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The Challenge of The Peak
Trails
to the Top I The
Challenge of the Peak I Getting
There I Mountain
Kinabalu Map
After a night of rest, it’s off again on the climb to catch
a magnificent sunrise on the summit. Most climbers leave at 3.00
am for 3-hour track but again, this depends on your fitness level.
In the dark, you can see beam of torchlight as the procession of
climbers trudge higher and higher. These are ladders, hand railings
and ropes to help you over the steeper parts.
An hour from Panar Laban, you’ll see the Sayat-sayat Hut.
An hour from Panar Laban, you’ll see the Sayat-sayat Hut.
At 3,688m this is the visitor’s highest shelter on the mountain
but it only provides basic facilities. Back on the climb, you’ll
walk across her bare granite slabs that stretch endlessly ahead,
in an eerie moonscape of stone. The vegetation comprises of stunted
shrubs and tough grasses in the crevices. It is the survival of
the fittest here.
You reach your final destination at Low’s Peak, the summit
of Borneo at 4,095.2m. As you wait the cold, dawn gradually creeps
over the horizon, illuminating the darkness with a light of a new
day. In clear weather, you can almost see all of Sabah spread out
below.
From this vantage, you’ll also see a dramatic drop more than
1,000m down – Low’s Gully. A chasm stretching 16km in
length, it separates the summit plateau into the western and eastern
plateaus. Other peaks on the mountain are Victoria’s Peak
(4,090m.), Donkeys Ears Peak (4,054m.), South Peak (3,931.5m.) and
St. John’s Peak (4,090.7m.) on the western plateau. On the
eastern plateau, stand King Edward Peak (4,086m.), Mesilau Peak
(3,801.3m.) and King George Peak (4,062.6m). These peaks are only
for experienced climbers as it is a challenging climb that requires
ropes. A special permit from the Park authorities is required before
a climb.
At around 10.00am, clouds usually begin to form. These swirling
clouds could obstruct visibility, so it is advisable that you descent
by then.
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