Climbing Mount Killmikeandlu

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After two days of seeing the sights in Kota Kinabalu (mostly from the viewing area of the cinema), I began my preparations for climbing Mount Kinabalu on the 27th-with my climbing on the 28th...quite intensive training as you can see.

The internet sites that we looked at stated that this was the easiest climb in South East Asia and no prepping of any real description was needed. Confidence high we set on from the climb in good spirits as we had already met 3 really nice people on the bus who were claiming to be unfit and not ready to do this at all. Turns out the other couple are keen divers and hence fit and the other girl I will come to later.

We got in the transportation Timpohon Gate, our starting point for the climb. After showing our climbing permits at the hut, we made our way to the start. Surprisingly, there was a small descent early on but it was very much a fales dawn-as we then came to the first of the steep steps just after. On our left just after the start was Carson's Waterfall which was set in beautiful jungle with long trees. The steps seemed endless, even after five minutes, and we were glad to reach our first shelter to refill our water and rest.

Within metres of setting off we managed to lose one of our group, an Irish girl called Julie. For two hours to the climb se moaned that she was unfit, aching from going to the gym in Kuala Lumpur and that she was carrying an extra 4 kilos of weight as she'd been binging. She was so skinny you could mistake her for a concentration camp victim; before leaving us well behind she told us that she runs back home...avidly...and is a fitness freak!

We actually manaed to get dropped by the other two in our group as they decide that speed is the best way to end the pain, despite the girl suffering with joint problems. Lucy and I take a snails pace as this is what we have been told is the best thing to do and should get us there within 6 hours, yup 6 hours. At each and every checkpoint we stop to rehydrate have sweat what seems like kilos of fluids. Carrying nothing but light food and a change of clothes in my bag and Lucy carrying a frequently depleting supply of water we are light on our backs, so how come porter getting 69RM a day are carring up 6 rucks on their backs sides and fronts? This also includes women doing it too!

Each and every kilometer marker comes slower and slower, tha rain falls harder and harder. There are no views despite the height we are at as there is so much cover from the tree canopy, the mist and also the rain. My heart races the entire journey and with each and every footstep that I take it slowly becomes apparent that whatever is at the top is not going to be worth it.

There are a few things that I hate in life, walking is one, cardio vascular exercise another, the cold and also the wet as well as being stuck between a rock and a transexual. When all of these things are added together, minus the tranny, Mike is not happy. Mike is not happy when he reaches the top and sees fresh puddles of blood from another climber.

Mike is also not happy when he reaches the top and find out that he has climbed 6 kilometres in the cold and rain, took 5.5 hours to do it and now desperately wants the loo! Lucy and I both found this extremely hard going, me because I lacked interest in doing it and Lucy as she suffered with the altitude which is quite normal.

What most annoyed Mike is that the little tinker who said she'd struggle up and was not fit finished 2.5 hours before me and was at the top of the damn mountain wearing a leprechans outfit, selling Guinness from a themed Irish bar called O'Flannagans and had her 1992 Ford Sierra and matching caravan parked up next to it! "Oil neva mayk it to the top before youz so it is. Oim toetally wrecked fram de gym so oi arm". Lying little sh1t.

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Photos

Made it!
were actually less happy than we seem, go to go 6km down the fu6king hill tomorrow!