Kinabalu Hike With Minimal Training

Here we are again. I'm saving the date of the climb for a reminder: 29th-30th July 2018
This time i'll be talking about my recent hike up Kinabalu Mountain or what the locals call him, Aki Nabalu.
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Work has been hectic so i do apologize for the delay in posting this journey. Plus ive been having writers block these pass few months. I'll be staring at the screen and nothing come to mind. So whilst my mojo is back. Here goes...

I went on this Hike with the help of my friend's company: NUHU REPUBLIC.
They have the best rates so far. So if you are interested, contact her through instagram: @vendiebendie or you could just PM me at @thetravelingkayan for more info.
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First and foremost. You should train. period.
Forget my headline. you should train. period. or suffer the pain like i did.
I'm a stubborn person. i sometime tend to not listen to my body. Add ego and either u get success or down right sick or both.
I got the latter.
Id say a success non the less for someone who had minimal training. I just manage to arrive KM8 and sad to say i did not reach the peak where you get the nice picture with the sign.

What I Packed:

The weather up there can be cold or mild. Depending on the wind situation and humidity on the day of the climb.

Ascension Hike

1. 2 Litre Water Bladder - no need to fill up to the brim, advise to mix water with Electrolyte Powder. Can refill at the Layang-Layang Station (4KM Station)
2. Snacks  - Power Bars, Energy Gels etc etc
3. Dry Fit/Jersey Shirt (Long Sleeve/Short) - Dries easily
4. Water repellent Jacket - The mist can be cold
5. DryFit Pants (Long)
6. Uniqlo Heat Tech - To wear under Pants, i recommend something warm. My legs cramped up right before 4KM Station because I was too cold. Glad i had an awesome teammates to help me with baggage.
7. 10 litre bagpack
8. Face Towel
9. Socks - 1 pair will suffice
10. A Pair of Trusty Hiking Shoes - Adidas Kampung can also do the trick. Perhaps Better.
11. Cap - to retain heat . Keep Head Warm. A snow cap would be overdoing it.
12. Hiking pole

Summit Attack

1. 2 Litre Water Bladder - no need to fill up to the brim, advise to mix water with Electrolyte Powder. Can refill at the Layang-Layang Station (4KM Station)
2. Snacks  - Power Bars, Energy Gels etc etc
3. Blocktech
4. Long Sleeve DryFit
5. DryFit Pants
6.  Long Johns  - Extra Warm
7. Head Lamp
8. Fleece Jacket - For Extra warmth. If you can manage without this then by all means Great! Less weight the better
9. Head Scarf - In case weather is windy, this can be used to cover Neck & Face
10. Snow Cap - Again. Warmth.
11. Water Proof Gloves!

Medications

1. Paracetamol - I prefer the brand Panadol (Actifast!)
2. Anti Nausea Pill - I took Zofran. its your choice really.
3. Altitude Sickness Pill for AMS - I took this 24 hours prior just in case
4. Charcoal Pills
5. Please bring your prescription meds if you have any.

Food Prep for 2 days Hike for 4 Pax

Ascension Hike

Our flight flew in quite late the day before. So we all decided to stay in town. Too late to Grab up to the mountain base.

Arrive Panalaban Basecamp

Arrived! KM 6 right on time!
Finally a brief break from hiking up and time for some FOOD and SLEEP. 
Temperature up here starts to get cold once we stopped hiking so cover up to avoid getting sick.

Summit Attack

Got a wakeup call at 1.30am for our supper and pre hike briefing. We started the summit attack at approximate 3AM. This second half of the hike is much more strenuous compared to the compared to the previous 6KM hike because it is more inclined (plus we had to suffer lack of sleep and night hiking and a huge drop in temperature considering the time we started to walk up)

What i could have done differently

Kinabalu in general is considered an easy hike as the Park had already accommodate hikers with stair and handrails on most of the trail if we were to compare other hiking trails in Malaysia.

1. ​I personally believe i would've made better time if i was not sick and cramping during the hike. TRAIN MORE
2. Reduce weight on baggage. I could have ditch the fleece jacket and extra pants - i could have just use the same pants i wore for ascension. Though disgusting, everyone was doing it anyway. lol you just need an extra clean pair of underwear.
3. Train more. My training before this hike was just jogging and recreational hiking on the weekends. I should mix it up a bit and maybe join some HIIT classes to increase my stamina
4. Lose more weight. less burden on the knees and legs during ascension and descending. Less energy needed as well.
5. Get a water filter. The whole group got sick  on the way back. We are suspecting the water source in Layang-Layang Station at KM 4. Im thinking of getting the Life Straw for my next strenuous hike.