After a relaxing one night stay at King Charles Peak Chalet, we started (at 2,000m) our climb up to Laban Rata using the Mesilau Trail at 8 a.m. The trail spanned over 6 km before merging near Layang Layang, which is about KM 4 trail from Timpohan Gate. We reached Laban Rata (3,272.7m) at 5 p.m. after 9 hours of slow and enjoyable trek across different types of terrains.
The following morning we started at 3 a.m. in the dark. We kept a slow pace over the next 5 hours given the thinning oxygen and reached the peak (4,095.2 m) at 8 a.m. By then, all the climbers had left the Kinabalu summit area and the whole area vibrated with solitude and quietness…it was simply awesome! We savoured every single moment at the Peak. After 30 minutes, we made our way down and reached Sayat –Sayat checkpoint (3,668.1m) at 10 a.m. We spent the next 30 minutes with the guards who generously made warm Milo drinks for us. Taking our time to enjoy our trek downhill, we returned to Laban Rata at 12.30 p.m.
The following morning we started our downhill trek at 8 a.m. and passed the Mesilau & Timpohan junction at 10.15 a.m. before reaching the Timpohan Gate at 12.30 p.m. covering a total distance of 6 km. After a good rest, we were transported to Poring Hot Spring to enjoy a night stay at the newly renovated River Lodge.
For the photographs, please refer to http://happytrekker.shutterfly.com/pictures/586.
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