5:50 am to 6:50 am: The first suggestion of sunrise began with a glimpse of light seeping through cracks in the clouds and separating the land & sky from their darkness. As the sun confidently advanced from it's resting domain, the stars retreated from it's glare, until only the subtle glow of the moon remained. Sections of coastline, Kota Kinabalu, and the land towards central Borneo, were continuously revealed and concealed by the clouds movings above like tectonic plates.
The viewpoint for this spectacle was the summit of Mt. Kinabalu, at an altitude of 4095.2m above sea level. I shared this moment with around 50 other successful climbers, although my journey had begun some what later. The climb up had involved using set ropes on the steeper sections and where the path cut across the mountain, and a general slope of eternal relentlessness. Many people along the way had taken rests, given into tears, or simply turned back. My time in Nepal must have provided a distinct advantage, as I felt little shortness of breath and made excellent time to the summit. It also highlighted that the consumables of Thailand has little ill effect on my health and fitness. In order to reach the summit for the precise moment of sunrise, I was required to take a sheltered stop for around 20 minutes on the way up.
4:50 am: After waiting inside a building at the last check point for 45 minutes, I made my way back into the elements and towards the summit. It was already apparent from the time I had reached this point that I had left the base camp too soon.
3:30 am: With my porridge still warm in my belly, I packed my bag, put on my headtorch, some warm clothes, and left the base camp, alone. My residual state of unconsciousness provided some initial confusion over which path to take, before logical thought kicked in and I concluded I should always choose the path that goes up - in theory, at least.
2:30 am: My guide woke me up to confirm the time I would be leaving the base camp and then led the other member of my group towards the summit. This was also the time when the last of the other people from the base camp left to attempt the summit. I wished him and the other climbers good luck, thanked him for waking me up, and duly went back to sleep.
The previous evening: I'd spent my day, clock watching, playing chess, and reading any piece of English literature available at the Laban Rata Guesthouse. The setting of the sun provided a brief interlude of distraction before eating dinner and getting an early night.
11:15 am: I was the first person to reach the Laban Rata base camp and was advised I couldn't check into my room for another 2 hours. Apparently most people take between 5 & 7 hours to reach this point. I had taken a little under 3. Unlike Nepal, where the route involved a series of steep inclines and declines that provided a gradual rate of ascent, this path was 6km of straight up. With virtually no flat sections to retrieve your breath, many people were forced to rest often and made gradual progress. I plugged into my ipod and never stopped for longer than it took to take a photo.
8:15 am: Various minibuses connect the Kinabalu Park headquarters to Timpohon Gate, where climbing permits are checked, and the path to the summit begins. Many people had already passed this juncture by the time we set off. My only motivation was to reach the base camp before 14:00 when the rain usually bathes the mountain as I only had one set of clothes.
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