It’s interesting going down as this time you could see the view, whereas when you climb all was in darkness. Though for some, the darkness was good to cover out the scene, because now you could actually see where you could fall. Going down from the summit is kinda hard on the knees and toes as your body have to balance itself from the pull down. Then navigating through the ropes requires a bit of rapeling skills. Which I found to be fun actually.
We barely have a couple of hours of sleep. We had to wake up around 2:30am for our summit assault. Or better yet, we were awaken by the constant sound of footsteps from other climbers on the hallway, getting ready as well. Navigatng through a ton of scattered drenched clothes above our room heater and after having something for breakfast at the canteen we set off to climb the last 2.7km toward the summit.
Mt. Kinabalu’s trail are mostly stairs, and I hate stair trails. They are more tiring and would put too much pressure on your legs and butts. Especially if you have your packs on. From the start I could already see myself getting wobbly legs when I go down these uneven steps. Like how I see most of the other foreigners descending from the mountain limping on every step down and mostly with sticks for support.
Ferdz is a Backpack Photographer and Adventure Traveler based in the Philippines. Ironwulf.net: En Route is a travel blog accounting his adventures travels, travel and lifestyle photography. It's all about the journey and experience.
