It was with an unusual lack of preparation and research that we booked to walk up Mt Kinabalu. Perhaps we have become somewhat accustomed to every small hill in the US being titled with "Mount", but we had not really expected this to be anything more than a mere stroll.
We were very mistaken and became increasingly nervous as we realized that we would be going from sea level to just over 4,000 meters in one day, half of which would be by foot.
The mountain is a two day jaunt. The first day is a ceaseless climb from the base up to the cabins at 3,200m - this is the easy day! We were rained on heavily for the last hour and were very happy to collapse at the hut and fork out on expensive but welcomed hot chocolates.
At this point we want to make mention of what we referred to as the "evil monopoly" that runs many of the state parks in Borneo and charges extremely high rates and lies about hiking and accommodation options, forcing you to opt for more expensive all-in packages. This however was a minor budgetary irritation and should not put anyone off doing the hike - just be persistent with the booking people.
That evening we wondered if the rain would stop and allow us to make the ascent the next day at 2.00am - we were not entirely in favour of the rain ceasing !. However the rain did end and we were treated to an excellent sunset before bed.
The second day required a 2.00am start and a trudge in the dark by torchlight to arrive at the summit for dawn at around 5.30am. It was a wonderful experience and we were happy to return to the huts for breakfast at 9.00. However the worst was to come - the ceaseless decent of 2,000m on weary legs. There were many curses before we finally made it back down to the main entrance, and it took us many days of hobbling with sore ankles and shins before we could walk again like someone under 90.
