Kinabalu August 2024

I've not been on a mountain trip since Acon in 2020. I was thinking about going for trips but unfortunately the timing was not right and perhaps its not my climbing group trip. I guess Deeno and Pak Am needs to recover after the Denali tragedy that happened. 

This trip was planned with my Chief Anaesthetist BossKhoo since early the year of 2024. But writing it down now, its a bit sad because perhaps that was the last time I met Wak. He has passed away late last year due to diabetic complications. He was our contact person there where he would settle all things for you on Sabah trip. The last was duing Covid 2020 with him when i climbed Kinabalu then. He was a good friend whom I met many years ago during our Gunung Hitam trip. Wak a native Sabahan was a very reliable person. When we met him in August 2024, he was just being discharged from hsopital after being ill. I did not expect later on the complications came back and we would not be seeing him again.  

It had to be a Wak trip because during one of the shortcuts he claimed, we actually rammed down a big old drain! It was really a scene when we had to call people arounf that area to help pull the car out. But Wak was pretty cool about it as I was worried if we could not be in Kundasang on time that evening. Such memories with Wak will remain as classics. 

I did not do enough training for this trip. However I do maintain my level basic of fitness because the important thing was not to get cramped or injured. I learnt from my last trip that I have to protect my knees because it gave me well whilst descending and few months after! Haha 

 

We took the Sutra lodge hence it was very comfortable with the dinner and breakfast before the climb. I did not get much sleep because it always give me the jitters doing this climbing especiallu you know when you are not 100% ready for it.  

 

The weather did not look it was clearing in the early morning. It was drizzling but it did stop. The clouds were dark and I was hoping as per my previous climbs it would be ok. However it turns out to be the wettest climb to Laban Rata I have ever done. It started to rain heavily 1/2 hour into the trek. It went superly cats and dogs! Visibility was bad and I was so cold! Gila.. the step up was like going through a continuous waterfall. That wasthe story of the next 4.5hours up! memang lencun lah tak ingat !!  

 

 The rain sort of stopped when we arrived at Laban Rata mid afternoon. Best gile mandi air panas and get yourself fresh at the lodge. Khoo arrived earlier than me as he went up faster. As I've mentioned before ,I was not that fit for this trip and just good enough to survive the hike up.

 

Later that night, rain started again and it was much heavier than before. Before lights out, I was hoping that it would stop as that would gurantee a very clear path to the summit. I was all hyped up to summit! Unfortunately when we woke up at 1am the rain was still really heavy. We proceeded to get ourselves ready but it did not look good. The ranger called us all down and would give time up to 330am before deciding we could do the summit attack or not.

 

At 3am he called us back and had to inform the bad news. According to their scouts, the condition after Layang2 was treachorous and dangerous. Hence he had to call it off! Aduhh.. It was so disappointing that we could not go up at the time. The rain was super heavy I have to say as I;ve never experienced such rain in Kinabalu like this before.  

We wemt down early in the morning after breakfast with a broken heart. It was all clear and good view of Kinabalu that morning. It was just not our luck that day. Dapat sijil hitam putih je lah. hahaha 

Friends trapped in Denali 2024

Doakan yang terbaik untuk sahabat-sahabat saya di sana. Hari ini 31 Mei 2024. Deeno and Ajoy. Pak Am is currently treated in a hospital after being rescued earlier. 

Bad weather continues to thwart attempts to rescue two hypothermic climbers stranded near Denali’s summit since Tuesday, according to park officials.

A Denali National Park and Preserve helicopter remained grounded at midday Thursday by heavy cloud cover on North America’s tallest peak. Meanwhile, the men have been bivouacking in a “crude snow cave” since late Tuesday night, after a summit push left them exhausted and hypothermic, according to a park statement.

The park has identified the climbers as three men from Malaysia. They had used a InReach satellite device at 1 a.m. Tuesday to report from the 20,310-foot summit that they were hypothermic and unable to descend. They later reached an area called the “Football Field” at an elevation of 19,600 feet.

Park officials say one of the men, a 48-year-old climber, was able to descend to the 17,200-foot high camp on Tuesday and was evacuated in serious condition that night.

The other two climbers, ages 36 and 47, have been holed up in the snow cave.

Park officials said five brief inReach messages came through from the men Wednesday night “in rapid succession.” The messages confirmed their location and requested help. 

“The last message from the men indicated their InReach battery was almost completely depleted,” said the park statement.

Clouds and high winds had also precluded attempts overnight Wednesday to reach the climbers, said park spokesman Paul Ollig. 

A ground crew of rangers and volunteer mountaineers was staged at the mountain’s high camp, according to park officials, but conditions overnight kept the crew from ascending any higher. Both the ground crew and the park’s high-altitude helicopter were on standby as of 11:30 a.m. Thursday, waiting for conditions to improve.

Top of IndoChina 17 February 2019

Fansipan 17 February 2019

Fansipan Roof of IndoChina 3

Dinner was good despite being full vegetarian menu. The tofu and the vegetables were fresh and the way they cook dinner was perfect. Everybody ate well, not too sure if it was the tiredness but everybody complimented on the cooking. The temperature was single digit but the soup and aroma of the food made the body warm. 

As how the weather forecasted it started to rain heavily at 10pm. We were all ready to sleep after chit chatting in the dark then suddenly the guide came in. He wanted to fix an extra layer of ground sheet because the roof will leak because of the heavy rain. I was thinking that probably we will delay the hike. We were expecting to leave at 3am and reach on top at about 5ish - just nice for the sun rise. But because it was raining, conditions maybe hazardous. Visuals are bad too due to the fog and rain.

At about 4am, it was still raining and the guide woke us up for breakfast. It was equally good too! Certainly opened up my eyes :) It was very cold and we then moved at 530am when there was light. 

The trek was slippery and visuals were limited. The fog was really thick and we trekked just following our feet. Theres a good part and bad about it. There were few segments which was dangerous; we needed to use ladders and ropes which were already attached. The rain made things slippery so we had to be diligent and careful. I enjoyed the trek so much.

                                                                  My Bear Grylls pose

                                                                      light but foggy

It was such a relief when we finally reached the cable car station. At this point it was mid morning and hundreds of people are getting ready to reach the peak. The Vietnam authorities have made the place to be a tourist attraction. There is a huge Buddha which was built for prayers as well. It was all steps (like Batu caves) all the way to the top. The weather was not good - it was drizzling and the fog was really thick! 

I had a sudden urge of energy (after switching on my phone haha) that i raced up to the top. Memang i just climb and climb the stairs without stopping. Geram! And reached the top at about 0850! mak ai.. by that time dah ramai gile orang! Everybody was rushing to take their picture with the pyramid :) Yes.. Fansipan! Roof of IndoChina 3143m!!

Fansipan Roof of Indochina 2

Mt Fansipan is the highest mountain in Indo China. 3143m above sea level. It is situated in Lao Chai province in the town of Sapa 1500m above sea level. Of course since 2016 there is a cable car that can bring you straight near the peak; as a climber it would be more satisfying to trek up as the wonders of outdoors is still intact in the jungles of Vietnam.

The temperature was chilly as it reached a single digit at night in Sapa. When i woke up in the morning, the view was stunning and the smell of fresh air was certainly tantalizing. I was excited to start my trek and the group got ready by 8am. 

 We then went by van to the starting point to start our 5-6 hours trek. The weather was permitting ; definitely the best time to hike. The monsoon tropican jungle is very similar to our rainforest in Malaysia. But being in a higher altitude it was very refreshing and not too humid.

starting point

Van to ranger station

 The climb was slow and steady - the inclination rate was not too bad until the second half - we stopped for lunch before that at about noon. Wow, the trek became harder and because of my lack of conditioning, felt few strains on my thigh of near cramp! Ni la akibat tak training haha It was vital for me to ensure that i did not have a complete cramp, once it starts it will be a nightmare to continue! The trek kept going up and up and up :) I guess thats the joy of climbing, the panting and exhaustion. Most of the team members did well. 

The view was magnificient. well, in all climbs that will be the reward as we trek along. Good weather can make the trek fun especially with good company.  

                                                    Me & Azad admiring the view

We arrived at the base camp at 5pm. Alhamdulillah, but the weather then was starting to get cloudy:) The wind became stronger and little that we know how cold it would be to endure the night :)

Fansipan Roof of indochina - Part 1

I managed to coax Azad to join this trip. He had not follow any climbing trip for the last 5 years. I though why not rekindle the spirit of geng kain pelikat in Vietnam? Haha Of course, the organizers were Puncak ventures & Kelab Jelajah Alpine. The only club i truly trust to bring for trips around the world. :)

There were the 10 of us, Abang Lan and Susi from Keluang joined this trip as well - We had our fair share of fun in Pulag last year. Haziq was the expedition leader and we had bee and Cikapu as the puncak venture's team. to my surprise, TS Nordin Kardi and wife was in the group as well. Of course he introduced himself as Pak Din but im not too sure if other team members know that he was the one behind the Anak Kecil main api song :0)

nicknames

Me and Azad took an earlier flight to Hanoi via Malindo airlines. It was the cheaper alternative when compared to Airasia. Not many people realize his as when budget travelling comes into mind, Airasia becomes the default choice:)  Little that i know what was in store for us despite being early.

Upon our arrival in Hui Noi airport, Azad accidentally took another person's bag at the airport. I took for granted that it was my bag as well because we were in the midst of a very interesting conversation. That afternoon just after our prayers, a message came in from an unknown number.

Apparently i took her bag and mine was left in the airport. I quickly checked the bag and ooohh.. jatuh jantung wooo... Quickly i went to the lost and found department. I thought it was possible to exchange the bag but they insisted on the owner to come back and reconfirm. Damn. Luckily Flore (french backpacker) agreed to return to the airport as she was already in her hostel in Hanoi.

                                                                 Quecha confusion

Flore the french backpacker

 Alhamdulillah, it could have been worse i must say! Flore was nice as well and we were both very lucky. Honestly I would not have realized it say that we boarded straight on our van to Sapa. Allah's plan is the best and somehow as how this was meant to happen, it ended in a nice way.

All this was sorted upon the other team member's arrival. Alhamdulillah! I felt blessed and thankful as it could have been a catastrophic start.

The van then took us about 5hrs to Sapa. Elevation 1400m and when we arrived oohh sejuknya :) 

Tomorrow, the expedition starts :)

Merdeka de Elbrus 2017

Merdeka Climb 2017 Top of Europe, Mt Elbrus.
For 2018, I was in Cambodia.
But for big mountain project ke mana yah? 

Kilimanjaro Part 5: Summit attack.. Stella point-Uhuru peak MERDEKA DE KILIMANJARO!!

During dinner time, everybody was not in the best mood. It was drizzling and that made the temperature drop. It was cold. We were all tired. The dinner was not very encouraging as the soup and potato was not to everybody's liking. Enock and Deeno lead the briefing, telling us about the 17 hours journey we were about to embark in the next few hours. 4800m to 5900m!! That is a very demanding height for our condition. The AMS symptoms were beginning to bug few of the team members. The initial plan was to have our 4 hours rest, and the team to start moving up at midnight. When Seri suddenly puked everything out of her guide, 

Deeno then said,"OK Enock.. since I am the team leader, we move at 4am!"

 At 3am we were all up. To say that everybody was enthusiastic is an understatement hahaha People were sick but very determined to reach the peak. Everybody knew it was the beginning of the dream. Going against nature is the toughest to cope as i know most of us do have the basic fitness requirement. What was with us was the snow and rain, despite being too cold to sleep, it made the path to be less dusty and slippery. Off we went at the early hours of the morning. 

 We were moving slowly.. too slow but necessary. The cold weather increases our oxygen demand and at 4800m above sea level, there ain't much of it. We had to mentally reduce our oxygen cell requirement and continue. Failing this is not the answer but at the same time, we were reminded to throw our ego away if we are too tired to think. AMS was evident in the sense of it made us very sleepy. Most of us keep asking if it was possible to take a short nap before moving. 

 The sun rise view was majestic and subhanallah. Despite huffing and puffing we were reminded of how great Allah's creation can be. To really saviour the view was not possible as we were physiologically challenged. We kept on moving and by 8 am our groups were divided into 2. I was with the front pack and we moved on. Not that we were any faster but we stopped for rest less. 

Abang Ayob made his legendary move when we passed us and stormed away with his walking stick! I was dead worried at that time because i knew what happened the last time around. I was concerned if he had HACE which would make his judgement unreliable. Unfortunately i myself was too tired to follow his step and i prayed that he will be OK. 

 We did pass Abang Ayob on his way down. He arrived at Stella Point quite early but unfortunately was without any food or water. He decided to descend as he was not sure whether he could survive the trip alone to Uhuru. What made my heart sunk was when he said we were 2 hours away from Stella point! Hahaha and i thought at 10 am we were near our destination. We persevered though.. 

 Alhamdulillah, at 1pm we were on Stella Point and it wa such a relief! I was tired myself as i was unable to follow the steps of Joshua and the gang. However i was not left too far behind. I knew i can reach the peak but not at the pace they were going. Kicok then motivated us to keep moving as we have to reach Uhuru. Joshua (our guide) intially was not encouraging but after seeing how we springed to life while taking pictures, he changed his mind. We could see Uhuru peak and its wall which looked quite far away. With some amount of sneakers and kurma, I then slowly walked to reach my destination. Memang nak muntah dah dengan sneakers.. hahaha 

 THe journey to Uhuru peak took longer than what i thought it would be. My legs were tired , i was breathless with every step that i take. Having the thought that the trek was flat was bullshit haha it was ascending.. and ascending.. and still the peak was nowhere to be seen.. hahaha I saw Tokki sitting down and having his rest and urged me to go on first.. The view was however damn cool. It was amazing though as i could witness the enormous glasier on one side of Kilimanjaro. Simply superb. Subhanallah..

 Alhamdulillah...at about 130pm 31 August 2014, I have summited Kilimanjaro! The highest peak in Africa!! I felt amazing and thankful that we managed to summit. The team was exhausted but alhamdulillah we did it together. Deeno and the rest of the team came after and we passed them on our way down. Everybody looked superbly exhausted with few appearing like hallucinating all the way. The guides were certainly inspirational as they urged my colleagues for them to continue as it was just a bit more of a distance. 

Guvu Kama Simba.. Strong like a lion..