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Now that you have some ideas on where is Mulu and the kind of activities to expect, here is the bitter sweet experience of yours truly hiking Gunung Mulu.

29 August 2012:

Unease with the falling rain and my level of fitness, I pulled the duvet and slept for as much as I could, thinking that it might kill my hesitation to start hiking. We started our trekking late because Anis (who turned up to be national athlete for long distance walk – our Malaysian woman candidate to attempt the top 7 summits of the world) would only reach Mulu that very afternoon. Knowing who she is hampered me with inferiority complex. In a group of 8, I carried the weakest physical strength. Just look at my pumped body, do you think I have what it takes to hike at par with those experienced hikers?

That beside the point, my only wish was to complete the hike safe and without causing anyone trouble. It is not uncommon to hear stories about injured hiker who needs to be carried down by fellow hikers. Anis arrived with an unexpected news that her backpack was wrongly transferred to Bario, or was it Kuching? We had to lend some clothes, sleeping bag for her to use until her backpack was retrieved.

We started trekking when everything was sorted out – it was 2p.m. We walked through the walkaway that passed the canopy walk. After 3 kilometer walk, we descended the staircase and touched the wet ground and “97m elevation sign” welcome us! Imagine hiking a 2,376m mountain high and your starting point is only 97m. Mount Kinabalu’s starting point from Timpohon Gate is as high as 1,866m. Lo and behold, I did not want to damage my psychology as just yet. Secretly chanting, “I can do it!”, I walked through the pristine nature, smelled the fresh air of the jungle and did it like a jungle girl – all in the sake of overcoming my anxiety.

You cannot proceed to Paku Waterfall or Camp 1 without a guide, we were told. I rejoiced in excitement when I saw pristine clear water, almost static. The journey to Camp 1 will take you 2-3 hours depending on your speed. Getting into the dense jungle, our aim for the day was the basic hut (Camp 1), the existence of which is historic in nature for it was the basic forest hut used during 1977 Royal Geographic Society Expedition. The team made a discovery that finally put Mulu on the map.

Like I said earlier, the ground was wet. So leeches were in abundance! The trail to Camp 1 was the easiest, walking through flat ground and not surprisingly, I had to admit, I barely caught up with the rest. When I arrived at Camp 1, they had started preparing the meals. We, the ladies were asked to clean ourselves first, so we went to clean ourselves up at the river near Camp 1. Suspense jugak lah takut ternampak hantu lagi.  As soon as we finished our meal and prepared our carry mat and sleeping bag, we called it a day for tomorrow promised tougher challenge.

30 August 2012

We continued second day trekking at 8a.m. After 1 hour and 40 minutes walk, we reached Camp 2. And the hellish route bullied me thereafter. We had to climb the steep terrain as it inclined to almost 70-80 degree from the horizontal. Pakcik Lin walked close to me and once in awhile, he gave me some words of motivation.

“Jalan slow-slow, yang penting gerak. Kalau buka langkah besar-besar, nanti penat.” he said.

If it was left to my discretion, I didn’t want to continue the trekking. I was exhausted. And we had not reached Camp 3 as just yet.

Our guide, John, has been a guide for 4 years. Our trip was his 12th trip to Mulu Summit. That’s how rare people go to Mulu. And he said, it is normal that some hikers do not reach the peak. Ha sudah! Macam kata-kata semangat nak berpatah arang, berputih mata. 

As for the rest, I was unsure whether they were as exhausted as yours truly.

Not long after, came the heavy rain. The kind of rain which limit your visibility while driving. Just that we did not have viper to our advantage. Walking with limited visibility is not my strength what more when you were walking along the steep terrain. My bag, my clothes, my shoes were all wet and it was very cold. All hell broke loose. I started to reason with myself why was I in Mulu when I could in fact enjoy raya open houses. Why did I pay hefty amount of money to torture myself this way? 1001 questions in my mind.

I reached Camp 3 at 3.45p.m. As soon as I walked into the hut, I put my bag aside and sat exhaustedly. I didn’t remember who passed me a bowl of hot soup. I finished the soup within a minute. We still had to continue trekking to Camp 4. But it was hard to walk with such torrential rain. I was at my lowest, I did not even know if I could reach Camp 4.

Out of sudden, Abang Ayen came near me and told, “Kita tidur dulu di Camp 3. Esok pukul 2.30 pagi kita sambung jalan.” I remember asking back, “Ini betul-betul ke tipu-tipu?”. Convinced it was true, tears of joy welled out. Ironically, tears of joy was not shed when I reach the summit, but rather when the team leader announced we stopped walking and took shelter at the hut!

After changing into dry clothes, we took comfort in our sleeping bag with of course, our own bad smell. The rain dropped hard onto the rooftop of the hut and at the same time, talking to one another without shouting was barely possible. I cringed from cold but fast asleep due to tiredness.

I only woke up when it was time for dinner. Abang Deeno had his own cooking team, so Anis and I had to help serve the food for the team. We took turns to wash the cooking utensils, plates and cups.

Later that night before dozing off for the second time, Anis did physiotherapy treatment to avoid muscle injury because my legs ached even when I moved them for a few inch. Muscle strain. The luck of having national athlete as a team member. Thanks Anis!!

“Mountain hikes instilled in me a life-long urge to get to the top of any inviting summit or peak.” – Paul D. Boyer