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K O T A K I N A B A L U
From left: The writer
(
far right) with Josh
McCullough, guide
Sofrey and Jun
Cayron, all geared
up for the climb;
climbers hold on to
the rope as they get
closer to the summit
of Mt Kinabalu
man in Malaysia,” the ranger behind
the counter said with a wide grin as we
checked in at Kinabalu National Park.
This ranger wasn’t exaggerating.
Sofrey regularly participates in the
annual Mt Kinabalu International
Climbathon. In his last race, he’d been
the fastest Malaysian and the sixth to
finish overall. I was excited to trek with
such an accomplished, athletic climber,
but also a little worried. How fast would
he expect us to go?
By 9am, Jun and I had picked up
our pack lunches and permits. We
needed just one more thing before we
could strike out on the climb: Josh.
He’d missed his original flight from
Hawaii to Manila and consequently
was traveling a day behind us, instead
of with us. I was wondering whether he
would make it until, as the sun warmed
the lower slopes of the mountain, I
spotted a familiar face among the sea
of adventure-seekers from around the
world. Josh had made it and we were
ready to climb.
Despite the speed Sofrey was
capable of, he never once hurried
us. He strolled along at the back and
waited patiently as we stopped to take
one or two — okay, maybe 700 —
photos of the endemic species on the
slopes leading up to the summit.
With a well-defined trail and skilled
guide, it would prove difficult to get
lost on Kinabalu. And, as hundreds of
hikers make the trek each day, feeling
any type of solitude is rare as well. Your
pack will be incredibly light, because a
small army of porters carries crates of
eggs, stacks of bedding and more up
the mountain ahead of you. In contrast
to climbs I’ve done in the western
United States, this was not an escape
Porters will help
lug your load up
to the peak!
PHOTOS
JOSHUA MCCULLOUGH (EXCEPT BOTTOM RIGHT)
