Mt. Kinabalu, day 1
On my way up the mountain today, I saw a body going down the other way. Wrapped in plastic bags, on a makeshift stretcher and carried by four porters. How is that for a wake up call?
Especially when you consider that this is a tourist climb. It is not an expedition, it is not at tremendous altitude, the trail is well prepared and maintained. And therein lies the danger. Climbing Mt. Kinabalu has become such a standard tourist activity, that people who really should be nowhere near a mountain try to climb up this one. Even though it’s a tourist climb, it’s steep and very strenuous (moreso than I had expected!). And then there is altitude to contend with, particularly for people who have spent their entire life at sea level and suddenly find themselves wandering around at 3-4000m. This particular (dead) tourist was apparently a Japanese middle-aged man who died during the night, while everyone was sleeping (and hopefully in his sleep). The assumption is heart attack, to which they lose a number of people every year on Mt. Kinabalu – this was number 5 in 2012.
Aside from that sobering encounter, my climb is going well so far. I was worried about not being fit enough, but we made it up to Pendant Hut in near-record time, arriving at 12:20 when planned arrival is between 14:00 and 15:00. I enjoyed all the exclamations and congratulations, of course, even though I find it a bit premature since we still have a summit to reach and via ferrata to complete.
The scenery is very nice. We started in rainforest and transitioned into alpine bush. And the trail is not bad; a little too prepared for my taste (LOTS of steps, either build up stairs or carved into the ground with metal/wood supports), but I guess anything that 300 people will walk up and down every day probably has to be like this.
Time for a nap, final summary tomorrow: hopefully with stories of success!
Tags: Borneo, experiences, Mt. Kinabalu
jilljaimi