Lone Ranger

Chapter 4: The Struggle is Real

          Sun begin to fight all the might through the dusty cloud. It grow stronger by dissolving the mist and vanquishing the clouds. Hence the world suddenly revealed. I took a very deep breath and light exercise from my widely open corridor as usual. It is the day I've been waiting for. I can feel that finally I've been smiling from my heart. It has been a long since my last holiday. This morning no longer feel like my usual morning. I feel so calm and didn't count on how many hour left for me to return to sleep back. I wake up this morning without an alarm from my phone. I didn't look on my phone the moment I wake up from my deep sleep. I decided to put my phone on flight mode earlier since last night. I can't wait to wander around to a place where the wifi is weak. Its outstandingly calmer than my usual morning. I enjoy a sip of tea with hope that it will keep me warm until the end of my holiday. This is the first morning I can't wait to get a shower and ready to roll. My typical usual morning is having a hot shower and unproductive bath since it was not able to wake up my sleeping mood. This morning feel like out of the best morning I ever had. I excitedly get ready with my new hiking gear and look myself through a mirror. I look so happy indeed and im ready. My 40L airspace blue Karrimor ready to dangling on my shoulder. I tie up my shoelace and I'm ready to embrace the inner me and stand for myself. The mountain are calling and I must go. I'm ready to fall and to let go. All of my hard work must be paid off with this long break.

I'm safely arrived at Kota Kinabalu International Airport right around 12 am due to flight delay. As planned, a transporter pick me up from the airport right to the Kinabalu Park for a night stay before starting to hike tomorrow morning. I'm not spending a night at Kota Kinabalu Town since I have no other plan than hiking a beast of Sabah, Mount Kinabalu. This beast stand at 4095 metres above the sea level as the highest mountain in southeast asia. Its always be a dream of mine to step on te top of this beast. Since I was given a long leave from work, so I think this is the perfect time to conquer the mountain. I was arriving at Kinabalu Park around 4 a.m. due to bad weather as well as the junk road condition. However, the drive there was pretty memorable, the altitude increasing as the mountain's majesty came into view even though it was a nigh time. I can see a shadow of the mountains. Once arrived at my accommodation, I'm took a nap for a few hours before wake up on 6 a.m. I didn't have a good nap due to the weather. It was extremely cool even though I'd been layering my body with few of cloth.

I pack up my stuff and walk towards the reception lobby since I'd been told to do so last night while I'm check in. Before starting my climb, I settled up all of theregistration process with the mountain authority at Sabah Park. Right after the registration completed, I received an ID tag that must be worn at all times during the climb. It is required for checking in and out of your mountain accommodation, passing through checkpoints, and ensures Sabah Parks knows who is on the summit trail at any one time and our approximate location. Before start the climb, i'm having a big brekkie with the closer view of the beast of Sabah. I was exciting and nervous at the same time. Once enjoyed my brekkie, I went back to the reception area to meet with my guider. As one of the rules here stated that person cannot climb themselves, and have to do with a guide or organised tour group. Hence, I took a private guide in order to lead me to the top of Mount Kinabalu. My guide was a nice guy in his forties. He help me a lot in this trip and give me a tips in order to maintain my pace. I didn't take a porter to the top as I want to save my budget since I have been hired a personal porter. I purposely did not join any open trip as I want to walk on my pace. Feel the nature with my own without any pressure from the line up.

The first day was quite a tough climb since I did not prepared my body much for this climb. However, The 6 km on the first day of climbing covers a mostly forest environment, expect stairs and some rocky terrain. Surprisingly all of my fatigue gone with those view. I just enjoyed the track and view. It's calming and relaxing. I stopped at the Layang-Layang Shelter at the 4.0km to enjoy my packed lunch. I'm having a rice with a fried chicken. Here I meet with some of other hikers. Most of them ask me few time since they can't believed that I was on this trip alone. When I was resting my leg on the bench after a long and continuous walk while watching for afew squirrels coming nearby, a guy with a bread came next to me and gave it tho the squirrels. I'm not expected that the squirrels was pretty friendly.

"Can I have a little bit of your bread" I bravely ask a stranger guy for that bread to be give to the squirrels.

"Sure you may..." He gave me the bread to feed to the squirrels and smile to me.

"Thank you....By the way I'm Jeanne and you...?" I'm try to be friendly with this guy since he already been good enough to me to gave me his bread just to be feed to the squirrels.

"Hi Jeanne, nice to meet you here. I'm Fadz....You here by group? Why I only see you alone with your guide on the track just now" I think this guy is super friendly with everyone since I can see from the track before that he always smiling to other people as well.

"Oh, I'm on my private trip. I'm here alone from KL just to hiking this beast and how about you" I'm talking to him while put back my backpack on my shoulders to continue to ascend. I can see that he was about to move also.

"Seriously, what a brave one. Then how you came here from the airport? I'm joining a group trip of 20 line up" I can see he was getting interesting about my solo journey.

" By taxi...I'm about to rent a car but I was arriving late at the night and consider about the road that I'm not used to drive." I was taking a grab ordered right before this trip actually.

"Hows about after this trip, how you going back to the airport? When was your flight back to KL?" Okay now hes being super super friendly.

"I don't have any plan yet. Might take a taxi or grab. Will be back on the next two days on 18. How about you?" I just hope he will be back to KL on the same date as I am. So that I can join them since I'm about to find anybody that can shared their ride with me since I have to cut the cost.

"Great! Same goes here. What a coincidence. What was the schedule of your flight?" Good news is about to come. I can see an excitement on his face.

"Really, is it possible if I can join you guys to go to the airport on that day? My flight will be on 8.40 p.m. How about you?" Ireally hope that he will be okay to let him join in.

" I'm about to ask you about that. It will be nice to have you on board. You are all welcome. Will be contact you about the plan when we descend okay." Finally I got a team to join in. So that I will have no worries about the transport to go to the airport. Its one of the thing that I love about solo traveler. We surely will get a new friends no matter where we are going.

The final kilometer of the first day is the steepest and most difficult and I can see an emerge above the forest canopy and into an almost bonsai-esque landscape that reminded me a lot of Japanese gardens. Upon reaching Laban Rata which will be the resting spot for the night before I'm started the summit attack at the early morning on the next following days, I'm gratefully relax until dinner at sunset. Mount Kinabalu stretches above the clouds and I'm bask in the heat as I'm laze on the warm granite rock. The sky is ablaze with fiery reds and pinks illuminating the clouds pillowed below. I can't believe that I'm almost on the top of Malaysia on South East Asia's highest peak. I'm beyond proud. The mood is quite festive but there is no staying up late or partying as the summit push starts as early as 2 a.m. and i need all the rest that i can get.