Here's how you'd be remind of the fact that you are just back from hiking trip:
1) You find scratches everywhere and the itchyness never stop haunting you, you just can't help to lift your legs in the office and scratch for a relief.2) Your bag which been used only for once has to be thrown away after trip.
3) The constant hungryness annoys you just like hitting a snooze button then it rings again in 5 minutes.
4) You can feel nothing but only your lemonade pair of legs for the following weeks.
As age is adding up, life could find it's every way to get you occupied. So busy that many excuses could fit well enough to just sit at home or do other things. All this while, a trip once been planned, to give up or cancel the trip is never an easy option. After all, lot's of research been done not only for the trip but also personal arrangement.
Spend days in the woods once in a while could wash the spirit clean and to avoid flatline in life.
I don't take it as something I am passionate about and it is kinda overrated. Instead, I remember it as something that once made big impact on my life, and if I did not know them, you might still see me holding an upside down world map. - Never forget where you have came from.
I have to be honest. Back on the trails again after two years has got me butterfly feeling.
It's the feeling that you are anticipating for the trip and yet you feel that you aren't ready in every sense.
Trip planning been checked again and again. Not much information we can get from the internet but I think we have read as much as we can.
First ever all-female-trip, besides getting every possible scenario playing in the head over and over again, imagining every little thing in detailed, what else can be done for this trip to a place none of us have ever been before?
Compared to those days of having lots of pre-hiking trip syndromes, being very manja for every moment when little uncomfortable feeling occurred, i used to be easily frustrated as to why I am subjecting myself to this sort of torture. But I do think i deal with all these a lot better in this trip and today. Even if the very little training didn't help much during the trip, but it still worked best by warming up our body engine prior to that.
Long ride in the foggy night, slightly delirius from the lack of sleep after a long day of preparation yet still being ON TIME in meeting our guide.
It's her second overnight trip after her first trip to Gunung Irau in 2012.
It will definitely take her a little time to adjust to the jungle as how each of us be during our first few trips.
After a few KM walking with bushes alongside, fallen bamboo trail starts, obstacle after obstacle. The route was challenging with some very steep and muddy inclines, narrow ridges, and many times of water crossings.
Without much experience, it's careless to have late realisation while walking behind her that she did not know the way to move her body with flexibility which in turn increased the difficulty for her. I showed her a few step. As she walked she's constantly asked :"How long more to goooooo?"''How to cross this part'' sometimes, with a tinge of frustration.
Two years gap of not being active in this outdoor activity, sometime i find myself lacking of the determination to keep going when things seem hard. Moving in each little step which is actually a huge step closer, but you are just so reluctant to, when most of your muscles are soaring and resting your feet is just so tempting.
Trekking through the thick and lush, humid rainforest, crossing many small tributaries, ascending and descending gulley’s finally reaching camp Asadi.
After a countless times of crawling up and bending our knee down, Jacky muttered lifelessly "Never again...".
But we're not ready to give up. Not just yet. Relying on nothing more but 100% pure determination alone.
It is physically and emotionally demanding. We were amazed by her determination, her willingness to try catching up with the team after been told the way to keep the gap small is to run when we are able to, walk when we can't. - ''If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you. ''
Reaching camp site in around 3pm, had a luxury time spent on preparing dinner and tomorrow's breakfast. Scratched, soaked in sweat and tired muscles were very evident as we arrived. The time ticks away and before too long it's already 6.00 p.m., after a demanding climb, we can't help falling into a heap in the sleeping bag and passed out.
Early rest did give us a boost in energy. We woke up at 12 a.m. for a quick supper then fell back to sleep with the joyous feeling of having five more hours to rest.
Up early for breakfast before an expedition. Early start was planned on the next morning to make sure we can reach the top before the it's getting too hot.
The second day no longer playing with obstacles, fallen bamboo, walk on the hill side, but what's awaiting is a 3000ft of ascending in a day.
Another stop signalling another miles gone by because the inclination is so steep. At some point, the level of inclination was almost 70 degrees. The heat of the jungle, the constant sweat and the never-ending search for a cooling breeze. No difference from yesterday was we can hardly find a place for a break.
Soon the ascent grew steeper and Jacky began to tire and came out with a conclusion: ''I'll just hire someone to carry me up next trip''
However, not a single tone of complaining can be heard instead, more positivity on her which was obvious this morning.
Further down the tracks, the path we trudged on changed from soil to rocks. Most part of the rocky path up to the summit can only be done with the help of ropes.
All of that became even harded for her. I was thinking she might already be too exhausted to enjoy the view up there or would she even find the view up there worth it all?
For each step she made, she will look back and ask: how are we going to descend later?
There'll be NO BREAK AT ALL!! ''
Made our way up to the top, summit on 11.00a.m., an hour earlier than expectation.
Hopeful kind of air walked pass my feet, made me feel that i am invincible.
She was so excited to see the magnificent view and as she saw our guide walked further to reach another big rock she quickly follow.After a countless times of crawling up and bending our knee down, Jacky muttered lifelessly "Never again...".
But we're not ready to give up. Not just yet. Relying on nothing more but 100% pure determination alone.
It is physically and emotionally demanding. We were amazed by her determination, her willingness to try catching up with the team after been told the way to keep the gap small is to run when we are able to, walk when we can't. - ''If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you. ''
Reaching camp site in around 3pm, had a luxury time spent on preparing dinner and tomorrow's breakfast. Scratched, soaked in sweat and tired muscles were very evident as we arrived. The time ticks away and before too long it's already 6.00 p.m., after a demanding climb, we can't help falling into a heap in the sleeping bag and passed out.
Early rest did give us a boost in energy. We woke up at 12 a.m. for a quick supper then fell back to sleep with the joyous feeling of having five more hours to rest.
Up early for breakfast before an expedition. Early start was planned on the next morning to make sure we can reach the top before the it's getting too hot.
The second day no longer playing with obstacles, fallen bamboo, walk on the hill side, but what's awaiting is a 3000ft of ascending in a day.
Another stop signalling another miles gone by because the inclination is so steep. At some point, the level of inclination was almost 70 degrees. The heat of the jungle, the constant sweat and the never-ending search for a cooling breeze. No difference from yesterday was we can hardly find a place for a break.
Soon the ascent grew steeper and Jacky began to tire and came out with a conclusion: ''I'll just hire someone to carry me up next trip''
However, not a single tone of complaining can be heard instead, more positivity on her which was obvious this morning.
Further down the tracks, the path we trudged on changed from soil to rocks. Most part of the rocky path up to the summit can only be done with the help of ropes.
All of that became even harded for her. I was thinking she might already be too exhausted to enjoy the view up there or would she even find the view up there worth it all?
For each step she made, she will look back and ask: how are we going to descend later?
There'll be NO BREAK AT ALL!! ''
Made our way up to the top, summit on 11.00a.m., an hour earlier than expectation.
Hopeful kind of air walked pass my feet, made me feel that i am invincible.
Finally, after all that drama about training before trip, I can now post pictures of the peak !
As we always say, descending would not be any easier than ascending especially when it comes after your muscle started to has the effect. It's isn't the mountain ahead that wear you out but the grain of sand in your shoes.
Climbing up full of laughters but it's only silence can be heard on the way down. Very slippery and steep, carefully we take each step.Somehow, we managed to dig down deep inside ourselves and continuing moving.
Upon reaching camp site with so much of joy. Jacky insisted to go a few steps distance away from camp site as she spotted the small falls for a well deserved dip in the stream.
Every one of us was shattered after a physically and mentally demanding climb.
Guess Jacky had picked up the lesson very fast that we always try to get everything in place before darkness fell with time.
It was plain that we had formed a tight team in a short amount of time.
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed people can complete great things. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
It's great to have her along in this trip, she possess a good spirit and never failed to entertain us with her humours. Yeah....she can now happily drinking unrationed Milo everyday.
Guess Jacky had picked up the lesson very fast that we always try to get everything in place before darkness fell with time.
It was plain that we had formed a tight team in a short amount of time.
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed people can complete great things. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
It's great to have her along in this trip, she possess a good spirit and never failed to entertain us with her humours. Yeah....she can now happily drinking unrationed Milo everyday.
A person with little experience in hiking, who has no clue what preparations required, even failed to imagine how a 3 days 2 nights trip is going to be, wondering why does it take so long to reach the peak and return.
And yet she has tried to give her hand before the trip. Taking up some easy and yet time consuming tasks, offered to fry onion and ikan bilis so that we can enjoy tasty food even in the jungle, grocery shopping, prepared lunch and dinner for everyone. She has no idea on how difficult would it be but she was so committed in training prior to trip.
As soon as darkness fell, the rainforest came alive with the sound of exotic wildlife.
Friends. Simple food. A few hundred of songs. Equals a fantastic time in the 3 days 2 nights trip. It's definitely a rare, exhilarating and fleeting experience.
Thank you for ODAs who squeeze out some time to make the trip happen!!!
The moment we drived back to KL, i start to miss fresh air already.
For the past three years, I've had the pleasure of participating in many expeditions, small or big.
Had and continued to be thankful for the person who brought me here, who bother to spend so much time and energy to convince me how this place is, if it's not, by far the best that had shaped him and extending far into the future.
I am present to the long, grateful journey it’s been; and still how far we’ve yet to go.
Grateful I never gave up.
To our adviser, thank you for arduous ride during the trip, for every trip, the selfishless effort to ensure it's smooth completion.
Thank you for the big and small treasures hiking has most definitely thrown in my face many lessons that would have taken me years to learn otherwise in the world which is rather abrasive and individualistic.
Thank you for once and still making me believe on how we can stretch ourself out of the comfort zones, and with the support of the team, we can go much further than most imagined they could.
Looking forward for many more summit with you to come.
Happy 10th Annivesary !!!
