Tackling Malaysia's highest peak

IF CLIMBING MOUNT Kinabalu has taught me one thing it is this: there is always somebody better than you.

A few hours into day one of the twoday hike, I sit surveying a giant pitcher plant in the Unesco heritage site Kinabalu Park, tucking into a chocolate-covered muesli bar.

I can’t help but feel a little bit smug that our group has overtaken a few people on the steep ascent that I can only liken to having spent too long on a gym’s step machine. OK, they may have been a group in their later years, and maybe a few children, but it’s a small victory nonetheless.

My smugness is short-lived. There is nothing worse than seeing sprightly locals in flip-flops practically running up to the night’s rest hut, complete with supplies for our evening meal: bags of rice, gallons of water or an enormous gas canister. Suddenly my calorie intake doesn’t seem quite as deserved. My partner, our compulsory guide and myself are aiming for the ironically named Low’s Peak, a cool 4,095 metres above sea level and Malaysia’s highest peak. The hike is touted as tourist-friendly, and naturallooking steps have been built, as have several rest huts with functioning toilets. It’s only 8.7 kilometres from the start, but it’s the gradient that’s the challenge.

Unfortunately we leave rather late on day one, around 11am, and end up getting soaked by the afternoon showers. Laban Rata Resthouse, our home for the evening, is a welcome relief as I squelch about the dorms in my soggy socks.

Despite smelling of a wet dog (I forget to take a change of clothes), we set about making friends with fellow hikers in the dining room, reminiscent of a school canteen. Drinking a vat of hot chocolate and swapping stories with other friendly and exhilarated hikers is certainly a highlight of the trip.