Day 1 (Monday 25-7-2011)
The A-Team from West Malaysia (KM Cheng, Mr Chua, Mr Chong & Miss Chua) - all had made it to the top ie the Low's Peak (4,095.2m) on 26 July 2011. Congratulations !!
Our input: For Day 1 - a 7.5 hr of walking uphill over a 6km stretch of summit trail; For Day 2 - a 4 hr of uphill climb with the support of nylon ropes (Taban Rata to Low's Peak, 3,000m>4,095m) and a 2hr of descending (Low's Peak to Laban Rata) ; and the final descend - a 5 hr of walking downhill from Laban Rata to Timpohon Gate - mission accomplished !
To my fellow mountain climbers, the Chuas and Chong, thank you for your friendship and moral support, we all had made our dream come true ! No more day dreaming on Mt KK from now on !
1) DAY 1 - 8.15am, the start of the Mt KK climb from the Timpohon Gate to Laban Rata Lodge; strict ruling by the Sabah Park Management on all mountain climbers; registration, name tag, mountain guide escort; no fooling around. keep walking and your return on investment (your efforts, guts & determination, mental & physical strength) will be very delicious ! It's the journey not the destination that matters.
2) Slow and steady wins the race (despite two days of stomach upset due to the eating of grilled sotong at a night market food stall in KK city.; intermittent burst of muscle pulls and numerous rests along the way; no kidding walking uphill for 6km from the Timpohon Gate to Tamban Rata (3,000m) on Day 1; a severe test of your mental & physical strength , endurance & perseverance ....
3) Rest houses, short breaks, lunch & drink & toilets etc
4) Spectacular views near the Tambahan Rata Lodge (3,000m)
5) Day 1 - 6.00-7.00pm ; cloudy sky. chilly wind; sunset as viewed from the Laban Rata Lodge (3,000m)
Day 2 (Tuesday 26/7/2011) - The D day
1) Misty weather and strong chilling wind at the summit during the morning as we ascended and descended the slippery and hilly slope (6.00-6.45am); no luck for our group to watch the sunrise ! Our group woke up at 1.30am and commenced the climb at 2.30am. After much efforts, I reached the Low's peak at around 6,30am (a total of 4 hardy hours). As for the descend, I made it to Laban Rata Lodge at around 8.40am (slightly over 2 hrs) .
High altitude sickness, short of breath, fatigue, leg injuries etc could take a heavy toll on your bodies and the weaker ones may have to give up the challenge at any time ! So no easy meat and only the fittest could survive the journey !
It is interesting to note that in the 24th Mt KK International Clinbathon 2010 competition, the fastest time recorded (21km) has been achieved by the following category of participants:
Men Open 1st Place - 2 hrs 33mins
Women Open 1st Place - 3 hrs 28mins
Men Veteran 1st Place - 3 hrs 01min
Wow !!! Malaysia boleh and I certainly failed miserably, taking 7.5hr for a 6km walk uphill on my 1st day. I took a total of 18.5hr to complete the journey ( to & fro ) for the two day climb ! But I was overly happy after collecting a colorful certificate from the Kinabalu Park management certifying Cheng Kean Meng has climbed the Low's Peak , the summit of Mount Kinabalu (4095.2m) on 26/07/2011. Is this means that I have passed the Mt KK climbing test with flying colors ?
2) A victory sign & standing tall when I posed a picture behind the wooden signboard of Low's Peak (4,095.2m) . To the 3 young members of my group - Mr & Miss Chong and Mr Choong - well done and congratulations for making to the top. Miles of smiles for those who reached the Summit and for those who did not make it - do not despair , there is always another chance !
3) A panoramic view from the top of Mt KK
" As a senior citizen, the two day mountain trekking & climbing following the Mt KK summit trail to Low' Peak was deemed to be the longest day and toughest journey I had ever taken in the world of traveling thus far ....
The Secrets of Life: Take a deep breath. It calms the mind. All our dreams can come true if we have the courage to pursue them. "
