As we reached the end of a ladder, I looked up, hoping to see an easy trail waiting for us. Yet, the only thing I saw was bare granite slabs stretching endlessly to the sky filled with glittering stars. On the slabs, there was a long line of tiny flashlights moving slowly forward to the top, along with an anchored rope provided as a marker and holder.

Following Bebee, I grasped the rope and carefully climbed up the slabs. The slope got steeper and steeper. We were gasping and wheezing and stopping for breath every ten minutes. I began to wonder if we could make it to the top by sunrise. It was almost 5 am and we were only halfway up. Bebee, meanwhile, started to question: Why on earth are we here? Though we expected that it would be hard, we never expected that it would be this hard. While we were totally suffering with the hike, the only thing that helped us put up with it was the breathtaking view of thousands of stars and the Milky Way in the broad, clear sky, which we could see from the slabs.

It was 6am when we met our guide at the last checkpoint. He and the other three climbers had resumed the climb around 4am, but they were now walking far ahead of us. From there, I could see the flashing lights from a group of people who had already reached Low’s Peak. It is a tradition for the first group of climbers who reach the top to make that kind of signal to encourage others who are still climbing. We were only one kilometer away from them, but from our walking record, it would take us nearly 2 hours to get there.

After half an hour, the golden, morning light was rising from the clouds. I sat on a slab of rock next to Bebee and the guide and watched it in silence. The wind on the top of the mountain was strong and freezing cold. My entire body was shaking and my hands were so freezing that I could not even move to get my camera. In fact, I was extremely tired and didn’t feel like moving at all. It was disappointing that we could not make it to the summit before the sunrise. I thought, so maybe this is it. We’re finished.

But then, some thoughts hit me. I haven’t come this far just to give up at the last 500 meters, have I? It seemed to be impossible already for what I had done to get to this point. But if I could make it to the top, to me, it would mean that nothing on earth would be impossible or too difficult for me at all. After all, it’s not about beating the mountain or other climbers. It’s all about overcoming my weakness and myself.

“You go,” Bebee said when I told her that I would continue walking to the summit, “I’ll wait for you here.”

The guide and I walked on as the sun rose and shined all over the place. The silhouetted peaks like Donkey’s Ear Peak, South Peak, and Low’s Peak were lit up bit by bit by the warm sunlight. I took a deep, slow breath and focused only on the steps in front of me. I knew I could make it. I thought, it just takes one step at a time.

As soon as I reached the last 50 meters, a few other climbers who were on their way down patted me on my shoulders and said, “You’re about to make it, girl. Congratulations!” I paused and stared at the clump of rocks standing in front of me. Suddenly, my eyes filled with tears. I asked myself quietly, “Do you really have to do this?”

“It’ll take only 5 minutes,” the guide whispered to me. Then, he held my hand and led me step by step to the top. He was counting down every minute that passed until we both reached the peak, marked by the two pieces of metal plate signboard planted into the rocks. I wiped the tears off my face and turned around, enjoying every single detail I could see and feel at Low’s Peak - the mountains, the clouds, the wind, the sunlight, the joys of other climbers, the sweat - everything. On top of everything, I felt liberated.

After enjoying the triumph for half an hour, the guide and I climbed down and met Bebee at the checkpoint. It was a pleasant day, so we could see everything around us very clearly on our way back. I felt dizzy when I saw the granite slabs that we had climbed up this early morning – Can’t I just wait here and have a helicopter pick me up? I thought.

With sore feet and weary bodies, Bebee and I got back to the guesthouse in KK in the late evening. Many travelers at the guesthouse stopped by and asked us about the hike. We didn’t want to discourage any of those who were going there, so we simply showed them the photographs of the trails. Bebee and I had been discussing the hike on our way back to the park office and we’d reached our conclusion: It was an unforgettable experience, but we will never do anything like this ever again in our lives. Yet, we had met many climbers who truly enjoyed the hike and their times along the trails. So it is hard for us to say whether it is worth it or not to climb Mt. Kinabalu.

Story & Photo:Voraluk Klasukon Tropical All Rights Reserved.

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