Borneo - Part 1 - Mount Kinabalu and the Piggy Back Ride
After a short 37 hour flight, I landed in Bali only to return to the airport less than 24 hours later to head off to Borneo, Malaysia to meet up with Jess for a week and half mountain and jungle adventure! (In hind sight, it wasn't the most relaxing way to end my 6 week holiday, but it was a great trip!)
We spent the first day just catching up and wandering around the city of Kota Kinabalu.
The following day we had to get up early to depart on our 2 day/1 night hike up Mount Kinabalu. Now I had done some research prior to landing in Borneo about hiking this mountain. I researched what I would need to wear and bring for the hike and then went to some hiking stores to stock up on those essentials: head torch, warm fleece, small day pack, compact water bottle, water tablets, and new hiking pants.
Then I briefly skimmed over the part about how to PHYSICALLY prepare my BODY for the hike. I decided I would take walks and go to the stadium to climb the bleachers which would help strengthen my legs and my hip. I was still a bit concerned about how my hip would hold up. Clearly I wasn't that concerned because I didn't climb the bleachers and only went on 2 walks. Holiday laziness had completed taken over! Obviously the fact that Mount Kinabalu is 4,095 m (13, 435 ft) tall and is the 20th most prominent mountain in the world by topographic prominence didn't seem to affect my workout routine much.
Now to the hike...
Day 1
6 am pick up from the hostel then a 2 hour drive to the Kinabalu Park to check in and receive our hiking passes and lunches for the day.
9 am...we began the hike so excited!
Even after only 1 km into the hike I could already feel the affects of the altitude as it became more difficult to breathe. There were break stations about every km which we happily welcomed! I tried to just stay focused on my steps and try not to look up! The constant uphill trail looked like it would never end! We hiked up the 6 km to the lodge at Laban Rata (3,272 m above sea level) where we would eat and sleep before beginning the rest of the hike to the summit for sunrise the following morning.
Jess and I had one of the private room - simply because all the dorms would already booked up - and boy were we glad we did! We had our our bathroom and heater! We did some stretching, showered, ate an early dinner, and were asleep around 6:30pm. As we sat in the lodge we looked around and were in awe knowing everything had to be carried up that mountain from the tables to the mattresses to the lamps to the food.
Here is the lodge:
The view from our room was stunning...
Day 2
We woke up just before 2am and were pleasantly surprised that our legs weren't very sore...our bodies must have still been in shock! My nerves were getting the best of me, but I tried to force down some food before heading out. We had about another 2.7 km to hike in the dark to make it to the low peak's summit for sunrise. This was the part we were most nervous about because it involved using ropes to help maintain your balance while climbing some steep parts on the smooth rock. (This actually turned out to be one of my favorite parts! I think I may need to try rock climbing!)
The climb was difficult right from the start seeming like endless sets of stairs. But the night view was magical...the stars were glowing above my head as I could just barely make out the jutting rock of the mountain. I wish we had time to stop and really soak it in (and also rest....my legs were feeling the burn and questioning why I hadn't gotten them in better shape prior to this hike!). Our guide and Jess pushed on and I trailed behind. It became more of a mental game by the end and I often questioned why in the world I had decided to do this, but once I saw the sunrise and we finally reached the top and felt so accomplished it all seemed worth it!
After taking a few minutes to snap some photos and try to take in the beautiful view we began the 2.7 km hike back to the lodge. My knees began aching and my thighs started to shake as we descended down. We relaxed at the lodge for a while to eat breakfast and tried to let our bodies recharge. We knew the hike down would be faster, but hard on our legs and knees.
I was feeling pretty good in that 1st 1 1/2 km down. Legs were shaking a bit but I was climbing down those rocks comfortably thinking "ok, I can do this. We are on our way down...almost done." Then I hit the 2nd km and my legs began to feel like a ragdoll. It was hard to control my legs even while trying to walk on flat ground let alone going down steps and over rocks. I held onto other rocks and railings for support because I didn't trust that my legs would support my weight as I stepped down. I continued to struggle and had to hold onto my guide for extra support. I was moving at a snails pace.
It ended up taking me 2 1/2 hours to go down 2km. Going down should have been faster. It was now about 1pm and we needed to be down by 5pm. Another 4 km to go....I was in tears. I didn't know how I was going to make it down. I could barely stand or take steps on solid ground at the resting point. I felt like a failure. It was finally decided that I would get carried down the last 4 km by the rescue team. I was devastated, but knew that if I continued I could end up breaking something. This rest station was the last one with a rescue team before we arrived at the base.
Before I knew it my legs were hooked into the straps of a backpack and I was getting a piggyback ride down the mountain by a short lean man at what seemed like lightning speed. I really wish we would have captured this moment with a photo as I flew past Jess and the guide on the trail. The final 4 km consisted of 5 different men who took turns carrying me down. At one point I held an umbrella over our heads to try and shield us from the pouring rain as my rescue team continue to walk almost effortlessly down countless stairs and over slippery rocks. At first I felt embarrassed and disappointed in myself that I needed help, but then I just started to realize and began to laugh about the entire situation with intermittent moments of fear that we would slip and fall down the mountain because they were moving so fast!
It wasn't until later that I had a chance to really analyze the situation and not be so disappointed in myself. Exactly 6 months before this hike I was walking on crutches. That puts things in perspective a bit. My leg muscles were clearly not back to pre-surgery strength let alone ready to hike the mountain, but I did make it to the top and it was a lesson learned for the next mountain I will hike. :)
These photos we took at each km marker help to sum up how we felt throughout the hike....
Made it to the lodge! 5 hours and 45 minutes!
The next morning: It was too dark to take the photos on the way up so we took them coming down after we reached the summit
We spent the first day just catching up and wandering around the city of Kota Kinabalu.
A beautiful view from above with tons of trash below :(
The following day we had to get up early to depart on our 2 day/1 night hike up Mount Kinabalu. Now I had done some research prior to landing in Borneo about hiking this mountain. I researched what I would need to wear and bring for the hike and then went to some hiking stores to stock up on those essentials: head torch, warm fleece, small day pack, compact water bottle, water tablets, and new hiking pants.
Then I briefly skimmed over the part about how to PHYSICALLY prepare my BODY for the hike. I decided I would take walks and go to the stadium to climb the bleachers which would help strengthen my legs and my hip. I was still a bit concerned about how my hip would hold up. Clearly I wasn't that concerned because I didn't climb the bleachers and only went on 2 walks. Holiday laziness had completed taken over! Obviously the fact that Mount Kinabalu is 4,095 m (13, 435 ft) tall and is the 20th most prominent mountain in the world by topographic prominence didn't seem to affect my workout routine much.
Now to the hike...
Day 1
6 am pick up from the hostel then a 2 hour drive to the Kinabalu Park to check in and receive our hiking passes and lunches for the day.
9 am...we began the hike so excited!
Even after only 1 km into the hike I could already feel the affects of the altitude as it became more difficult to breathe. There were break stations about every km which we happily welcomed! I tried to just stay focused on my steps and try not to look up! The constant uphill trail looked like it would never end! We hiked up the 6 km to the lodge at Laban Rata (3,272 m above sea level) where we would eat and sleep before beginning the rest of the hike to the summit for sunrise the following morning.
Jess and I had one of the private room - simply because all the dorms would already booked up - and boy were we glad we did! We had our our bathroom and heater! We did some stretching, showered, ate an early dinner, and were asleep around 6:30pm. As we sat in the lodge we looked around and were in awe knowing everything had to be carried up that mountain from the tables to the mattresses to the lamps to the food.
Here is the lodge:
The view from our room was stunning...
Day 2
We woke up just before 2am and were pleasantly surprised that our legs weren't very sore...our bodies must have still been in shock! My nerves were getting the best of me, but I tried to force down some food before heading out. We had about another 2.7 km to hike in the dark to make it to the low peak's summit for sunrise. This was the part we were most nervous about because it involved using ropes to help maintain your balance while climbing some steep parts on the smooth rock. (This actually turned out to be one of my favorite parts! I think I may need to try rock climbing!)
The climb was difficult right from the start seeming like endless sets of stairs. But the night view was magical...the stars were glowing above my head as I could just barely make out the jutting rock of the mountain. I wish we had time to stop and really soak it in (and also rest....my legs were feeling the burn and questioning why I hadn't gotten them in better shape prior to this hike!). Our guide and Jess pushed on and I trailed behind. It became more of a mental game by the end and I often questioned why in the world I had decided to do this, but once I saw the sunrise and we finally reached the top and felt so accomplished it all seemed worth it!
After taking a few minutes to snap some photos and try to take in the beautiful view we began the 2.7 km hike back to the lodge. My knees began aching and my thighs started to shake as we descended down. We relaxed at the lodge for a while to eat breakfast and tried to let our bodies recharge. We knew the hike down would be faster, but hard on our legs and knees.
I was feeling pretty good in that 1st 1 1/2 km down. Legs were shaking a bit but I was climbing down those rocks comfortably thinking "ok, I can do this. We are on our way down...almost done." Then I hit the 2nd km and my legs began to feel like a ragdoll. It was hard to control my legs even while trying to walk on flat ground let alone going down steps and over rocks. I held onto other rocks and railings for support because I didn't trust that my legs would support my weight as I stepped down. I continued to struggle and had to hold onto my guide for extra support. I was moving at a snails pace.
It ended up taking me 2 1/2 hours to go down 2km. Going down should have been faster. It was now about 1pm and we needed to be down by 5pm. Another 4 km to go....I was in tears. I didn't know how I was going to make it down. I could barely stand or take steps on solid ground at the resting point. I felt like a failure. It was finally decided that I would get carried down the last 4 km by the rescue team. I was devastated, but knew that if I continued I could end up breaking something. This rest station was the last one with a rescue team before we arrived at the base.
Before I knew it my legs were hooked into the straps of a backpack and I was getting a piggyback ride down the mountain by a short lean man at what seemed like lightning speed. I really wish we would have captured this moment with a photo as I flew past Jess and the guide on the trail. The final 4 km consisted of 5 different men who took turns carrying me down. At one point I held an umbrella over our heads to try and shield us from the pouring rain as my rescue team continue to walk almost effortlessly down countless stairs and over slippery rocks. At first I felt embarrassed and disappointed in myself that I needed help, but then I just started to realize and began to laugh about the entire situation with intermittent moments of fear that we would slip and fall down the mountain because they were moving so fast!
It wasn't until later that I had a chance to really analyze the situation and not be so disappointed in myself. Exactly 6 months before this hike I was walking on crutches. That puts things in perspective a bit. My leg muscles were clearly not back to pre-surgery strength let alone ready to hike the mountain, but I did make it to the top and it was a lesson learned for the next mountain I will hike. :)
These photos we took at each km marker help to sum up how we felt throughout the hike....
The next morning: It was too dark to take the photos on the way up so we took them coming down after we reached the summit
That evening we arrived at our hostel exhausted. We must
have looked completely pathetic as we slowly climbed the steps up to our room.
It was still difficult to take steps on flat ground let alone stairs! We walked
down the street that night for dinner and we both stopped in mid-conversation when
we approached the curb. The idea of lifting our leg to step up was almost too
much to bare!
We spent the following day on Mandakun Island which was a 20
minute boat ride from the city of Kota Kinabalu.
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