Mount Kinabalu (Timpohon-Timpohon) – The Hike That Changed My Life

Those close and dear to me or those who have followed my blog from the very beginning would have known that I started this blog right after my Mount Rinjani (Part 1 and Part 2) hike. However, that beast is definitely not my first mountain. Having climbed and blogged a number of mountains and hills over the past 4 years, the very first mountain I scaled was actually Mount Kinabalu, Malaysia’s highest mountain, 2 years prior to my Rinjani hike. 

It was May 2014, five months after I moved to Singapore, and it was my very first trip with my primary school mates. Out of consideration for everyone’s budget, we picked Kota Kinabalu, Sabah as our holiday destination, and ended up slotting in this hike into our itinerary since well... it’s the top thing to do. None of us had ever hike any mountains nor hills, and we just went ahead unprepared. Sounds crazy? But that was what being young is all about isn’t it? Little did I know that this “unprepared” hike changed my life… forever. 

Stella, Pearlyn, Me, YW, Sonia and Jien

About Mount Kinabalu

Mount Kinabalu or locally known of Gunung Kinabalu requires little introduction. Standing at 4,095.2m above sea meter, it is the highest mountain in in Sabah’s Crocker Range (and also highest mountain in Malaysia and Borneo) and is our very own national pride. Low’s Peak is the highest point and can be climbed without any special gear or training. It is a steep hike that involves the use of some guide ropes scrambling up and down the steepest parts. The hike is tough when done in one day but no longer allowed. Hikers are only allowed to hike in 2 days 1 night, staying at Panalaban Basecamp (previously known as Laban Rata). Thanks to its height and beautiful landscape which ranges from tropical rainforest at the trail head to subalpine near the submit, it is one of the most popular hike in South East Asia and the views spectacular. Unfortunately like most other longer hikes in South East Asia, one must engage a licensed guide to hike Mount Kinabalu and hence cannot be done independently. 

How fit should one need to be to be hiking Mount Kinabalu?

Although you do not need provide proof of fitness or experience in hiking, the hike is recommended for those with a good level of fitness and in good health. To help prepare for the hike, it is best that one beforehand by incorporating a good amount of cardiovascular exercises (such as running and cycling) and attempt several long hikes whenever possible, for at least 3 months to half a year prior to the trip. As I was too tied up with my job, I ended up not training prior to my hike and really had a hard time completing. I may have done it, but I attribute that to luck, young age (I was 26 back then) and strong perseverance (die die must complete). 

How about altitude sickness? 

Altitude sickness can hit anyone at above 2500m and with Mount Kinabalu standing at 4905m and Laban Rata (now called Panalaban Basecamp) at 3272m, one is likely to be hit with altitude sickness while attempting this hike. Therefore, it is recommended to bring altitude sickness pills just in case. I was very unprepared during my trip 6 years ago that I didn’t need such medication (probably because I was ascending very slowly) but it’s better to be safe than sorry. 

How long is the hike?

Day 1: Timpohon to Laban Rata

The entire hike is 8.72km one way, with the total distance of 17.4 km return over two days. As the hike starts from 1866m (Timpohon Gate), hikers gain about 1800m in elevation on day 1. The hike up Laban Rata (now called Panalaban) usually starts between 7.30-10.30 am and takes roughly 3 to 5 hours (6km) in average. From Timpohon Gate to Laban Rata, the route is well marked with signs marking the trail every couple of hundred meters, and there are also shelters and toilet facilities almost every 1km. The terrain changes from tropical forest with wooden staircase to rocky steps to bonsai forest. Hikers end the day at Laban Rata, where they have their dinner and rest for the night before submitting at 2am the next morning. 

Ps: There used to be a Mesilau trail that starts from Mesilau Nature Resort (2000m) to Laban Rata. This trail however has been destroyed by the 2015 earthquake and is now close indefinitely due to inaccessible path.

Mount Kinabalu trail before 2015 earthquake

Day 2 (Before 2015 earthquake): Old submit trail from Laban Rata to Low Peak

The total distance to the submit is approximately 2.7km with an elevation of 800m. It takes approximately 2-3 hours in average and the trail is tougher as there is a lot of scrambling required with some rope assistance. 

Day 2 (After 2015 earthquake): Ranau trail / Kota Belud trail from Panalaban to Low Peak

After the old submit trail was destroyed in the earthquake, two new submit trails were opened – Ranau trail and Kota Belud trail. It take about 1-2 hours via Ranau trail (1.2km) and 1.5 – 2 hours via Kota Belud trail (1.1m). Both trail merged at Sayat-Sayat checkpoint. 

Curious about the difference between these two trails? Check out their comparison here

Day 2: Back to Timpohon Gate

From the submit, one would need to descend for another 2.7km to get back to Laban Rata and another 6km to get back to Timpohon Gate. In average, this should take less than 6 hours. 

What was my record?

Day 1: ascend - 8.30am to 3.30pm (6km in 7 hours)
Day 2: ascend - 2.45am to 7.00am (2.7km in 4 hours)
Day 2: descend - 7.00am to 3.30pm (2.7km + 6km in 8.5 hours) 

Total km = 17.4 Total hrs = 19.5 

It is obvious I was not in great shape during my hike 6 years ago as I was slow. While most people who are fit could reach the submit for sunrise, I only reached after the sun has risen and my descent was extremely slow as well. 

Look at these amazing records from 2013 climbathon

My Story

So how actually did the Mount Kinabalu hike changed my life?

It was May 2014, five months after I moved to Singapore, and it was my very first trip with my primary school mates. Out of consideration for everyone’s budget, we picked Kota Kinabalu, Sabah as our holiday destination, and ended up slotting in this hike into our itinerary since oh well, it’s the top thing to do. None of us had ever hike any mountains nor hills, and we just went ahead unprepared. 

Getting ready for our hike

We booked our 2D1N hiking package from the website and between the famous, more scenic Mesilau-Timpohon trail and shorter Timpohon-Timpohon trail, my mates chose the latter although I wanted to attempt the former trail due to high recommendation from a friend a mine who did it a year before. Majority won and we ended up with Timpohon-Timpohon. Although it was shorter, the wooden staircases that seems never-ending was a mood killer. 

002 is my number

View of the peak from the National Park

Our package includes pick up and drop off from our homestay in Kundasang to the National Park, luggage storage, meals (2 lunch, 1 lunch and 1 breakfast), a night’s stay in a non-heated dormitory and a guide for the six of us and I remembered paying only RM660. Porter service was not included but we topped up to have our belongings carried at a reasonable fee (I can’t remember the price charged but it was reasonable). 

Day 1:

Hiking in the rain

At Timpohon Gate with our guide Benson (left)

We started our hike at 8.30am with our breakfast packed to be consumed along the way. We were among the slowest pack despite not carrying much on our daypack since we did not train for this hike but we were all jolly and happy to be trekking on this beautiful trek. I remember Pearlyn and Stella being one of the slowest and Jien and I slowed down to accompany them while YW and Sonia who were a lot fitter were in front of us. With the difference in speed, the guide was with us the whole time. It started drizzling and raining half way through the hike and we could only continue hiking with our raincoat on. 

Steps, steps and more steps

Rocky steps

It was raining when we reached the Bonsai Forest

Sleeping in the cold

By the time we reached Laban Rata, it was already close to 4pm, and after having our early dinner, we headed to our dormitory. Unfortunately, the bathroom is located outside our dormitory and none of us had the mood to shower that day as it was freezing cold at the elevation. We resorted to clean up with wet wipes and put on all our warm clothes meant for our next day hike and went to bed. I remember holding my pee and didn’t even dare to step out for toilet break due to the cold. 

Laban Rata guesthouse

View from Laban Rata, beautiful ain't it?

This is actually taken the next morning after our submit hike

Day 2:

Hiking alone in the dark

The real drama was the next day hike where we woke up as early as 1am and wanting to start our hike earlier, knowing we were slow. However, rules are rules and the gate was only opened at 2.30am despite us being up extra early. We only managed to start our hike at 2.45am after breakfast and briefing by our guide. With our headlights on, we began our hike to conquer the submit. 

Just as we started our hike, Stella decided to return to the dormitory as she was feeling unwell and the rest of us moved on. About half an hour later, Pearlyn decided to return as well since she felt that she was not in shape. Since it was pitch dark, our guide led her back to the dormitory while Jien and I continued the hike by following the other hikers in front of us. At this point, YW and Sonia were nowhere to be seen as they were a lot faster. Feeling motivated to keep moving, I turned on the music on my phone and started speeding up. Unfortunately, by the time our guide caught up to us, Jien’s old knee injury was giving her a hard time and she asked to be brought back to our dormitory, giving up on scaling the submit. Once again, our guide had to lead her back to the dormitory and I was left all alone. 

Thankfully, the many hikers in front of me created this “trail of headlights” for me to follow and I slowly and cautiously follow their steps. At this point I was already half way towards Sayat-Sayat checkpoint, almost reaching the rope section. Thanks to the pitch dark sky, I was unaware of the narrow path I was trekking, otherwise it would have felt a lot more daunting. Oblivious is blessing, a guess? 

Imagine hiking on this path in the dark, one wrong step and I'm dead

I remember hiking alone for more than an hour and every passing guide would asked me about my guide’s whereabout, worried that I was abandoned or lost. At times when I felt dejected, I would turn around and look at the beautifully lit Kundasang village below and the sparkling starry sky above me. The view comforted me each time and motivated me to keep moving forward. It was an indescribable sense of peacefulness and serenity. 

Missing the sunrise

After hiking alone for about 1 hour plus, I reached Sayat-Sayat checkpoint (3668m), where hikers need to register their name in order to qualify for the certificate of completion. However, the submit is still a distance away. From Sayat-Sayat, hikers have to walk on phaneritic-textured granite with some degree of inclination. 

Colour cert for those who hiked to the submit
black and white cert for those who reach Laban Rata only

As the air thins at this elevation, it was not an easy hike for beginner like me and I struggled and took frequent breaks along the way. Most hikers with average fitness would have reached the submit by then, waiting for sunrise, but the submit seemed still far away from me when the sun began to rise. 

Sunrise

Steep granite path which could gets slippery and dangerous on rainy days

Is that a Low Peak?

Turned out it's South Peak

Beautiful sight that kept me moving whenever I turned around. "I've come this far, I shall not give up"

South Peak

Stopped every few steps to catch my breathe and snap some photos

Sun is up but I was still struggling to get to the summit

Alexandra Peak

Saint John Peak which looks like a face of King Kong

Just as I felt dejected for being so slow, our guide finally caught up to me after going back and forth sending my mates back to the dormitory. With his encouragement and kind words, I kept going despite missing the sunrise at the summit. 

Bumped into YW and Sonia as they were descending while I was only just ascending

The trio who made it to the top

Poor picture quality back in the days

Just as I neared the submit, I bumped into YW and Sonia who were making their descent and we managed to took some photos together before we parted ways. The last push to the summit was the toughest to me as I was drained but thankfully, I managed to make it to the top. 

Yay! Reached the submit (Low Peak)

My tired but happy face

Emotional breakdown

After the obligatory photo at the peak, it’s time to descend. Feeling tired from the 4 hours hike earlier, Benson (our guide) and I took a short break along the way and started chatting about each other. 

Alexandra Peak

Saint John's Peak

South Peak, aka "Gunung Seringgit" as it is printed on our RM1 note

South Peak

While other has reached Laban Rata I'm still descending from the peak

Sat down, took a rest and had a chat with our guide

Donkey Ears Peak which has since been destroyed after the 2015 earthquake

He was surprised that we dared hike Mount Kinabalu unprepared and untrained and advise that we should never do such a thing anymore. He also shared his guiding experience and family lives while I started opening up about the problems I was facing at work. At some point, I got so overwhelmed that I teared up while all he could do was just listen to my rants. In the end, I made up my mind – to resign. The thought of resigning had troubled me throughout my entired Kota Kinabalu trip and with my mind made up, I finally felt a sense of relief. With that, we made our way down to Laban Rata to meet up with the rest of the gang, had our brunch and proceeded to descend back to Timpohon Gate. 

Head back to Laban Rata where the girls were waiting for me and together we descent to Timpohon Gate

View of the peaks when I looked back during our descent

After the trip:

Saying goodbye to audit

Before the trip, all I ever know of was to work my ass off in my audit firm for more than 16 hours daily, sacrificing sleep and weekend. Despite the hard work, things still piled up and backlogs were accumulated. It was extremely exhausting and I was unhappy with what I was doing. To make matters worse, I was not appreciated by my immediate supervisor nor my assigned counsellor. I see no future in the firm and I had been contemplating leaving the firm and audit line for good. 

It's a whole new world out there waiting for me to explore

While summitting Mount Kinabalu, I realised how insignificant I was. The world is so big and in comparison, I was just a tiny little dot on Earth. There’s so much more than my office cubicle and there’s a bigger world out there waiting for me to explore. It’s time to break out of the tiny little box I imprisoned myself in and actually live a real meaningful life. Life is too brief to be wasted on making a living. Instead, it’s time I start living a life. 

The moment I return from my holiday, I tendered my resignation, and joined an oil and gas company and never look back. 

Saying hello to more hikes

A year after my Mount Kinabalu hike, I travelled solo to Yogyakarta and attempted Mount Merapi hike. Then a year later, I hiked Mount Rinjani in Lombok. The same year, I joined a local hiking group for a 3D2N Mount Tahan hike, and from then onwards I hiked more and more mountains and hills in Malaysia. I had fallen in love with hiking and camping, something my family doesn’t quite understand, but it was an amazing experience. I look forward to every next hike and was blessed to have met many like-minded friends for the past 4 years. 

Final Words

Although it seems like I would never have the chance to ever hike the scenic Mesilau trail, this trip 6 years ago has a special place in my heart. Not only that it was my very first mountain, it was one that changed my life. It opened my eyes to a whole new world, where I realised there is a lot more out there than my mundane audit life. I have seen the beautiful view from Mount Kinabalu and was bewitched, and there is no turning back. I yearn for more and I can’t stop exploring. I have been seeking for mountains to hike whenever I travelled oversea, and I even started exploring the hills and mountains in Malaysia. 

To some of my mates, Mount Kinabalu was the end of their hiking adventure, but to me, it was just a beginning. 

Once a hiker forever a hiker

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**Bonus Read: Packing Checklist

I was a newbie when I did the hike 6 years ago, and although I brought what I needed to survive the freezing temperature, I felt I did not pack adequately for the hike. If you ever plan to climb Mount Kinabalu, here’s what you should consider bringing:

Must-haves:
❶Dry-fit tops (at lower elevation, you may feel hot so dry-fit material will be more comfortable) and hiking pants
❷Heat tech or long john to keep yourself warm (for at the wee hours when it is freezing cold)
❸Waterproof jacket or a wind breaker
❹A pair of good and comfortable trekking shoes or boots with good grip and thick socks
❺Extra warm clothing and socks for sleeping (the temperature drops at night at Laban Rata)
❻Waterproof backpack (to store your belongings and keep them dry in case it rains)
❼Beanie (to prevent heat loss when submitting)
❽Head lights and batteries (for submitting in the dark)
❾Water bag or refillable water bottle
❿Personal toiletries

Good-to-have:
❶Trekking poles
❷Snacks such as dried fruits, energy bars, biscuits, fruits and nuts
❸First aid kit with basic medication and altitude sickness tablets
❹Camera (for memories)