On Top of Borneo
From 5 May
Sunrise over Sabah, Malaysian Borneo - May 2010
I blew my quads out.
Or, as Walter -our chain-smoking, initially hungover guide- succinctly stated some 4km of trail and 7,000 feet of elevation away from our destination, "Your legs, they are finished."
Taking my backpack from me, a move made as much for continued speed of descent as it was for my safety, and hooking me up with a quality walking stick, Walter pointed down the mountain and said, "Slow and steady." Then he took yet another drag on his cigarette as I hobbled on down.
A couple grueling hours -you don't realize how much you take your quadriceps for granted until they are gone- and several thousand side-steps down the mountain later, we exited the trail ['we' being Walter, my buddy Jacob, and myself] at the Timpohon Gate at 2:30pm and officially completed our 30 hour ascent and descent of Mt. Kinabalu - the highest peak on the island of Borneo and in all of SE Asia.
Clambering exhaustedly into the back of an SUV for a ride back to the Park HQ, I was elated to have made it there and back again. Even with my legs utterly bonking out, the journey was undoubtedly worth every hard-earned breath and step.
Jaw-droppingly gorgeous. Amazing. Magnificent.
These words barely do justice to the experience.
The trek from dense jungle at the foot of 'Kini' to the windswept granite jumble that is Low's Peak has left many indelible marks that won't soon be erased.
Especially haunting were the twisted pines among wispy banks of clouds near Pondok Villosa at 9,700 feet, the reflection of the full moon off the South China Sea at 4am from 12,000 feet above sea level, and of course the sun rising over all of Borneo - flooding the otherworldly landscape of the summit massif with warmth and a life-enhancing golden glow.
I'm humbled and grateful for both the opportunity and the ability to have taken such memories from, and left only my footprints upon this natural wonder of the world.
Stray Observations:
+ Speaking of humility, nothing crushes the ego like being passed by a little old lady portering a large propane tank up the mountain on her back as you hack and wheeze and moan and groan about your little backpack.
+ Ditto for all the skinny young and old guys who go bounding up the rocky trail in flimsy sandals with crates of beer and eggs to supply the rest house at Laban Rata.
+ They call the Malaysian state of Sabah and this part of Borneo 'The Land Beneath the Wind.' Technically this is due to its position beneath the belt of typhoon winds.
+ Part of me wonders if they might better be called 'The Land Beneath the Breaking Wind.' Seriously. I don't know if it was all the beer and the eggs portered up, the physical exertion, or the altitude, but I have never in my life witnessed more frequent or flagrant farting by multiple parties as I did during the final push up to the summit.
+ If the guidebook recommends ear plugs for sleeping, bring them.
+ Relatedly, mad props to you random Korean guy who crawled into one of the spare bunks in our room moments before we flipped the lights out only to let loose with throaty snores immediately upon having your head hit the pillow.
+ Apparently certificates of achievement are a HUGE DEAL over here as evidenced by the look of shock when I tell people I opted not to buy the touristy certificates peddled after you reach the peak. 'How will you prove you made it to the top?' they ask.
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