Patriotism climbers brave tough weather in Mt Kinabalu

Posted on June 14, 2013, Friday

KOTA KINABALU: The first Patriotism Climb of Mount Kinabalu to honour the sacrifices of Malaysian security forces who flsuhed out the Sulu terrorists from Lahad Datu, saw seven first-time climbers making it to St John’s Peak, one of the highest Mount Kinabalu peaks, at 12.01pm on Thursday.

The St John Peak (4090.7m) is one of the seven major peaks on Mt Kinabalu, with Low’s Peak (Summit – 4095.2m) as the highest.

All the climbers from Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur, aged 20 to 30, made their first two-day climb with less than two months’ training.

Siti Haryati Mohd Khalid, the leader of the expedition, said the expedition was tough due to weather conditions, making the journey impermissible as certain trails, hiking routes and terrain became too slippery.

“However, given the various factors and with strong determination, we managed to reach one of the highest peaks.

“Though we were not allowed to continue the journey to the summit due to heavy rain, we consider the expedition a success,” she said.

Haryati said the expedition would not have been successful had it not been guided by Sabah Park’s mountain guides who had constantly motivated the expedition members to continue the journey.

“We should also be thankful to other climbers who were on the way downhill who congratulated and gave us some encouraging words to look ahead without looking back. Of course the feeling of turning back was escalating but after thinking of our long journey from the peninsular states to Kundasang, Kota Kinabalu, coupled with the high hopes from parents, family members and close friends, there was no turning back when you were already in the heart of the mountain,” she said.

Haryati, along with her husband and three other members Muhammad Faisal Mohd Khalid, Jauhari Tahir Khairuddin, Zulkarnain Hasni and Mohd Shukri Haron reached Laban Rata, (which is 3,272 metres above sea level at Kinabalu National Park) about 2.40pm, while the other two members Muhammad Arif Mohd Khalid and Imran Syafik Ahmad reached Laban Rata at 5.05pm.

They started at 8.30am through Timpohon Gate to Laban Rata.

They were supposed to proceed to the Low’s Peak summit about 2am, but due to bad weather condition it was rescheduled to 9am.

The expedition, with no funding from any corporate bodies, was inspired by the government’s call on youth to instill a patriotic spirit towards the country. It was initially initiated by eight members. However, one of them, Mohd Al Amin Mohd Hatta, suffered a leg cramp and was rested at the Layang-Layang hut.

“Climbing the mountain was a daunting task, thanks to a Bernama reporter who advised us not to be a hero or heroine carrying heavy loads on our backs, and we are proud to be able to accomplish this mission without regret of not having any financial assistance. This is our own initiative through our discussion among the group. It was a spontaneous decision. The expedition was a chance to make a unique contribution at a time when the country just had intruders,” she said.

“One of the things I would never forget while preparing my body for the climb was that it took me almost sixty days to get ready for the two-day climb. There were days when I sat down and asked myself whether I was going to exercise this body tomorrow after spending hours on the treadmill, hours in the gymnasium, hours stretching my body and hiking kilometers, all because I wanted to get my body mountain-ready,” she said, who had just delivered her first baby five months ago.

Arip Mohd Khalid, who is Haryati’s brother, said fitness and willpower were the deciding factor of the ascend and descend of Mt Kinabalu.

“We were by far the least experienced. I managed to reduce my weight to 75kg from 87kg after undergone training, but it was not enough, as I almost failed to be with the other members who had reached earlier. I was only at Laban Rata about 5.05pm,” he said.

“It was quite a tough expedition for us being first time climbers. As we went higher, the air got thinner and some of us were affected due to the lack of oxygen. We had trouble coping with the colder temperature at less than 5-degree Celsius when we continued our journey at 2am,” Arip said.

Muhammad Faisal Mohd Khalid who is attached to an oil and gas company, said he had taken leave from work for a week for this expedition.

“We feel we have a patriotic feeling after our successful ascent. This is a way to contribute to the country,” he said.

He believed it was sheer patriotism that propelled him to climb Mt Kinabalu.

Jauhari said there were initiating the patriotism expedition so that other youth would see the need to do similar things and to be able to draw attention to positive things about the nation.

Shukri said there were times when he wanted to sit down and give up; there were times when his body faltered; there were times when his mind wandered.

“This is when my home team came into play. Thinking of them would snap me back into the moment and force my body and mind to perform,” he said.

“But what inspired me to continue the journey was the patriotism spirit, thinking my family members and friends were waiting for news of our ascent, and they were with me every step of the way up to the summit. It was a life-changing experience,” he said.

Meanwhile, the group hailed the cooperation of Sutera Sanctuary Lodge (Sutera Harbour), a company which managed the climbing expedition activities, for their cooperation in providing facilities and special packages.

Its manager, Terence Suimin @ Tony, said a total of 146 climbers were only allowed to climb the mountain in a day, where different rates were offered to foreigners.

“Rates for local climbers are lower compared to those from foreign countries as an encouragement to our local climbers to conquer the country’s pride in tourism,” he said.