Summit, here I come

There are few options for accommodation at Laban Rata, the most comfortable one being Laban Rata Hut. The only place for food will be at Laban Rata Restaurant. After finished sipping my pot of hot milo in Laban Rata Restaurant, I headed to Gunting Lagadan. It seemed pretty far away due to our lethargy. The route to Gunting Lagadan is quite steep too.

Seeing the entrance to Gunting Lagadan had me scurrying along the slope into Gunting Lagadan Hut. I couldn't wait to keep myself warm and to rest. Gunting Lagadan is pretty comfortable and cosy. You cannot expect much from a hostel at this height. What they offer is seriously satisfying enough. All 8 of s fitted into 1 hostel room with 8 bunk beds. At the moment, the bed looked extremely inviting. The toilets and bathrooms left me with no complaints too. It is definitely not 5-star 4-star rate but trust me, it is sufficient to fill your hearts' contend.

Dinner was served at 5.00pm. We had to walk all the way down to Laban Rata Restaurant, that is the only setback of Gunting Lagadan. It was buffet style dinner where rice, fried noodles, eggs, salad, chicken, beef, soup and fruits are served. Somehow, the food tasted just finger-licking good. It must be the weather, the environment and my tired body. Dinner over here is always early so that climbers get to retire earlier to bed to be fully prepared for the ascend to summit at 2.00am.

We arose at 1.30am. It was one of the hardest thing to do, to lift up your eye lids. I was so very reluctant to do so. Give me a break, I just completed a 6-hour hike non stop and now you want me to drag myself out of bed at the wee hours? Which human can do so. Irregardless of all the internal conflicts, grumbles and conflicts I had in me, I managed to wake up, so did the rest. However, there were some who opted not to attempt the ascend to the summit because of the fatigue from the hike the day before. Furthermore, the hike to the summit is known to be treacherous, scaling up steep rocky terrain. Any slip of foot will result to death!

The whole Hut was hustling and bustling with activities and noises. Everyone was very busy getting prepared for the final charge. All were dressed for the occasion with thick wind breaker and jackets, long comfortable pants, snow caps and shawls. Most had their ponchos and raincoats on too. The guide briefed us on how the track and trail would be. I was raring to go, how different from the sleepy head half an hour ago. We departed at 2.30am.

It was pitch black outside with the only light source coming from our headlamps. The leader went slow. I believe that is very crucial because the guide had warned us about dizzy spells and nausea feeling due to the lack of oxygen and probably altitude sickness. I really wanted to make sure that i went on a steady pace so that there was sufficient oxygen for my body to adapt to. The trail started off with rocky steps. Eventually, we came to the risky part of the trek.

It was foggy and misty. With our headlamps we could see drizzles of water spattering all around us. It is highly advisable to wear water-resistant or water-proof windbreaker as that will keep you dry. Those short-sighted will seriously have to consider wearing contact lense of if your power is not too high, just go without glasses since you only need to look at the next step ahead of you to ensure you can get going. I removed my glasses and it turned out better as the mist fogged my glasses till i could barely see a thing!

Away with rocky steps now came the rocky terrain. It became more like low level rock climbing. It was fairly easy. You only have to keep yourself low then you could scramble away like spider man. Some parts, it was necessary to hold onto the rope but most of the time, I merely bent myself lower and treaded across. It is a good thing that I couldn't see how high I was. Really, if anyone has phobia for heights, this is one great challenge to overcome your fear. On the journey up, it was still acceptable due to the darkness enveloping the whole mountain. But, after reaching the peak and enjoying the sun rise, you'd be down for a fear ride if you are afraid of heights.

Without realizing, we were ahead of the crowd as we went on a steady pace. The wind was getting stronger. Rain drops seemed to get heavier and bigger. I could never have withstood harsh weather, bleak surrounding and total darkness all by myself. It was comforting to know there was a leader and guides assisting us. However, in total darkness like that, I couldn't tell who's who. I only knew who was ahead of me and who was behind me. I only made sure I knew that I was following closely the person in front of me. What made it worse was the headlamp that gave up on me. It ran out of battery.

We made lots of stops and rests as we didn't want to reach the peak too early. Sitting still in the cold for 1 hour or so waiting for the sunrise sounded scary to me. Our guides had even advised us not to remain too long at the peak as the biting wind would penetrate our bones. Once that happened, we would find it extremely hard to descend due to the weak legs.

Seemed like God wasn't on our side and Lady luck didn't shine on us. The drizzle turned into a heavy downpour! Instantaneously, my toes went numb as my socks got soaking wet. My water-proof jacket could still keep my body dry but my hands were gone too. Rain water gushed into my gloves and with the embrace of the wind, my fingers "passed out" and lost consciousness. Wind got more and more vicious and rain didnt' just want to stop. It all looked so bleak and discouraging. I lost all my enthusiasm and zest. I had high hopes of enjoying sunrise at Low's Peak after hearing so much about it. Now, the rain washed away my hopes, and all my optimism flowed out of me with the rain.

We still continued a little bit more and at 1 km away from the peak, two guys actually came down with bad news : it's raining at the peak and they're heading down. It came as a blow to me. What? All this way and nothing to view at the peak? It was a tormenting moment for me. I was dying to view the sunrise but apparently under weather conditions like this, definitely no beautiful sun rise, probably just a smear of orange across grey sky. But, I was only 1km away from the peak. Should I just turn back? Wind wasn't forgiving, nor was the rain. I couldn't move my fingers, I couldn't feel my toes. In the end, I decided to go back to get some warmth. The only motivation for me was no longer there to entice me, encourage me. I didn't have the energy nor the drive to continue.

With teeth clattering and hands trembling, I could even feel my internal organs shivering, sending my whole body into shivers, I headed back down. Along our way down, we bumped into many others who were still groping in the dark, struggling to find their way to the peak. They seemed unperturbed by the somewhat less heavier rain. It was a great challenge descending. I had my poncho on, and with every blow of the wind, it practically blinded me from looking at the rocky terrain. I had to find ways to suppress it all the time. My advice: try your best to get water-proof or water-resistant wind breaker as poncho is really a nuisance. Besides that, my headlamp was already out but the fact that there were more people now as we descended, it got a bit brighter somehow. Not only that, now with my snow cap no longer on my head, I had hair strewn across my face, posing as such a irritation to me. So, to those who are interested, do take note of all these. Of course the hair part only applies to those who have long hair.

Frankly, I had no eyes for anything else on my way down but the steps. I couldn't wait to get back to the hut, to keep myself warm. However, as the sun began to rise and the rain began to stop, the journey became more bearable. I could actually enjoy the blurry scenery a little bit. Too bad that my hands were still numb so I was very reluctant to remove my gloves to grab my camera. The sky was bright even though it was after a shower. It was very cloudy and I could only see a smudge of orange surrounding the clouds at the horizon. According to those who had made it to the peak, that would be what I would see if I made it to the peak. It wasn't stunning. I want to see a fiery red ball rising slowly, extending its sun rays as though they are reaching for me. It was very peaceful, cool and fresh. I believe those who live here for long have found the elixir for eternal youth. Who would grow old with weather and surrounding like this. It's really a perfect spot for retirement.

When I saw signs of civilization (the roof of Gunting Lagadan hut), it was the most welcoming sight I have ever seen. Surprisingly, I didn't feel any ounce of regret even though i was only 1km away from the peak. I guess it's because my main and only objective is to enjoy sunrise view at Low's Peak. Without that, making it to the top just doesn't mean anything. It's the same concept in life. We work aimlessly trying to earn big bucks without knowing what our objectives are. By the time we reach the top, we feel lost, not knowing what we have achieved so far.