Packing for Pinnacles, Mulu National Park (Prep)

I realised the need for documentation for fellow travelers. I fretted so much when I faced the unknown. Lack of information. Bits and pieces gleaned from travellers who has went before me and for some inane reason only operated on question-answer mode.

Recounting my experience starts below... *cue Twilight Zone music*

A couple of months before my scheduled trip on the 16th April 2011, I started to do some research on the trip I would embark on. I had 2 important things to do before getting onto the plane.

Training
From the bits and pieces, I was told it is going to be tough. Not gradual incline but STEEP! I was thinking with all the martial arts training I had been doing I would be limber enough and power through.
WORDS OF CAUTION: You have to build up stamina and serious upper body strength for this climb.

Packing for 5 days (individual)
Now this was something I have absolutely no idea on. TripAdvisor did not come close. No one said anything about what to pack! This is a tropical forest for cryin' out loud. No one blogged about what to take as essentials!

Anyway this post is for the would-be travelers on packing suggestions to the Pinnacles. Remember that you would be carrying this load for at least 3 days.

1. Bags
- My 45l bag. My built is smallish so this is probably the extent I could carry if you add in the weight of clothes and other misc. You have to invest in a bag which fits you and reasonably light even when empty. If you feel it is heavy without the stuff in, you will probably faceplant after everything is in.

- Small overnight bag /ruck sack
This bag is my bag of paranoia. I normally place a spare change of clothes in this bag.  It saved my life when my 45L bag went to Kota Kinabalu without me and I was frantic that I wouldn't have clothes or  have to trek without my hiking gear! My small bag kept me going until the airlines located my hiking gear the next day and got it to me just before my boat ride up the river. Thank you Mulu MAS McDougall (I hope I got his name right)! I brought my ruck sack as well which was to be part of my hiking gear.

2. 1 set of pajamas
3. 2 pair of shorts
3. 3 pair of long pants (for hiking and climbing)
3. 2 long sleeves shirts (for climbing)
4. 3 quick dry shirts
5. Disposable underwear (your choice on how hygienic you want to be)
6. Bikini tops for girls (it dries faster in the humid forest)
7. Towel (quick dry if possible)
8. Toiletries (facial wash, soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush)
9. A little bit of soap powder(to get rid of the mud)
10. Gardening gloves
11. 5 pairs of socks (soggy feet are miserable)
12. Cap
13. Poncho (very important as it drizzles a lot)
14. Hiking shoes (Timberlands are not required but get a pair where the grooves on the sole are reasonably deep)
15. MosiGuard / salt (for leeches)
16. A sharp foldable knife
17. Twine/rafia string
18. Small pieces of mosquito coil
19. Moleskin (for blisters if any)
20. Torchlight / headlamps
21. Batteries
22. Camera (you will regret bringing a DSLR)
23. Cellphone charger
24. Cellphone
25. Hiking slippers (your feet will get wet in the boat ride)
26. Pen
27. Paper
28. Money (souvenirs and hiking certificate)
29. Whistle (in case you get lost in the woods)
30. Light stick
31. First aid kit with lots of band aids
32. Min. 4 energy bars (I brought Mars bars instead. Gronola bars not my style)
33. Water bottles (bring a 0.5 empty bottle)
34. Empty plastic container which could roughly fit in a sandwich
35. Rain cover for your bag if you do not have one

Packing for 5 days (group)

Now apart from individual packing, there is a matter of water of food and water for Camp 5 (base camp of the climb). Cooking utensils were all provided of course but we had to bring our own food and water up. Most of   the items were bought in Miri where the flight transits so that we didn't have to lug everything from KL. My friend had arranged for a porter to help us transport the heaviest items which were water and the food cans.

1. Eggs
2. Food cans
3. Rice
4. Instant miso soup
5. Apples
6. Potatoes
7. Long beans
8. Spaghetti
9. Onions
10. Garlic
11. Instant Noodles
12. Sugar, salt & pepper (we grabbed some from McDonald)
13. Coffee & tea (essential for us caffeine worshipers)
14. Bread
15. 3L of water pax.
16. A porter to carry most of the above.

Many at Camp 5 did not pack as much as we did as they were happy with instant noodles or beans for every meal but we had the luxury of bringing more food since there were 5 of us. If you are going to hire a porter, why not bring food which are more palatable?