15 July – 18 August – About 6 months ago, an acquaintance (when he heard I was going to Sarawak for the International Show Caves Conference) suggested that I climb Mt Kinabalu whilst I was there. He said that I’d probably only have to climb 1,000m and I thought, “that’s not too bad, that’s all you climb from the Kowmung to Kanangra Walls”. So, I decided that Mt Kinabalu sounded like a great idea.
Turns out, a 1,000m climb was understating it a little. On day 1, you are dropped at Kinabalu Park (1,520m) and then on day 2, you are transferred to Timpohon Gate (1,829m), I hope that’s in a bus! Then you walk/climb to Laban Rata (3,353m), and they estimate this will take 5 hours – 1,524m over 5 hours doesn’t sound too bad does it? On day 3, you get woken up at 2am where you climb the final 742m, hoping to arrive there for sunrise. Then you walk back to Timpohon Gate to be picked up and taken back to Kota Kinabalu.
I still thought that it sounded doable, so I booked myself & Jim C in for the trip. Then I went to Bali for 6 weeks and sat around reading trashy books and drinking cocktails. On getting back halfway through July, it occurred to me that I might have to do some training. I hate training! So, here’s where I’m at after five (5) weeks of training!
For the first week, before my Mingara One membership was reactivated, I did the usual walk up a local ridge (quite a few hills), and a bit of stretching (around an hour each day). This was a good thing as it eased me back into walking, particularly with hills.
Then I organised five personal trainer sessions, for upper body and lower body. Keenzia (a personal trainer at Mingara One) showed me the right way to use a range of machines, plus loads of exercises with dumb bells and weights – focusing more on my upper body strength.
Keenzia – my personal trainer, at the end of the five sessions!
After the five sessions with Keenzia, I’m committed to continuing with the weights, now that I know how to use them! I only do the weights 2 days a week, on the other days I am on the treadmill and the step machine …
Week 1 – 1 hour walks locally
Week 2 – peaked at 44 floors on step machine over 15 min + 3.5k (and 312m elevation gain) over 45min
Week 3 – peaked at 70 floors on step machine over 25 min + 5.6k (and 450m elevation) over 1 hour
Week 4 -peaked at 70 floors on step machine over 25 min + 4.8k over 48 min.
Week 5 – peaked at 82 floors on the step machine (30 min) + 5.0k over 53 min.
By week 2, I’m really getting into this getting fit regime, so I convince some walking friends to do some fitness walks with me.
Our first one was a bounce trip down Perry’s Lookdown to the Grose River and back up. Thank you Marcia and Trish for keeping me company! And the stats are … 639 elevation and 7k over 3 hours on a nice well-formed track.
Well, most of the track was well formed, this bit needs a little work.
Marcia and Trish on some of the steps.
Fabulous views.
We’re down at the Grose River now, a quick bite and we were on our way back up, the walk down was easy, the walk up took a bit longer!
On the Sunday I was supposed to do Boar’s Head but I didn’t feel up to it so instead did a bounce trip down the Devil’s Hole track to the track beneath Boar’s Head, 300 elevation and 8,539 steps over 2 hours.
Week 4 rolled around and I had two trips on my mind, neither of which turned out the way it was planned, on Friday, Ali & Onni joined me to do a circuit trip of Furber Steps (down) and over to the Giant Staircase and then back to the Scenic Railway, 300m of elevation and 8.84k over 3.15 hours
Ali, on the way down to Furber Steps, there’s a walking track, and then “ladders” and steps down the cliff-face.
You pass some beautiful waterfalls.
The start of the steps, you can see how close we are to the cliff-face.
After quite a few ks on a walking track at the base of the cliff, we start the slog up the Giant Staircase, again, it’s basically up the cliff-face.
Interesting addition to the walk to the Three Sisters, shiny metal art installations have been installed along the walking track (for the delight of heaps of International visitors), this one a Blue Tongue Lizard.
And this one a good likeness of a snake, including scales.
Finally we’re at the top and viewing the Three Sisters (that we’d walked under and around). All that was left was a 3 – 4k walk back around to the Scenic Railway.
On the Saturday, Onni joined me to do a bounce trip from Mt Hay Road over to Lockley Pylon and then down to the Grose River, 700m elevation, 13k and 6 hours.
Onni and me at the start of the track, the distance is only to Lockley Pylon, not all the way down to the Grose where we’d be going.
The track, a few more trip hazards than Perry’s Lookdown, but a nice track nevertheless.
Down at the Grose River, a quick lunch and we were headed back up.
That’s me in pink at the bottom right hand centre, and an idea of what we’re headed up, there’s a track there “somewhere”, one wonders how those that found the route up actually found it, looks impossible.
About half way up to the Pylon, the wind is horrific, it’s hot and I’ve had climbing steps and rocks.
The view from the top, well worth it. By now though the wind is gale force and the rain clouds were on their way to us, so we set a pretty quick pace back to the car (not many hills between the Pylon and Mount Hay Road – arrived at the car 6 hours after we’d started (a leisurely trip).
Week 5 will be an overnight walk with Trish.
Big thanks to Trish, Marcia, Ali and Onni for joining me on all these training walks. Still another four weeks training to go, watch this space!