Mt Kinabalu: A peak not so Low!

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16th & 17th December 2009.
Willers climbs Mt Kinabalu. Kinabalu Park, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia.

Summit: 4095 metres [8.7 kilometres]
World Ranking: 20th [2nd highest in South East Asia]
Time: 8 Hours

Basically, whatever I write here will not begin to express just how bloody difficult, and exhausting and murderous this was. But even more so, no pictures will represent just how incredibly, fantastically, adrenalin filled & mind blowingly bastard BRILLIANT reaching the summit of a mountain at sunrise actually is. The colours, the feelings, the peace and the tranquility, the view over the top of the clouds, and the twinkling of the towns below when you're about to reach 7K on your assent. Unless you do this - which you should - it will always be just a picture of a rock and some cloud.

We started at 10am on the 16th and reached the 6K halfway house by 2.45pm. The first 6K is strenuous, but doable, and you're already at altitude when you start. I didn't really feel anything too noticeable, apart from it takes more effort to do everything. Fortunately, the company you arrange the climb with feed you every 5 minutes, so when you wake up on the second day at 1.30am, you're ready. The last 2.7K are on an incline steep enough to have to use a rope throughout the whole climb. You're on sheer rock face, and it's only on the way down in daylight that you realize just how far down a drop it is. Breathing gets quite hard around 7.5 I found.. But I stuck on some tunes and hauled my arse up there, reaching the peak around 3 hours later.

It is pretty cold, and you forget you're in an Equatorial Country. But the jaunt up there keeps you warm enough!

I'm so so so so glad I did this. I think I can definitely count 2009 as the year I exceeded my fitness levels! Lol.. [2 Half marathons and a Mountain aren't too bad for someone who hated P.E and was shit at Cross-country in school!

Today I nursed my sore legs while sunbathing on Sapi Island, and tomorrow I fly bck to Singe-a-sweaty-pore before preparing for shrimps, bar-b-que's, and Bundaberg next week!!!

Merry Christmas Guys!!!

Lots of love
Willers xxxxxx

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