Gunung Semangkok Day Hike - An Arduous Day Hike to The Famed 'Death Valley'

About Gunung Semangkok

Gunung Semangkok (elevation 1824m), or some called it Semangkuk or Semangko, is a mountain which lies on the border of Pahang and Selangor. Although literally translated to “One Bowl” from the Malay language (Se = One, Mangkuk = Bowl), this mountain is more commonly referred to as “The Death Valley” by the Chinese hikers due to its difficulty and the fact that the name sounds like Death Valley in Chinese (Semang = Death, Kok = Valley).

The mountain is well known for its undulating trail with repetition of uphill climbs, followed by steep, slick downhill terrain throughout the whole 32km. Though the trail starts from Pine Tree Trail with and elevation of 1200m, the trail undulates hence making up a total elevation gain of more than 3.5km. 

Look at the ups and downs

For beginners, you may consider hiking to Pine Tree, which covers 5.5km (one way) of the entire journey, continue a little further to Twin Peak which is another 1km away. A return hike therefore only covers 11km or 13km respectively, which is not even half of Semangkok total distance. For more information about Pine Tree Trail, you may read my older post here.

Huge number of turnout

This hike was organised by E.C. Choi from Tutters, and I managed to grab for slot. Although it had been more than half a year since I do a hike for more than 10 hours (the last one was my BAS hike), I decided to tag along, thinking I could just u-turn if I couldn’t make it within cut off time. Little did I know, what I signed up for. Read on to find out what happened!

How To Get There

To get there, one must first hike Pine Tree Trail, and this is the entrance to Gunung Semangkok. I heard that there is another route to Semangkok via Gunung Liang and Tumang Batak, but that is probably an insane hardcore hike and a non-conventional one. More on this at the end of the post.

Pine Tree Trail Entrance (trail head) | 49000 Fraser's Hill, Pahang, Malaysia

Pine Tree Trail

0715: Start hiking from trail head

We started our hike at 7.15am in the morning but given a second chance I would probably suggest setting off at least an hour earlier in order to come out earlier. 

Being briefed by Leader E.C. Choi at the entrance

The trail towards Pine Tree Peak is very straightforward and wide. From the entrance, we first passed by several gazebos, before walking down a couple of stone stairs, then ascending uphill again, and down another stone stairs, then going up again. It doesn’t feel taxing on the way in, but this undulating trail is a mental challenge on our way out later.

The alpine climate of Fraser Hill is quite pleasing, as we did not sweat that much. It was cooling when we started but as we moved on, our body generated heat, but this is countered by the cool weather. You neither perspire or shiver and that is a perfect weather for hiking. Nonetheless, it is still advisable to bring jackets and emergency blanket. You will need them when you hiked after night fall. 

Signature Hollow Tree of Pine Tree Trail

Generally, the trail is gently sloping and doesn’t require scrambling, except for the rope section right before Pine Tree Peak. Here at the rope section, we had to haul ourselves up the 20m slope of what I think looks like a 60-degree vertical climb. However, it should not be difficult for seasoned hikers. Beginners need to be extra cautious and make sure to find a steady foothold before moving onto the next step with the help of ropes and roots. This is basically my favourite part of the entire trail. 

Steep climb with assistance of ropes

Pine Tree Peak

0930: Reach Pine Tree Peak (break 15 minutes for photo)

View from Pine Tree Peak

The total distance from trail head to Pine Tree Peak is 5.5km, and therefore, it should take no longer than 2.5 hours to reach, as the trail is considered easy for seasoned hikers. Even though we spent quite some time taking photos at the Hollow Tree, it only took us 2 hour 15 minutes. 

Layers and layers of mountains

At the elevation of 1456m, Pine Tree Peaks offers a good view of layers and layers of mountains, telecommunication towers and houses from afar, when the sky is clear. On a cloudy day, you would probably only see layers and layers of cloud. So, pray hard for good weather! 

Luck is no DEFINITE. No one can be lucky forever. And no one is always unlucky

0945: Continue to Twin Peak 

After taking a short break, replenishing energy with some snacks and taking some photos, we moved on to our next “checkpoint” – Twin Peak. 

Wide angle selfie #1 with GoPro

Wide angle selfie #2 with GoPro

me, Vambly, Joan and Wei Fong

Twin Peak

1010: Reach Twin Peak (break 20 minutes for photo)

1km or within half an hour away from Pine Tree Peak is a more impressive peak called Twin Peak. Twin Peak is slightly lower than its sister peak, standing only at 1440m (as recorded by my Suunto GPS watch) although stated as 1505m on the signage. I trust my Suunto GPS, since it would have been called the Pine Tree Peak (in line with the name of the hill) instead if it is the higher peak. 

I'm from Pahang

He's from Selangor

Not everything written is true. Trust your own observation and dare to challenge what you think is wrong

View from Twin Peak

Here at Twin Peak, we were rewarded with a 270-degree panoramic view of surrounding mountains. And if you look straight ahead, you will see Semangkok peak, which is approximately 10km more to go! 

Can you see Semangkok peak. There it is

The view here depends on your luck as I was not able to see anything when I hiked two years ago, in August 2016. It was too cloudy and misty back then and all I see was white sky. This time around, we were in luck as the sky was clear most of the time, with clouds hovering over from time to time, but only for a short while each time before clearing away. We were blessed.

Wefile at Twin Peak. It was a sunny day

Kem Sg Merah

1035: Continue to Semangkok 

After taking some photos and taking a short break at Twin Peak, we bid goodbye to several hikers who decided to return and not proceed to Semangkok, before moving on towards Kem Sungai Merah (Sungai Merah Campsite, literally Red River Campsite). 

Heading towards the peak but first, have to descend to Kem Sungai Merah

From Twin Peak to Sungai Merah, it’s not descent all the way, but again undulating with ups and downs as we climbed small hills after small hikes. As mentioned, the trail here undulates! I was enjoying the descent too much that I forgot that a descent of 2 hours means an ascent of more than 2 hours on our way back. 

Hiking is pretty much like life – you go downhill first, only to climb uphill again later

1225: Reach Sg Merah campsite (break 35 minutes - lunch and rest)

With the companionship of Terry and E.C. Choi, I reached Sg Merah a little pass noon, just in time for lunch. It’s a spacious campsite, which I think is enough to fit 10-20 people and is just a short walk away to the one and only water source – Sungai Merah. For those who doesn’t want to do a day hike, and doesn’t mind hiking with heavy load, this is the perfect location for camping overnight. 

Kem Sungai Merah

Terry and I packed onigiris for lunch, since they are light, easy to carry and convenient to eat on to go. He also prepared bread for himself (none for me as I’m not a fan of bread), and some instant nasi bryani for both of us. I also brought along raisins and oat bars as for on-the-go energy supplies. We didn’t want to waste time cooking instant bryani at Sungai Merah campsite, so we ended up eating one onigiris each, with one more reserved for later, at the peak. Unfortunately, this proved to be a silly decision. 

1300: Continue to Kem Helipad

Terry had some problem with his knees that day, so he decided to stop at Sungai Merah and gave up going to the peak. KY was kind enough to stay back and return to the trail head with him, since he had conquered Semangkok before. I contemplated following them as we travelled in the same car, and most importantly, to stay with Terry, but I gave in to the temptation of conquering Semangkok. It is not an everyday opportunity for me to hike this beast as I am currently stationed far away at Singapore, and I do not foresee myself returning in the short run. 

Besides, I was feeling strong that day, and had been doing well ahead of cut off time set by E.C. Choi. I felt confident of finishing the entire hike in 18-20 hours and I would probably regret it if I gave up right then when I was almost there. It’s only another 6km to go! Terry knew me well and even persuaded me to go ahead and promise to wait up for me with warm food and drink at the trail head. However, I made a stupid mistake of not taking his stove and instant bryani along. I could have consumed it later when I’m short of food!

Kem Helipad

1430: Reach Kem Helipad (break 10 minutes - rest)

The route towards Kem Helipad (Helipad campsite) was a pretty steep uphill hike, and this was where I started struggling. My footsteps started getting heavier, and it was hard for me to warm up my leg muscles which had cooled down during the half an hour lunch break at Sungai Merah campsite. I figured I would feel better soon after, but the stiffness continued all the way until Kem Helipad – another campsite but a rather small one. 

Photo credit to Joan of luvfeelin.com

1440: Leave Kem Helipad

Knowing we were not too far away from the peak, we leave Kem Helipad only after a short 5- 10 minutes rest. From Sungai Merah onwards, I was accompanied by Harriet, Wei Fong and Harriet, and the four of us were the last ones of the pack. I continued to feel the stiffness of my calves, , my strength ebbing away and my speed started to gradually decline. Vivian on the other hand was having cramps while Harriet was sleep deprived for only sleeping for one hour the night before (I also only had 3 hours of sleep ☹) Thankfully, Wei Fong was a kind gentleman who didn’t leave his comrades behind even though he was definitely fit enough to speed up and head to the peak first. 

A good comrade leaves no man behind. A good friend never let his friend struggles alone

Semangkok Peak

The trail from Kem Helipad to the peak is less steep, but one should be cautious as there are a couple of bee hives spotted along the way. There were several incidents of hikers being stung before, hence signboard is hung on nearby trees to warn fellow hikers to beware of bees. It’s pretty cute as they were even translated to Chinese pinyin as “Mee Fong” which means bees in Mandarin. 

Photo credit to Joan of luvfeelin.com

1610: Reach Semangkok peak (break 40 minutes for photo and rest)

After passing through the bee hives area, it’s only about 20 minutes to the peak and we finally reached the peak at 4.10pm, greeted cheerfully by the other hikers who had been waiting for us. We took a short break to catch our breath and replenished some energy with snacks, before taking a group photo. 

We have reached!

Don’t be fooled by the flag built by the Rejimen 91 Bina RAJD (an army force) as the peak. This flag pole was actually built in September 2016 to mark their expedition here is not the actual peak. 

Celebrating Hari Raya with our National Flag

To get to the peak, we were to walk further into the mossy forest, until we saw an old tree with plenty of signage. Ta-dah! Isn’t it beautiful?

The real peak of Semangkok

1650: Leave Semangkok peak

We didn’t stay at the peak for too long as we wanted to make sure we reach Kem Sungai Merah before night fall. I finished my last two originis (one was Terry’s which was left with me) and kept my oat bars for later. I started to doubt the sufficiency of my food supplies and it’s going to be a long journey back, and I wished I had taken KY’s fried chicken which I politely decline, as well as Terry’s bread. It’s been a long time since I last did a hardcore extreme hike and was not well-prepared this time. Hoping that I could last with the remaining food supplies, I descended with Harriet and E.C. Choi sweeping while the rest sped off. 

Slow and steady descent to Sg Merah

1830: Reach Kem Helipad (break 10 minutes)

It took us almost two hours to reach Kem Helipad since my stamina kept declining, and Harriet who is always a “slow and steady” hiker slowed down even more to accompany me. Again, we didn’t stop for too long at Kem Helipad as we wanted to reach Kem Sungai Merah before the sky turned completely dark. However, seeing that we were still some distance away from Sungai Merah, we turned on our headlights halfway.

Accidentally snapped this but pretty nice huh?

2000: Reach Sg Merah (break 30 minutes - snack and rest)

We reached Sungai Merah campsite at 8pm and the sky was already pitch dark. We took a 30 minutes break there, where E.C. Choi headed to the river to fill up water, and Harriet cooked instant noodles for her dinner. E.C. Choi had biscuits while I was gulping one of my oat bar. I didn’t reveal my food shortage to both of them, which I should have. I could probably hike faster if I had told them and gotten some food from them, but I was too shy and embarrassed, and probably too stubborn to admit I wasn’t well prepared. That was the biggest mistake for the entire hike, and one I really hope I didn’t commit.

Our biggest mistake is not making a mistake, but the fear of admitting we were wrong

Ascending in the dark to Twin Peak

2030: Continue to Twin Peak 

We continued our way to Twin Peak, after replenishing our energy and this was where I started breaking down. The way back up to Twin Peak was a torture to me. 

First, it was a steep incline with lots of ups and downs over small hills. 

Second, it was dark, and my vision wasn’t at its best. I spent more time gauging where to step and where to grab.

Third, my stamina was depleting, and I was feeling tired and sleepy. 

Fourth, I was wearing Kampung Adidas (without adding additional sole) with a pair of thin socks and my feet were getting hurt for stepping all over the lianas, fallen branches, small pebbles and knocking on protruded ones. 

Finally, a weaken body weakened the mind, and with my feet hurting and my stamina depleting, I started feeling negative. 

Lianas, or affectionately known as “Tarzan’s Ropes” is woody vines that are long-stemmed and rooted at ground level typically found in the southeast Asian tropical rainforest

My pride was hurt for going at such a slow pace (for someone who used to be so much stronger and faster, this pace is humiliating) and I was feeling extremely guilty for dragging Harriet and E.C. Choi. I knew they could have reached Twin Peak already if it wasn’t because of me and the thought of that broke me. I held in the negative thoughts at first but as time passed, I exploded. E.C. Choi wasn’t trailing too closely behind us, I started crying. It was my first time breaking down, and thankfully, Harriet was there to comfort me. 

As we were nearing Twin Peak, we found Andrew who had injured his knee and was taking break. We swept him and together, we proceeded to Twin Peak.

About Kampung Adidas

I mentioned on Facebook that Kampung Adidas is not an ideal footwear for this mountain, and for most extreme hardcore day hike (anything more than 12 hours) and that exact post cause a lot of controversial. Many of my friends who are fans of Kampung Adidas stood firmly by their opinion that it wasn’t the shoes fault, but mine. “I just wasn’t strong enough” and that “other hikers had done it with Kampung Adidas and they did just fine with no complaints”. 

Me and my Kampung Adidas

I do not deny that Kampung Adidas is the most value-for-money hiking footwear in the whole universe (only RM6-8 per pair) and it’s my favourite but it just isn’t a proper footwear designed for hiking. With a terrain like Semangkok where the trails are covered with lianas, fallen branches, and small pebbles, a thin base without insoles means direct impact on our feet and that for a long period of time (more than 12 hours) is going to be very very painful. Only those who are well-trained for hiking with that shoes for such long hours would be immune to it. That being said, a proper hiking shoes would definitely be a safer choice and one that is guaranteed to be more comfortable and provides protection to your feet. The choice is always yours to make. As for me, I’ll stick to Kampung Addidas for hikes requiring river crossing or to go to waterfalls. For a similar hike like Semangkok where you stay dry, I’ll opt for a more comfortable hiking shoes. 

I don’t view my opinions as the right ones, they are just different

Napping in the cold, freezing Twin Peak

2330: Reach Twin Peak (break 35 minutes - nap and rest)

After three hours of scrambling, we finally reached Twin Peak. It was too cold at that hour and we put on our jackets and retreated to the area covered by trees. Feeling exhausted, E.C. Choi and Andrew took a nap in among the trees and Harriet and I followed suit after warming our stomach with some hot lemon tea.

Zombie hike back to trail head

0005: Leave Twin Peak 

I was the first to woke up from our nap, as I was not able to sleep comfortably in the cold. Besides, I couldn’t wait to get back to the trail head. All the toss and turn woke the rest, and after fueling up on my last oat bar, I was the first to make a move with Harriet accompanying me while E.C. Choi swept the injured Andrew. The journey to Pine Tree should only take 30 minutes yet with my speed, we ended up taking an hour, and the journey back to trailhead took us another 4 hours instead of two. It was the slowest I had ever hiked, even slower than my Benum’s hike (which was even tougher but did not break me down). 

The return journey is even longer than the initially hike to the peak due to exhaustion

Remembering that we would need to climb two terrifying fleet of stone stairs before reaching the trail head, I was constantly looking for them only to be disappointment with every single turn which reveals another descent followed by an ascent and another descent then another ascent which seemed never-ending, yet stairs were nowhere in sight. Once again, I broke down again and even lashed out to Harriet. Instead of getting angry at me for throwing tantrum, she consoled me and helped me overcome my guilt and embarrassment. Definitely the most understanding person I ever met.

Dark times always reveal good people

0600: Reach trail head

Finally, after what seemed like forever, I made it out to the trail head at 6 in the morning, almost breaking dawn. With our watch clocking 23 hours in total, we completed our zombie extreme day hike with an embarrassing record, but glad to have survived the arduous journey . There at the car park near the trail head, Terry and the rest stepped out of the cars to welcome us and I once again broke down in his embrace. I’m officially the lousiest girlfriend ever – for abandoning him and making him wait for hours. 

Thanks for waiting up

Feeling sleepy and exhausted, I skipped shower and breakfast and requested to be driven home instead. After bidding goodbye to the best leader-cum-sweeper (E.C. Choi), the most patient comrade (Harriet) and the rest who waited for us, Terry drove me back to KL where I got my much-needed shower and slept for the whole morning, only waking up in the afternoon when my stomach finally decided to feel hungry. 

Epilogue

It’s been a long time since I last go on a crazy extreme day hike. My first was Benum last year, and that was one of my most memorable hike to-date. This hike to Semangkok was so similar with my Benum hike, in that I spent 23-24 hours to complete and was hiking like a zombie on my descent. The only different is that I was weaker now than before and that my total hours for Benum includes a 3-hour sleep. Therefore, if I were to pick, Semangkok is the more torturous one. However, technically Benum trail is rawer and there is no water source. 

It's a beautiful place and I will return

You must think I hated Semangkok so much and it must have been an unpleasant hike? Well, not really. I may have thought so during the descent, but as I woke up the next day and relived the entire experience, all of a sudden, the exhaustion was gone and what remained was this sense of accomplishment that only those who been through a similar hike would ever understand. In fact, I wished to return another day for a revenge hike. And next time, I’ll make sure I come back stronger. In a typical terminator’s way,

I will be back!

PS: Special thanks to E.C. Choi for organising, leading and sweeping. You are one of the best leader I’ve ever known. Not forgetting Harriet, my guardian angel who was extremely kind and patient with me, the super-annoying kid. I hope to repay your kindness next time. Till we meet again! 

And for those of you survived reading this lengthy post, here's a little treat for you - a video made by fellow hiking mate, Vambly. Enjoy!

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The million dollar question – Is Semangkok in Pahang or Selangor?

Though being considered by many hikers as the highest mountain in Selangor, evidence has pointed to it being a mountain in Pahang instead, as follows:

🔼The map

As seen from my Suunto’s Movescount track record, it is evident that the peak lies on Pahang state instead of Selangor.

The peak is clearly in Pahang

🔼The border-marking stone

There are border stones all along the trail from Pine Tree Trail to Semangkok peak. We were hiking along the border the entire time, as seen on the map. However, at the peak, the last border stone seen marked the side of the tree (official flag) as Pahang state and the opposite as Selangor

Pahang state to the left where the old tree (peak) is and Selangor state to the right

However, it’s difficult to get concrete, absolute answer to confirm this, as there is no record in the Jabatan Perhutanan website. This is understandable as Malaysia has a long list of hills and mountains, and each state has their own Jabatan Perhutanan. Based on the above “evidence”, I’m pretty confident to claim Gunung Semangkok as a mountain in Pahang state. Unfortunately, this will hence take away its throne of being the highest mountain in Selangor and downgrades it to “just another mountain in Pahang”. Oops!

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Thank you for reading all the way till the end. Too much info and you just want a summarised itinerary but too lazy to scroll back up? Here’s a summary I’ve drafted up for you. Hope it helps you with your planning.

Itinerary:

**Disclaimer: Below is my timing according to my speed. So please take it with a grain of salt, as everyone is different. Have fun hiking this mountain. *wink*

Day Hike (15/6/2018 - Hari Raya Adilfitri)

Total distance hiked: 32km (no river crossing) 

0715: Start hiking from trail head

0930: Reach Pine Tree Peak (break 15 minutes for photo)

0945: Continue to Twin Peak 

1010: Reach Twin Peak (break 20 minutes for photo)

1035: Continue to Semangkok 

1225: Reach Sg Merah campsite (break 35 minutes - lunch and rest)

1300: Continue to Kem Helipad

1430: Reach Kem Helipad (break 10 minutes - rest)

1440: Leave Kem Helipad

1610: Reach Semangkok peak (break 40 minutes for photo and rest)

1650: Leave Semangkok peak

1830: Reach Kem Helipad (break 10 minutes)

1840: Leave Kem Helipad

2000: Reach Sg Merah (break 30 minutes - snack and rest)

2030: Continue to Twin Peak 

2330: Reach Twin Peak (break 35 minutes - nap and rest)

0005: Leave Twin Peak 

0600: Reach trail head

Alternative hiking route:

***Disclaimer: The following tips are formed based on my personal opinion. As I’m not a mountain guide nor professional hiker, please exercise your own judgment before following. 

🔼 Pine Tree and Twin Peak Day Hike

A moderate-easy hike which is suitable for beginners with at least some hiking experience. A leisure hike for the experienced. Read more about my first visit here when I was a beginner two years ago.

🔼 Semangkok Day Hike via Pine Tree Trail

This was what we did, and what you have read above. Not for beginners. Be very prepared, physically, and mentally. You’ll need a lot of food, and lots of training. Keep yourself fit and don’t be lazy like me.

🔼 Semangkok 2d1n camping at Sg Merah campsite

Think a day hike is too taxing for you but still want to conquer this mountain? You can consider camping at Sungai Merah campsite, but carrying heavy load through Twin Peak > Sungai Merah and Sungai Merah > Twin Peak ain’t that relax either. Good thing is you at least get to sleep at Sungai Merah before continuing to the peak. 

🔼 Semangkok Dayhike via Sungai Perah

*Thanks to a reader for providing this info*

This trail starts from Teratak Riverview, Tanjung Malim and involve some river crossing before reaching Camp 1, 2 and 3 and finally Gunung Semangkok peak. It's perhaps the lesser known trail and I read that it's very hardcore with difficulty level of 10/10. Not much info available online as of to-date.

🔼 Pine Tree > Twin Peak > Semangkok > Teratak Riverview (Trans) or the other way round

If the above is true, then this is another doable hike, but very hardcore I suppose. 

🔼 Semangkok Dayhike via Liang (unconfirmed)

This is a hearsay from fellow hikers, that the trail is connected all the way to Gunung Liang and Tumang Batak, but this is probably very very hardcore, and probably more doable as a multi-day camping instead.

🔼 Pine Tree > Twin Peak > Semangkok > Bukit Hulu Bernan > Liang West > Liang East > Tumang Batak > Chondong Gelinting (unconfirmed)

*Thanks to a reader for pointing out the correct order*

If the above trail is true, then this is doable, but is definitely a suicide mission. Don’t play play.

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-Thanks for reading-