Gunung Hitam 1220

I am glad I made the trip. It was my first climb of 2009 and what a start. Gunung Hitam is a relatively unknown hill ; situated in Hulu Langat which is rich with its outdoor stations such as the famous recreational areas of Tekala , Gabai etc.It is a peak which people rarely climb because the trek can be tricky and one can easily get lost ! ( Me and Kamal went out of the way totally on our way back..nasib baik patah balik !! hahahaha )
We started the day in Teratai , Dayabumi ; the traditional meeting up place for OGKL. I had Kamal with me this time ; after a year of exodus due to his achilles tendon injury. Azad can't make it because he is sending Lyana to school. After our carbo load of roti telur and roti canai we proceeded to Batu 18 Hulu Langat , where half of the gang is already there. We then moved together to Sg Leweng where that is the starting point for the climb. Unfortunately , reaching that point can be hazardous for >1800cc cars ! Luckily i brought my Kelisa. Kalau tak memang hancur la keretaku !! Hahahaha

I was worried while driving that it would rain ; as it was gloomy from the start. Our wishes were granted and as we arrive at the carpark ; it was a downpour !! Memang basah !! Hahaha.. I thought it would only be for a bit ; but I was wrong ! The whole group was led by Pak Sheikh and Ahad. After our prayers ( I guess was not so convincing to god ) we departed.
Fuiiyyooo... memang hujan all the way !! Hahahaahaha The trek was nice but most of the time I can't really properly see where we were going. There was no way for me to smap any pics as my camera is not waterproof.( time to buy a new one ah.. hehe ) We had to retrack twice as we went the wrong way. According to our guide , it had been quite some time since any people went up .They had to "tebas" their way up and it was not an easy job I must say.. Memang hebat la lu brother.. hehehe Most of the jungle trek was clouded by the flora as it was rarely used.
I enjoyed the trek ;iat times it was really uphill but OK la. not so bad. Its been graded as B anyway by the OGKL group. I slipped many times because of the slippery soil ; fairly similar to the Genting trailblazer conditions ; but this time carrying a heavy haversack !! I was stung by a bee and I thought it was just me. Apparently when we reached a level higher , most of the trip members were attacked by this vicious being !
Unfortunately , one of our head trekker had a bad reaction to the bee sting.When we caught up with him , he was almost unconscious ; his GCS 12-13. He was swollen up , angioedema and confused. I thought , alamak.. takkan anaphylactic shock kot ? I was damn worried when i felt his pulse very thready and super tachycardic. The next thing , he threw up. I guess that his BP must be low then. If he goes into full blown shock , then honestly , I dont have any adrenaline with me ( whoever thought of bringing one ampule during camping huh ? hehe ) I had some piriton with me and that is the next best thing ; antihistamine to stop the allergy reaction. We stayed by him as he was shivering .. realy really shivering. He was wet and the weather was cold especially when the wind blew. He was in hypothermic state now that his sympathetic has been cut off. We changed his clothes and warmed him up as much as we can. At the same time , we were monitoring his GCS and breathing. Any signs of stridor means gulp... His oedema came down , he was able to open his eyes and talk to us. However he was still very cold and the severe shivering showed how his sympathetics are not really functioning well. It was nearly dawn and bringing him down now would only be more catastrophic. I guess we had to stabilize him first and see what stage he is in before deciding. I've seen people in such shock before but never before in a non hospital setting with minimum backup. Its just me and clinical signs with the oral medications that we have ! Simply challenging and decisions are vital. Here i thought was a getaway from my oncalls ; hek.. again oncall at 800m above sea level !

that rock is the peak !!
Alhamdulillah he did not go into a crisis which can be really topsy turvy. He was in a bad shape however , because he was also dehydrated and exhausted. His recovery was slow but of course he was stable. We had to camp there an then as it was impossible to transport him anywhere at that time. We were about 5 hours from the starting point.He needed to be stabilized and officially , the "new" campsite is named after him !! Hahahahaha The next morning , the lads brought him down and straight to the hospital and alhamdulillah , he is recovering surely.

The wind really blew hard that night as we were looking up at the stars. It was a clear night as the rain stopped when we arrived at this place. We prayed for it not to rain for the night as if we are all wet tomorrow , then the climb up and back down will be a nightmare !! Since we camped here we went up the peak the next morning without our backpack. In a way , it was a blessing becuase bringing up all the stuff canbe hazardous and slow us down.We reached the peak at about 11am the next morning ; a good 2 hours from Kem Ahad. The view was dissapointing though being the highest peak ! Nevertheless ,Alhamdulillah it was a good feeling again to reach the top !
I really enjoyed the trip ; again with OGKL which i reckon a climbing club which is suitable for me. The gang was excellent ;especially antics by the twin terrors of Amy and Wak.Their wits are simply amazing and you could not help to at least smile if not laugh all the way ! Thank you and Congratulations to all for a wonderful trip !

MAfeitz Mamat