrise there just a hint that shrouds the mountain’s interesting bits like flimsy lingerie ( Be warned mountain climbing can result in very poor attempts at poetry) & you can see for miles. So after sitting up there patting yourself on the back, taking in the view & making a piss poor effort to capture it on camera you slowly come around to the fact that you are sitting on top of a mountain, the wind is blowing & ALL your extremities are getting VERY cold so its time to head home.
Not much to say about this apart from AWW & that due to swelling I now have child bearing hips & knees the size of softballs. Just what I needed for jumping onto my flight to London THAT NIGHT!!!
So in conclusion Mt Kinabalu & I have a love-hate relationship. Loved it up the top but the climb & leaving was hell (Sounds like some ex girlfriends) If your in NZ I would recommend Tongarero before this. Only 1 day, much easier climb & nearly as good as views. If you do decide to do this GOOD LUCK & make sure you prepare for it, going on a 2 week leaving bender is NOT good preparation. Enjoy the Photos
Rodis out
UPDATE: Am now in London, alive & well but short my luggage which has my camera in it… Plus the rest of my worldly possessions. Hopefully it’s in Vienna & will turn up today… if not… I’ll cross that bridge when it comes. I know for a fact they’re somewhere between here & Kota Kinabalu. Anyway I’m sure you all will be losing sleep over my luggage, but it means that you’ll have to wait a little bit for the photos.
London. First impressions, colder than Malaysia. Seems cool, (no pun intended) will not see much of it today as I have to sit around the flat waiting to hear from the airline, hence updating this.
OK will talk again soon.
Have now done the math’s (That’s what you get when you have QUITE a few hours stopover) & have worked out that that @#*!! Mountain has a gradient of 0.37. In other words for every 3 meters horizontal you walk you climb over 1 meter, doesn’t sound much but pull that out to 9km and it equals one monkey of a climb!!
So enough of the math’s B.S. Yes it did hurt, yes I did curse at the sun, moon & anything else in a 5km radius, but man what a result waiting for you at the end! OK so we started at about 12:30pm on Weds. I’m fairly sure most of us Kiwi’s had visions of a casual, maybe a little taxing jaunt through a bit of bush. Much like a wonder to the Pinnacles in Coromandel, or maybe Mt Tongarero in the National Park. You have to remember this is a 2 day hike so how hard could it be? VERY! Think of emergency stairs in a high-rise for 6km… then make every 3rd or 4th step a double step. Ow ow where do I sign up? So that gets you to the night camp, with was fairly decent, good food, hot showers & a bed (although I was so buggered I would have had the best sleep of my life in the middle of a Slip Knot concert).
So it’s up at 2am the next day to start climbing at 2:30. Yes I did say climbing & not hiking as this is a pull yourself up by a rope over a sheer rock face while trying to hold onto your torch jobby… for another 3km (Note to anyone planning on doing this: buy a miners light, it’s much easier & it pulls those mountain climbing chicks) Did I mention this is all at the coldest time of the day in an exposed area? So now I understand why people climbing Mt Everest turn back when they’re 100 m from the top (& no I am not comparing Everest to my climb … well maybe just a little) By this time we were so stuffed we were climbing 80m in 10 minutes & stopping for a rest, & there is not as much oxygen at 4000m so your gasping for air for longer.
Anyway we got to the top just before sunrise (well some/most got there well before sunrise) , after resting & catching your breath the view is AMAZING. Most other times of the day the summit (4095m) is covered in cloud but at sunrise there just a hint that shrouds the mountain’s interesting bits like flimsy lingerie ( Be warned mountain climbing can result in very poor attempts at poetry) & you can see for miles. So after sitting up there patting yourself on the back, taking in the view & making a piss poor effort to capture it on camera you slowly come around to the fact that you are sitting on top of a mountain, the wind is blowing & ALL your extremities are getting VERY cold so its time to head home.
Not much to say about this apart from AWW & that due to swelling I now have child bearing hips & knees the size of softballs. Just what I needed for jumping onto my flight to London THAT NIGHT!!!
So in conclusion Mt Kinabalu & I have a love-hate relationship. Loved it up the top but the climb & leaving was hell (Sounds like some ex girlfriends) If your in NZ I would recommend Tongarero before this. Only 1 day, much easier climb & nearly as good as views. If you do decide to do this GOOD LUCK & make sure you prepare for it, going on a 2 week leaving bender is NOT good preparation. Enjoy the Photos
Rodis out
UPDATE: Am now in London, alive & well but short my luggage which has my camera in it… Plus the rest of my worldly possessions. Hopefully it’s in Vienna & will turn up today… if not… I’ll cross that bridge when it comes. I know for a fact they’re somewhere between here & Kota Kinabalu. Anyway I’m sure you all will be losing sleep over my luggage, but it means that you’ll have to wait a little bit for the photos.
London. First impressions, colder than Malaysia. Seems cool, (no pun intended) will not see much of it today as I have to sit around the flat waiting to hear from the airline, hence updating this.
OK will talk again soon.
posted by Rodis at 7:21 am
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