MOUNT KINABALU has been drawing people to its slopes for hundreds of years for various reasons. For scientific and horticultural reasons from the 1800s, tourists who come to visit and admire nature's secrets, athletes who pit their endurance by racing up and down the mountain. And to the Kadazandusuns tribe, who believe in the old religion, it is the final resting-place of the dead.

Considered to be the highest mountain between Irian Jaya and the Himalayas it is also the youngest non-volcanic mountain in the world. It was covered with an ice cap which only disappeared about 3000 years ago.

My first trek up Mt. Kinabalu was in 1976 at the age of 16 . Since then I have trekked it too many times to consider counting the trips. I was pleasantly surprised a few years ago when one of the park officers told me of the new development being planned at Mesilau. It was to be a well-planned, eco-friendly development and would also boast a new route to the summit of Kinabalu. The chalets, restaurants and administrative buildings were completed about two years ago and the trail to the summit only just.

Taking a weekend off, I decided to try out this new trail of which I had been hearing so much about. I took a leisurely drive from Kota Kinabalu to the Park Headquarters and registered myself for the climb the next day. Even though you may be starting the trek from Mesilau, you still have to register and pay for your guide at the Park Headquarters. The cost to hire a mountain guide for the Mesilau trek is a bit higher than the normal trek and you also have to arrange for the guide's transport to Mesilau the next day. Having settled all the necessary fees, I then drove down to Mesilau. The drive took only about 25 minutes and turns off at the farming town of Kundasang. The road is sealed, except for the odd patch or two and winds through cabbage and onion patches and towards the end, cuts through the highest golf course in South East Asia, the Kundasang Golf Course.

The Mesilau Nature Resort is located on the Mesilau Plateau 20 km from the Park Headquarters or 108 km from Kota Kinabalu. Nestled amongst the trees are a reception building, numerous chalets, cabins and dormitory, a restaurant, nature interpretation center .

The buildings are constructed of wood to blend in with the surrounding forest and the least amount of trees were cleared. In many places the trees have been left in situ with boardwalks built around them. So much so that it is actually hard to tell how many chalets there are as they are very cleverly hidden amongst the forest. The cabins are luxuriously appointed with attached bathrooms, kitchenettes and even heaters in every room. Temperatures vary around 17° - 21°C during the day and 10°- 15°C at night.

The afternoon was spent visiting the unique Nepenthes garden. This is a short walk from the center and up a rather steep hill slope . This site is only one of a few areas on Mount Kinabalu where the Nepenthes rajah is found growing naturally. The Nepenthes rajah is the largest pitcher plant in the world and can hold up to a liter of water. It is found only on Mount Kinabalu. Beside the N. rajah, N. burbridgeae, N. villosa, N. edwardsiana and other species are either found growing naturally here or are cultivated under the watchful eyes of park naturalist Ansow Gunsalam.

It was an early night for me as it was raining and rather cold. Woke up to the famous Kinabalu birdsong chorus at sunrise and watched nature greet the dawning of a new day. I repacked by knapsack and made my way down to the restaurant for breakfast.

The mountain guide arrived on time from the Park Headquarters and we set off on our trek. The first leg of the journey is up hill through oak and chestnut forest. The trail is well laid with steps cut into the earth, which makes walking easy. We trekked uphill for about 20 minutes before reaching the crest of the hill (2,300 meters). We were greeted by spectacular views of the Kundasang valley on one side and the Eastern ridge of Mt. Kinabalu on the other. The view of Kinabalu was different as we could see more of its craggy peaks from this side. The mountain looked awesome, a sheer wall of granite towering a few thousand meters from the forest floor and ending in jagged peaks. We were glad that we were not going to climb the mountain from that angle.

The trail then descended for over an hour or so and we were walking on rather flat ground. The vegetation was similar to that found around Park Headquarters. Oaks, chestnuts and conifers were towering over us and formed a good canopy to shade us from the sun while rattans and clumps of elegant narrow-leafed bamboo (Racemobambos hepburnii) grew profusely along the ground. Shelters and toilets have been built along the trail for the convenience of trekkers. Along the trail we came across numerous necklace orchids (Coelogyne hirtelld) and some rhododendrons in bloom. There were also two rivers that we crossed which gave us an opportunity to stop for photographs.

The trail soon climbed rather steeply up the slopes of the mountain and we spent over two hours slogging up these slopes. On reaching the ridge we were rewarded with great views of Kinabalu's jagged peaks. We soon ascended another ridge and we were amongst the Villosa pitcher plants.

This area around Layang Layang is ultramafic and is typical habitat for pitchers and some orchids. It is also at this point that the trail joins up with the old summit trail. We enjoyed a packed lunch of sandwiches and a soft drink before continuing on to Laban Rata rest house, our final destination for the day. Layang Layang (2,702.3 meters) is the fifth stop along the route to Laban Rata and the trail gets more tiring as the air gets thinner.

We proceeded on to the sixth shelter, which is built on exposed slabs of granite amongst stunted Leptospermum and Schima trees and hurried on to Laban Rata rest house (3,872.7 Meters) as the weather was changing and it had started to rain. We arrived at Laban Rata at about 4pm and checked in. It is a very well equipped rest house with a restaurant, warm rooms with bunk beds and hot water showers. Fortified with a good hot meal, I went to bed early in anticipation of the climb to the summit the next day.

At Laban Rata ,You don't need an alarm clock to wake you up, as the noise made by the other climbers will surely wake you at 2am in the morning. The bathrooms and restaurant are a hive of activity, as everyone gets ready for the ascent. Bundled up in as many woolen clothes as possible, scarves, balaclavas and gloves, and armed with water bottles, chocolate bars and torchlights, the would-be conquerors filed out of the mountain huts and snaked their way up the summit trail in the freezing cold temperatures.

This is possibly the trickiest part. Soon after leaving the mountain huts behind, you come to the ropes. These are embedded in to the rock face and basically you need to hang on to them and pull yourself up the rocks. From here on, it is nothing more than a grueling slog along the summit plateau. The many peaks of Kinabalu can be misleading and you always think, "O.K.! That is the highest peak so it must be the summit." But guess what? It is not. You sort of go over a slight, ridge and lo and behold, just over there, in the distance, is a pile of rocks that form Low's Peak. It is a hard scramble over these rocks to the summit, especially if you are slow and the sun is starting to peep over the horizon. The summit itself is rather small and can hold about 6 persons comfortably at one time so most of the early limbers will be hiding amongst the rocks for shelter from the wind while waiting for the sunrise.

The sunrise is truly magical. The sky turns from black to red then orange and finally gold as the sun makes its appearance. Soon it is daylight and you are able to see all around you. On good days you can see the island off the coast of Kota Kinabalu and even as far as Kudat and Sandakan. After a few photographs, it is time for the descent.

We made our way back to Laban Rata for a good breakfast, collected our belongings and trekked down the old summit trail to the Timpohon gate. Arriving at about 1pm, we took the bus back to the Headquarters for a quick lunch, collected my certificate of achievement, said goodbye to the mountain guide and drove back home to Kota Kinabalu.

All said and done, for those in search of a little adventure, a bit more of a challenge and to trek along forest trails without having to run into crowds of mountain climbers on the old summit trail - try the new trail from Mesilau - the other side of Kinabalu. I am quite sure you will like it. 
  

Article By: David De La Harp : Diethelm Borneo Expeditions

Photo Credits:  David De La Harp