All smiles after the rain: Gerrald (standing behind third left), Debbie (right) together with other media personnel and two firemen after reaching Panalaban safely.
KOTA KINABALU: Climbers having to face the rain and strong flow of water while traversing the path down Mount Kinabalu have nothing but praise for their mountain guides and their extraordinary strength, stamina and experience.“When I first saw my mountain guide, I was mesmerised by his physique. His thighs were huge and he was following us and making sure we were alright all along the way, without seeming to get tired,” said Suara Sarawak journalist Gerrald Gilles anak Ahi, who descended the mountain on Tuesday.
The 29-year-old said he also met several other mountain guides or malim gunung and porters, and couldn’t stop appreciating just how effortless they made going up and down the mountain seem, while carrying loads of foodstuff and gas cylinders.
“When we got into a bit of trouble early in the morning due to rainfall and a subsequent heavy runoff, we really relied on our guides,” said Gerrald, who was already shivering since it rained and the cold got worse for him when it poured.
“I was told to hang on to the rope tightly and get down as carefully as possible to avoid being swept away by the strong water flowing from the peak,” he said, adding their guide never left them alone throughout the journey.
He said as he was not confident standing up and walking down, he chose to hold tightly on to the rope while sliding down, ignoring his clothes getting all wet as long as he reached the next checkpoint area safely.
While Gerrald’s maiden experience with the country’s tallest mountain was very challenging for him, he said that he may attempt it a second time next year just “to challenge himself”.
An RTM reporter from Kuching, Debbie Amanda Padan, said she ran into the bad weather near Low’s Peak during sunrise, when a sudden heavy cloud swept over the mountain top.“It started drizzling at first but my guide asked if I still wanted to continue the climb because he said up there, the rain is already heavy,” said the 29-year-old.
She remembered wanting to proceed but her guide was hesitant and kept telling her that it would be quite dangerous as the weather was unfavourable.
Debbie decided to heed the concern of her guide and turned back down, when slowly, she started to see water streaming down the mountain.
“Thank goodness I listened to my guide. I was disappointed at first, but now I just feel thankful to be safe,” she said.
This was Debbie’s second failed attempt to reach the summit as she also ran into bad weather on her try in May 2017. Debbie said that during her descent, her teammates comprising two firemen from Sarawak also helped others along the way.
“I saw how the mountain guides did their job with such professionalism, and I could tell that they knew exactly what they were doing,” she said, adding that she would attempt her third try soon.
Debbie, Gerrald, and the two firemen were part of a media trip to Mount Kinabalu organised by the Kuching Division Journalist Association, and most of them were first timers on the mountain.Tuesday’s downpour at Mount Kinabalu led to instant streams forming and gushing down the mountain between 5.50am and 7am. A total of 115 guests from Malaysia and other countries were aided by 37 mountain guides that day, with no reports of major incidents.
