Mission: Conquer Mount Kinabalu: Day 3: Summit
Day 3
And so it was, at 2am, everybody awoke from their slumber and tried to grab whatever breakfast they could.
Some had Maggi Mee, some had tonnes of chocolates...I had zero sleep but I did have some Powerbars for
breakfast. And we set out at 2.30am sharp...
I continued my strategy of marching on at a steady, constant, sustainable rate that was quick but had
manyrests, while bopping to the beat of my music in my ear. Muse, Nirvana, LMF, X Japan,
Beyond, Hinder, Blue October, Metallica, Hello Goodbye etc...
I soon overtook most everyone as usual, and caught up with the MD again. We had a smoke beside some
rocks to let others head on up to the peak as it was still early and we didn't want to freeze for 2 hours while waiting for sunrise. Finally, we went up to book a good spot, and it was already 5am. We were one of the first
to arrive, and we did find good spots to face the sunrise.
So while waiting...I snapped some shots...
Thats my foot right at the edge of the hundreds of feet drop off the sheer side of the cliff.
Since I couldn't find my beannie I had to improvise and use my friend Jinn's neck warming thing as a beannie instead, hence it looks like I have on weird headgear.
After sitting in the 5 degrees cold with the wind chill factor making it worse for ages, the first glimmers of light appeared on the far horizon.
I spied the Loch Ness Monster in the sky.
There was no majestic sunrise! I feel cheated. Just a gradual brightening in tandem with the dawn.
As it became lighter we could see the sheer rock walls on the sides of us
From some angles, I could just believe I was standing at the rim of a volcano.
But the view was spectacular in a way.
For safety reasons they have some fence around the perimeter of the very peak where I was sitting.
The canyon in the daytime...stuff that you should only climb at night to prevent fear.
Suicide point.
Kneeling on top of SEA!
Nice and fluffy..felt like jumping into it..but its not down..its clouds.
Can you spot the dustbin?
After being one of the last to leave the summit, this is the descent.
So smooth...
Taking a breather en route down the peak..
Much steeper and tougher than it looks here thats for sure!
Never lose sight of the rope, ever.
Walking down kills the ankles and knees...I invented various methods of descending that others imitated..
Rain clouds ominously gathering, a sign of what was to come...
Making good way...almost down!
The reemergence of vegetation.
Ahhh....vegetation...contrast the 2 photos below. [This 1 is near the rest area]
[On the descent, near the rest hut]
Back on solid ground! 6+ km high!
And so it was, at 2am, everybody awoke from their slumber and tried to grab whatever breakfast they could.
Some had Maggi Mee, some had tonnes of chocolates...I had zero sleep but I did have some Powerbars for
breakfast. And we set out at 2.30am sharp...
I continued my strategy of marching on at a steady, constant, sustainable rate that was quick but had
manyrests, while bopping to the beat of my music in my ear. Muse, Nirvana, LMF, X Japan,
Beyond, Hinder, Blue October, Metallica, Hello Goodbye etc...
I soon overtook most everyone as usual, and caught up with the MD again. We had a smoke beside some
rocks to let others head on up to the peak as it was still early and we didn't want to freeze for 2 hours while waiting for sunrise. Finally, we went up to book a good spot, and it was already 5am. We were one of the first
to arrive, and we did find good spots to face the sunrise.
So while waiting...I snapped some shots...
Thats my foot right at the edge of the hundreds of feet drop off the sheer side of the cliff.
Since I couldn't find my beannie I had to improvise and use my friend Jinn's neck warming thing as a beannie instead, hence it looks like I have on weird headgear.
After sitting in the 5 degrees cold with the wind chill factor making it worse for ages, the first glimmers of light appeared on the far horizon.
I spied the Loch Ness Monster in the sky.
There was no majestic sunrise! I feel cheated. Just a gradual brightening in tandem with the dawn.
As it became lighter we could see the sheer rock walls on the sides of us
From some angles, I could just believe I was standing at the rim of a volcano.
But the view was spectacular in a way.
For safety reasons they have some fence around the perimeter of the very peak where I was sitting.
The canyon in the daytime...stuff that you should only climb at night to prevent fear.
Suicide point.
Kneeling on top of SEA!
Nice and fluffy..felt like jumping into it..but its not down..its clouds.
Can you spot the dustbin?
After being one of the last to leave the summit, this is the descent.
So smooth...
Taking a breather en route down the peak..
Much steeper and tougher than it looks here thats for sure!
Never lose sight of the rope, ever.
Walking down kills the ankles and knees...I invented various methods of descending that others imitated..
Rain clouds ominously gathering, a sign of what was to come...
Making good way...almost down!
The reemergence of vegetation.
Ahhh....vegetation...contrast the 2 photos below. [This 1 is near the rest area]
[On the descent, near the rest hut]
Back on solid ground! 6+ km high!
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