My conquest of Mount Kinabalu 28-29 Aug 2017 – Part I

The journey of a 40 something not so seasoned climber who is not so fit also – you may find this useful if you are in this category

I am on top of the world

(The preparation stage)

Reaching the peak of SEA highest mountain has been on my Bucket List ever since I had my PCL surgery in 2008 (link).  It finally became a reality short of 10 years since the fateful surgery that changed my life forever.

The dream is finally a reality

The reward is endless once you reach the peak

Constraint by my deteriorating knees condition, being at this age, having left the navy for almost 2 years, and being almost 10 kg heavier did not make me over optimistic about the attempt.  However, I did not think I wanted to let the opportunity pass by either.  So after almost saying no, and after much contemplation, I decided to commit myself to the climb, with barely one month left to prepare myself.  19 slots already booked for the climb, and now one of them had my name sealed on it. No turning back anymore. Made a pact with Kamal and Hidayah to be training partners during the preparation phase.  Are we up for it?  We shall see.

The Kinabalu training posse

Training Phase

20 July – First day of training for me, Kamal and Hidayah. We were in terrible shape.  To start the build up doing circuit training under close supervision of a trainer wasn’t what we had in mind.  Motto to cheer us up “Biar sakit sekarang!” (Better to be in pain now).  No pain no gain… yes we were in pain for a few long days after that.

First taste of killer exercise

22 Aug – Last day of training. Ready or not, here we go.

Last day of exercise before the real one

Summary of training phase:

a. No of times I trained: 21 times.

b. Types of training: Mostly climbing up and down Bukit Tangki Air Wangsa Maju (and the surrounding nature trails, twice at Batu Caves, padang near Mardhiah Mosque Taman Melawati and a few other training opportunities. 

The 1.5km return trip at Tangki Air Wangsa Maju.  Over and over till you drop

Then we added another 1 km of nature trail just to make it more realistic

More Bukit Tangki Air

Muka senyum, dalam hati Tuhan jer yang tahu

When outstation I did a bit of swimming 

Or a bit of the hotel gym

The steep climb of Batu Caves was excellent to diversify the feel of climbing

Bulging vein at the forehead after reaching the top of the stairs

Another circuit training day....arghhhh

The posse all beat up after circuit training

Doing rugby coaching always helped to boost up the fitness and motivational level

c. Longest distance walk: 14.5 km daily total on 6 Aug 17 (10km exercise and the rest out shopping with family) and 10.3 km up and down Bukit Wangsa Maju on 13 Aug 2017.

Many free apps to help you track your exercise

Track your exercise.  It keeps you motivated about your progress

Was the training sufficient? I thought so.  However, I was in for a real surprise came the real climb.  I will give parallel comparison between training and the real thing later.

What to Bring

Most of my climbing gears were bought from Decathlon.  They were of good quality and reasonably priced.  Unless you are a seasoned climber, don’t spend too much but don’t compromise on quality either. Decathlon was good enough for me.  Worth every RM I spent and didn’t cost me a bomb.

My bounty from Decathlon, a really good bargain

These are most of the thing I brought, and also some tips what not to bring, and what I wish I had brought with me. 

Item	Remarks
Rain coat	Essential as chance of rain is 99.99%. Use two piece type-jacket and pants (don’t buy cheap poncho type, you will regret it). Mine cost RM59 from Decathlon.
Hiking gloves	Essential to climb up and down steep rocks during the final stretch to the peak.  I used rugby gloves which were perfect. RM29 from Decathlon. Photo credit: Decathlon Malaysia
Hiking shoes	Make sure buy waterproof ones.  Mine was only RM99 from Decathlon. Photo credit: Decathlon Malaysia
Compression pants x 3	Keep you warm (no need to wear underpants).  You can get good cheap ones from Decathlon costing between RM40-60.
Thermal pants	Not necessary unless you hate even the slightest chill breeze. I brought a pair but didn’t use.  RM29 from Decathlon.
Jacket	Essential only for the final climb.  RM69 from Decathlon
Hiking t-shirt x 2	Dri-fit shirts are perfect. Quick to dry, lightweight and doesn't take much space.   I used my regular exercise dri-fit. My alma mater shirt was well used
Thermal shirt x 2	Essential for the final climb.  I also used one during the initial climb to base camp. RM59 from Decathlon. Photo credit: Decathlon Malaysia
Hiking trousers	Essential.  However, in my case they were was too loose that I got annoyed.  Ended up only wearing compression pants and rain coat pants – perfect for me!
Knee guard	I used strap type as I have bad knees. Helped to keep my knees stable throughout.  RM19 from Decathlon. Photo credit: Decathlon Malaysia
Hiking socks x 4 pairs	Thermal pairs from Decathlon were cheap when I bought them.  Minimum 3 pairs to ensure your feet are always dry.
Hiking headband	For me this was enough. Ski cap is probably better.  No need ear muff – too tacky for me, but your call. RM9 from Decathlon. Photo credit: Decathlon Malaysia
Selipar (sandles)	How to go to bathroom at base camp if you don’t bring them.  Glad I brought them.  Ensure you bring the lightweight type.
Headlamp	A must for the final climb. Better to bring simple LED light without the unnecessary additional functions. I actually brought 2 headlamps (1 for backup as I saw some people who had problem with this).  They were actually my daughters’ when they went camping.  RM29 each from Decathlon.  Works just as good as any LED light out there. Photo credit: Decathlon Malaysia
Power bank	A must if you want to stay connected during the climb while at the same time taking a lot of photos.
Bag pack	I brought 2 bags but 3 is actually ideal:      a.      Main bag to carry most of your things – use porter service to carry to base camp. RM59 from Decathlon.      b.      Medium size back pack – for climb to Base Camp as you need to bring food, water, power bank, rain coat etc.      c.       The tiniest back pack for the final climb – to carry spare head lamp, water bottle, small towel, power bank.  You can wear rain coat from the very beginning (reason why I used 2 piece rain coat not the poncho type). RM10 from Decathlon.
Luggage	To keep the stuff you don’t need for the climb.  In my case I stayed another 2 days in Kota Kinabalu so this luggage is essential for me.  You can leave it at Kinabalu Park when you climb.
Small face towel x 2	A must to wipe off your sweat properly.  I just slip it across my wait pouch – my best friend during the climb.
Hand band	I use this as a quick way to dry my sweat.  Use alternatively with the face towel.
Sejadah mini	For Muslims if you wish.  You should try to make it to base camp before sunset so you can pray there.  During the final climb your face towel is suffice to serve this purpose for Subuh prayer.
Water bottle	No explanation necessary.  No clean drinking water except at Layang Layang Hut (4km check point) and base camp.
Spray wuduk	If you can’t hold your wuduk during the final climb then bring this.  Not needed in my case.
Lip balm	Not really unless you think you need it.
Waist pouch	Yes for me as I keep my phone and other essentials in here.  Also use it so that I can slip my face towel across it during the climb.
Whistle	I was advised to bring one so I did.  The trail was safe throughout.  Don’t think you need it but no harm to bring it anyway.
Baseball cap	Not essential but I wear one throughout as mine has ear flaps.
Sunglasses	Not needed unless you are vain.
Power bar/chocolates/ honey tubes	Yes definitely.  I eat these in small bites throughout the climb. I also consumed honey in small straw-like tubes for energy booster.
Phone cover (waterproof)	Not needed.  I just used zip-lock plastic bag to keep my phone dry.
Plaster	Yes, in case you get blisters.
Yoko Yoko	My best friend to help ease muscle pain.  I used it before, during and after the climb.
Panadol/paracetamol	I consumed them twice during the climb due to severe headache.  Yes, please bring them.
Zip-lock plastic bag	Very useful to keep your stuff dry.  I also keep all my gear in small trash bag before stuffing them in the bag.  All my stuff were kept dry which was a great comfort.
Heart rate monitor	I didn’t bring one but I wish I had, as there were times  I simply had to stop as my heart beats were loud enough I could hear them. Post-blog posting note: I just saw on Youtube that your Android phone heart rate monitor can measure just as good, if not better, as those expensive gadgets out there.  So, your call. Only that in the case of using mobile phone, you have to stop, and put your finger over the sensor.
Trekking pole	I didn’t bring one.  I felt it would hinder my movement.  I saw may people use them so it is your call.

Climb Itinerary

This is the route to Mount Kinabalu peak which I downloaded from the internet (Photo credit: http://www.mountkinabalu.com)

Total distance to climb 8.72km (6km from Timpohon to Laban Rata, and the balance from there to Low’s peak).

Our own itinerary for the climb can be summarised below:

27th August 2017, Sunday 
- Arrive at Kinabalu Park, Check-In, Dinner at restaurant 
* inclusive of Dinner and Hostel accommodation 

28th August 2017, Monday
06:30     Breakfast, collect packed Lunch 
07:30     Meet at Reception area to gather with guide 
08:00     Depart to Timpohon Gate 
08:30     Start the climb (to reach at Laban Rata area around 12pm-3pm)
18:00     Dinner 
* inclusive of Breakfast, Packed Lunch & Dinner and Hostel accommodation at Laban Rata

29th August 2017, Tuesday
01:30     Early Supper 
02:30     Start climb to summit (reach around 05:30-06:30)
              Decent back to Laban Rata for Breakfast 
12:00     Lunch at Balsam Café, Kinabalu Park 
              Return to KK

The preparation phase is over and I was ready to go.  I had mixed feelings about this; excited, anxious, worried, butterfly in the stomach… you name it.  However, as always, when push come to shove, I’d just numb the feeling and just focus on the immediate task in hand… one at a time….  Mt Kinabalu here we go!!!

To be continued in the next entry........