Explore, Spring 2015

Explore
The
World
BORNEO
Stairway to Heaven
Ascending the highest mountain in Southeast Asia is
a game of inches with a breathtaking payoff
B y D av i d W e bb
damson storm clouds, streaking
pulses of pink and blue above the
city of Kota Kinabalu, some 100 km
west. From my vantage point at about 4,000
metres of elevation, I’m nearly level with the
tempest. It’s a spectacular lightshow. But I
can’t stop to marvel at it. Sunlight is beginning to illuminate the horizon and my goal
is to reach the summit of Mount Kinabalu
for dawn. For this, lightning is a cherry
on top, destined to become just one more
bucket-list memory from 10 days in Malaysian Borneo.
Bisected by the equator and set
between Peninsular Malaysia and the Philip76 explore • SPRING 2015
pines, Borneo is the third-largest island on
Earth. Three countries share this landmass
— Indonesia, Brunei and Malaysia — with
the latter home to some six million people
along the island’s northern reaches. Kota
Kinabalu, the half-million-strong workaday
capital of Malaysia’s Sabah province, is easily
reached via flight from Hong Kong and provides an accessible gateway for Canadians
visiting Borneo.
I’ve joined a G Adventures group for their
10-day Borneo-Sabah Adventure. With
wildlife-seeking along the Kinabatagan
River, a visit to an orang-utan preserve and
touring Turtle Islands National Park on the
horizon (see sidebar), I’m now primed for
the premier alpine hike in this storied region
of Asia — a setting that’s still very much a
frontier, yet on the cusp of tourism greatness.
Since the days of British colonization,
Borneo has been synonymous with intense
tropical heat and humidity. Right now,
though, it’s twilight at Mesilau Nature Resort, at about 2,000 metres of elevation, and
it’s a tad chilly. We’re encased in mist and
mahogany trees; dripping ferns and tangled
vines. Somewhere in the clouds behind our
huts, the massive granite pluton of Mount
Kinabalu rises skyward. Considered a sacred mountain — home to the spirit world
in regional mythology — Mount Kinabalu
reaches to 4,095.2 metres, the highest point
between the Himalayas and New Guinea. At
David Webb
A
n electrical storm flashes from
Mount Kinabalu's South
Peak, viewed shortly after
descending from the summit.
Win a trip for
2 to Borneo!
Details at
explore-mag.com
a bit shy of eight million years old, it is also
some of the youngest exposed granite on
Earth. Summiting this brag-worthy massif is
one of the foremost reasons for travel to the
area. And after fuelling up with curry lamb
and chilli squid at dinner, we discuss our
plans to ascend it tomorrow.
Kinabalu is climbed in two legs — the
first is a 1,270-vertical-metre ascent to
Laban Rata, a guesthouse at 3,270 metres.
There are two ways to get there: the popular,
five-kilometre-long “short route” from
Timpohon Gate, or the tougher eightkilometre Mesilau Trail. (The trails join-up
two kilometres before Laban Rata.) We’ll
trek the Summit Trail the following morning
— 2:30 a.m. to be exact — to push through
Starting at 2,000 metres above sea
the final 2.72 km and 825 vertical
metres for a sunrise view from atop
level, daytime temperatures are
View the video at:
youtube.com/
pleasant. A cool breeze meanders
ironically named Low’s Peak. A
exploremag
quick breakfast back at Laban Rata
through the lush rainforest as
is followed by the full descent. Our
our dozen-strong group marches
group (nearly) unanimously opts for the upslope in single file. The path is mostly
Tough Way Up. It’s an early night.
uneven rock lined with pitcher plants and
By morning, at the base of Mesilau Trail, orchids at the end of their bloom-season.
there is scarcely a cloud in the sky; I suddenly Fig and rattan trees shut out the sunlight;
question the weight of the rain gear loaded this elevation is devoid of bugs. Near a sign
in my overnight pack. We all gaze toward the marking KM1, an expansive vista opens
apex of Kinabalu, its barren peaks looming up and reveals a lonely waterfall on the
abruptly two vertical kilometres above us. far side of a valley carpeted with greenery.
There is a shared moment of, “We gotta hike Classic Borneo.
up there?”
Mesilau climbs a couple of hundred
Mesilau Trail is deceptively easy at first, vertical metres, then descends again, leading
and its total length is hardly threatening. past runoff streams and small waterfalls.
SPRING 2015 • explore 77
The
World
BORNEO
only climbed 500 metres. This means in the
next three kilometres of trail, we’ll ascend 770
metres. In short, things are about to get steep.
And as we pass 3,000 metres of elevation, we’ll
be gasping for air in the first level of oxygen
deprivation. Hydration is key, as is a steady,
comfortable pace. But the sun sets by 6:00
p.m., so you can’t dawdle the day away.
We set out through a tree-lined ridgewalk, enveloped by clouds. It’s myth-like;
a kingdom in heaven. Upward, the trail is
relentless. Like an itch you can’t scratch. At
KM6, my pack feels as though it has doubled
in weight. At KM7, we can feel the end is near,
but a lack of oxygen and aching quadriceps
see us resting every quarter-kilometre. Rather
than a steady incline from the lunch hut, the
path is like a line graph of compound interest
— exponentially steeper the further it
progresses. The last click climbs 270 vertical
metres; it’s the longest kilometre of my life.
The trees are sparse. The path is heaving,
rugged igneous rock. Haggardly, I round a
corner to see a beige structure protruding
from the mountainside, half obscured by fog
and backdropped by Kinabalu’s barren zenith.
Gasping and soaked in sweat, we’ve arrived
at Laban Rata — six hours and 30 minutes
after our first step. (The slowest in our group
arrived some three hours later, guided up via
headlamp and thoroughly tortured.) Entering
the guesthouse, we’re prideful to learn we were
the only hikers to tackle Mesilau Trail today
— of the 30-odd folks here for the night, all
opted for the short route.
M o u n t K i n a b a lu C h e ckl i s t
Footwear
The stiff backpacking boots I wore were
overkill. Try lightweight speedhikers from Vasque’s Inhaler line,
their most breathable boots.
The mid-height model sports
Gore-Tex (always good
in a rainforest)
and mud-chewing
Vibram outsoles.
($180; vasque.com)
Hard Shell
You could be hit by rain
right to the summit. Pack
a hard-shell that’s
lightweight, certified
waterproof and ultrabreathable to vent
sweat. Westcomb’s
Apoc Jacket ticks
all boxes. ($480;
westcomb.com)
Puffy
From Laban Rata
onward, you’ll need an
insulating layer. Canada Goose’s Hybridge
Lite Jacket keeps
heat trapped in
850-fill goose down,
yet packs down to
sandwich-size and
weighs less than
half-a-pound. ($495;
canada-goose.com)
Continued on page 81
Ascending out of the
trees near 3,000 metres
of elevation.
David Webb
Explore
We cross two suspension bridges and pass
a rest shelter with a horrid outhouse. Our
G Adventures guide, Omar, had advised
us that since Kinabalu is known as “the
revered abode of the dead,” one must always
apologize when using the bathroom. You
may be peeing on a ghost.
Three kilometres in, I’ve officially decided
Kinabalu is a walk in the park. I’m barely sweating
and we’re almost halfway to Laban Rata.
Things change quickly. Just before KM4,
the path turns decidedly acclivous. First, we
step atop slippery wooden steps that carry us
above mossy granite. Then, the trail morphs
into a carved stone staircase leading through
misty woods. And every step forward is a step
up. Our group begins to thin out.
A few of us congregate at KM5, where
a shelter gathers lunching groups and
scampering squirrels to feed on our
crumbs. We’re totally encased by clouds
and flanked by endemic Dacrydium gibbsiae
and Leptospermum — robust trees able to
tolerate Kinabalu’s heavy metal content.
The mountain’s unique ecosystems have
fostered some 400 endemic plant species.
Rhododendrons also line the trail; they
would electrify in bloom. We’re all a bit
knackered — to use the vernacular popular
with my all-British group-mates — but with
only three kilometres to Laban Rata, there
seems little reason to fret. I ask a guide our
approximate elevation.
“About 2,500 metres,” he responds.
My heart sinks. In five kilometres, we’ve
78 explore • SPRING 2015
14-375
WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE
Explore the natural splendour
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Wild and seductive, Borneo is magical playground for the
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SPRING 2015 • explore 79
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Laban Rata’s icy showers, questionable
buffet, expensive beer and dorm-style
accommodation are welcome after the day’s
grind. And since we’re set to wake at 2:00 a.m.
to push for the summit, bedtime is prompt.
A restless night begets an early morning.
Outside, it’s black. Chilled. Misty. Our
headlamps illuminate a path that begins
with wooden stairs before emerging out
of the alpine forest into lifeless volcanic
rock. Above 3,700 metres, I have no
energy. Every dozen steps leave me gassed.
I slow to a comfortable plod, following the
ubiquitous white rope that leads across
the granite all the way to the summit.
At times, the slope is steep enough to
become a scramble — we pull ourselves
hand-over-hand, along edges that drop to
darkness, crawling atop jagged stone like
nervous cats in the pitch. Eventually, the
terrain eases to a massive plateau, halfdomed and swooping towards a multitude
of peaks. It is little wonder the indigenous
Kadazan-Dusun considered Kinabalu
home to the spirit-world — as beautiful
as it is, the ashen stone seems scorched
and hellish.
I can see a train of headlamps ahead and
behind. Some 2,000-plus metres below,
early morning houselights dot the valley
— the abruptness of Kinabalu looks as
though the plateau drops sheer to the valley
bottom. The sun imparts a soft orange glow
to the horizon; a lightning storm energizes
the western sky. It’s a game of inches as I
move toward the summit. The last push is
an angular pile of broken boulders of about
75 vertical metres. I scramble up, wearied,
as the sun crests to the west.
Spires of orange and red beam out
of an endless sea of clouds as the sun
emerges like a deity. Kinabalu’s granite
glows pink; its igneous pikes are Dr. Seusslike — sharp, gnarled and pyramidal. On
impressive South Peak, the mountain’s
penultimate point, our guide identifies a
massive formation that resembles the face
of a gorilla.
From alongside the summit signpost,
the sunrise is one part breathtaking
beauty, one part pride in accomplishment
— marked by the exhausted faces of the
dozen-or-so climbers congregated on
this apogee. Atop the highest point in
Southeast Asia — the world’s 20 th most
prominent peak — above an infinite vista
punctuated by a dawn so vibrant it seems
to have invented a new array of colours,
it’s clear the sweat and suffering are a
small price to pay.
Of course, I still have to hike back down.
Borneo’s Essential Trio
Kinabatagan River/Gomantong Caves
Based from Myne Resort, a delightful
respite in the jungle, boat cruises on the
Kinabatagan River reveal proboscis and
silverback monkeys, hornbills, saltwater
crocodiles and, if you’re lucky, orang-utans
and pygmy elephants. Gomantong Caves,
located nearby, is an ammonia-smelling
guano depository worth the visit just to
revel in horrid amazement at the sight
of a million cockroaches climbing its
90-metre-tall walls.
Sepilok Orang-utan Rehabilitation Centre
Located in North Borneo, Sepilok stewards
43-sq-km of lowland equatorial rainforest dedicated to the rescue, rehab and,
hopefully, release of orang-utans. Visit
during feeding times to closely observe
these beautiful apes; you’ll be inspired to
symbolically adopt a baby orang-utan to
help fund the centre’s good work.
Turtle Islands National Park
Forty-two kilometres offshore of Sandakan, idyllic Turtle Islands National Park
awaits. Spend the day lazing on the sunbleached sands of Selingan Island and
swimming in the warm Sulu Sea; stay up
late to witness a hawksbill or green turtle
lay its eggs in the sand and assist in the
release of newly-hatched babies.
N
Mount
Kinabalu
Brunei
Malaysia
Singapore
Malaysia
BORNEO
Java Sea
Getting Here
The Mount Kinabalu hike is included in G Adventure’s
Borneo-Sabah Adventure. (gadventures.com)
PM 42720012
SPRING 2015 • explore 81
BORNEO
Compact Lightweight
Sleeping Bags
The
Continued from page 78