Low's Peak, Mt. Kinabalu, Sabah (Day 5)

*This post will be mostly words as it was pitch black during the climb so couldn't take any photos anyway. 

We woke up around 1am for breakfast and the final push up the mountain. By 2am most hike were done with their breakfast and leaving Laban Rata in order to make it for the sunrise at the top. The rest of the girls had sausage and eggs while I stuck to a couple of bowls of porridge for the needed carbo. Plus, if I took more than what I usually take and hiked uphill, I would probably be regurgitating it halfway up. I quickly filled my small thermos with fragrant Sabah tea and suited up.

I must say that my Columbia jacket, though unassumingly thin, provides really good insulation. It was a SGD150 well spent!

It was a nice 8°C out and no strong winds threatened us. An and S quickly ascended the steep stairs up the mountain while I took my time. My knee had swollen during the night with liquids so I decided give myself plenty of breaks. Many hikers wore headlamps to illuminate the pitch black path. Looking upwards, the bobbing trail of lights on the face of the mountain was an interesting sight. 

The climb to Low's Peak is only 2.2km away from Laban Rata but it felt like 22km! The first km was mostly steep steps and rock. The walking stick really came in handy for this part to relieve the strain from my knees. Then came the scary part. Well, it was pitch black so ignorance is really bliss. When you head back this way down in broad daylight, you would probably think how did you even get the nerve to do it. 

After the first flight of stairs, VL had a bout of altitude sickness so John made her turn back. Luckily she turned back as well. I don't think she could have made the second part.

There is a length of rope anchored onto the cliff surface where climbers have to use upper body strength to haul yourself up a 70° incline and then hang on to the rope while you precariously balance yourself on a slip of a rock to inch forward. The human jam is right about here because it is quite dangerous but the guides, who were probably part mountain goats will hold hands of those having difficulty balancing during this part of the climb. Luckily I brought ski gloves. Otherwise the normal gloves would have been soaked through by the damp rope.

I ran into S here as she rested to catch her breath. We got to know a couple of guys who were kind enough to haul us over a few portions of this climb so that we did not hold up those behind us. 

We finally reached the final checkpoint - Sayat Sayat Hut @ 3810m. The rule is that if you don't reach this hut by 5am, you have to turn back. John checked us in and we continued trudging on. We stopped climbing stairs and hanging on ropes when we reached a plateau. Here the air was noticeably thinner and I had to stop to catch my breath every 50m. I wished I had more time to lie on the ground and stare at the stars. It is plain amazing. The clear night sky was literally peppered with constellations. The glow from headlamps from the hikers ahead of me turned into a stream of light heading up to the peak. The landscape has changed to barren granite rock. The reality hit me that I was really up here on the rock.

The sun began rising at 4.45am. I knew I was going to miss the sunrise. But catching the sunrise on the plateau itself was already amazing.

I reached the 8km mark on the way up at 5am. 500m more to go. The sun was climbing higher in the sky. S was looking pale from the exertion and we slowly made our way up with John behind us, with words of encouragement. At the foothill of Low's Peak, it is another 200m climb upwards. It was pure will power and An's shouts of encouragement from the top that made us stumble the rest of the way.