Conquering Mt. Kinabalu- Another Feather In My Cap (Part 1)

What would make an experience in Malaysia iconic enough to be proud of calling it home? I could name a few extraordinary adventures you could only find here: reaching the southernmost tip of mainland Asia, free diving off our East Coast in the South China Sea and hiking the sacred mountain of Kinabalu. Having explored my adventurous sides extensively when I studied in the UK, I felt that hiking Mt. Kinabalu was a calling when I came back to Malaysia. This is one of the most highly regarded experiences you could do as a Malaysian- it is the highest mountain on the island of Borneo, at approximately 4095m.

My crew and I booked our tickets via Sabah Parks about 5 months before our actual hiking date- yes, the demand was crazy and tickets ran out fairly quickly. We picked the simpler hostel, Lemaing, as it is cheaper, at only RM364 (for Malaysians). The ticket included accommodation, 3 meals, hiking permit, insurance and service charges. We were required to pay other fees on site, this included conservation fee of RM10, transportation fare (from the office to the starting point of the hiking trail) of RM10, certificate fee of RM10 and guide fee of RM350 sharable among five. 

We started our hike as early as 8am on the first day of hiking, excited like little kids at a waterpark. I even brought an RM100 note with me just to take photos at the summit- since it is featured at the back of the note. From the Sabah Parks office, transportation was arranged to bring us to Timpohon Gate, which was a 5-minute journey by car. The hike started after we were briefed by our guide on the necessary information. For example, toilets are available every 1km, where resting booths were built; porter services for baggage (RM14 for 1kg) and even human carrier taxis are available (RM700 per km), for those in need. The hike on the first day should take around 5-6 hours on average, covering 6km in total. Having trained at my local hiking spots every weekend for around 4 months, in addition to my regular gym sessions, I felt confident that I could pull it off. Plus, I had faith in my hiking boots- it has gone on many hikes with me while I was still in Europe, covering various terrains including mud, rocks, snow and ice.

 

The hike started off at around 1900m elevation with stairs and short flat intermissions, even passing by a waterfall too narrow to form a large pool. The surrounding vegetation formed a foliage resembling a normal jungle trail just like Bukit Gasing in Petaling Jaya. The hike was rather typical for at least 2.5km before the trees started looking like they were covered in mist, and the air felt wetter and chiller. The forest became mystical with full-on folkmore vibes, but our visibility was not impacted, and the stair-like paths were still much appreciated since there were no terrains that actually needed all my limbs at once.

As we reached the 4km mark, the height had reached 2745m. The terrain turned much rockier and steeper, with no clear stairs formation. The challenge was prominent; so was the thinning level of available oxygen due to altitude making it harder for everyone to breathe. I took altitude pills bought at Watsons starting from the day before the hike, but still felt slightly exhausted by the altitude sickness. Interestingly, a sip of 100 Plus and some rest revived me swiftly when I first felt tight pressure in my chest due to the change in atmospheric pressure. The hike only continued to toughen as we reached the 5km mark. We were already tired from the physical needs of glute strength.

At this point, we realised hiking Bukit Gasing once a week was not sufficient training. We probably should have trained by climbing a long, continuous flight of stairs every week. Yet, what we have noticed and learned to appreciate along the way, was the changing vegetation. In the mist, we observed foreign plants we could not name. The trail then looked very much like an enchanted forest, with unique flowers and bonsai-looking trees in the mist. I saw a few gorgeous pitcher plants, and found myself as intrigued by them as any foreigners on the trail. 

I think one of the best parts of the hike, other than appreciating the vegetation, was watching strangers extend kindness to each other. It’s a 6 hour hike on average, but many others could easily take up longer hours due to physical exhaustion, altitude sickness or limited fitness level in general. However, along the trail, we frequently exchanged words of encouragement with other hikers. Some even offered those in need a supporting arm, necessary medication or even water. I remember thinking that, on the trail, everyone was small and equal, no money or status could mean anything there. We all had one goal- to conquer Mt. Kinabalu, and to support each other became a natural thing to do. And along the way, we made friends- ‘Oh, it’s your first time? Me too!’, ‘Oh, you’re from Johor too? That’s where my hometown is!’.

After struggling for another kilometre, we finally arrived at the hostel site, which was a sign that our first-day hike had come to an end. That was around 2pm, which meant our hike took 6 hours- an average time taken by most hikers. I was pretty sure we could have taken a shorter time, if not for the extra rests and photoshoots we did along the way. Panalaban, at 3272.7m, offers an amazing view of Mt. Kinabalu. Up there, the temperature was cool like Genting Highlands. The checkpoint was an obvious photo spot, and the 6km signboard was just nearby. We took photos for the Gram, and checked into our hostel. Lemaing, as mentioned earlier, was the simpler and cheaper option. It is a mix-gender bunk-bed style dormitory that accommodates up to 16 per room with two toilets and two shower stalls to share.

I took a quick freezing shower- there was no heater due to generator issues. I had not felt a chill like that since doing a dip in Konigssee in Germany back in December 2021. On the bright side, that was a good time to put on my hoodie- you don't get many hoodie opportunities in the typical Malaysian weather. My team and I rested till around 5pm before heading to the restaurant for a meal covered in the hiking package. The food was amazing- who could expect a free buffet flow somewhere as high as 3300m. The hiking package we took covered three meals in total: dinner on the first day, supper and breakfast on the second day. As a big eater, that was the most complete meal of the day for me. Along the hike since morning, I had only been crunching on granola bars and sipping on water and 100 Plus. The hall felt much like a dining area of a backpacker hostel, very hipster and warm, deco-wise. We took our time to appreciate photographs framed on the walls in the dining hall- all were hikers posing at the summit, which became a motivation. If so many people had completed the course, so could we! 

The sunset after dinner was astonishing. While I do not have a photo to prove this- I promise it’s a sight worth everything you have. We took a walk to help with digestion, then laid on our hostel beds and rested to reserve energy for the next day- where we were expected to start hiking at 2.30am. I counted- if I could start sleeping at 8pm and wake up at 1.30am, that’s a solid 5.5 hours of sleep. Yet, it was extremely hard to fall asleep as I was not used to the bed, and the harsh chill at night with no warmer but a simple blanket and my two layers of clothes was no fun at all. I probably only took naps worth 1-2 hours that night, which was not good news, for someone requiring much physical strength and resilience the next day. 

For my hiking experience on Day 2, read here.

By,
Euan Thum.