A mountain high enough
As
if life isn’t enough of a challenge, creative graduates in Malaysia have set the
bar for adventure even higher by climbing South East Asia’s highest peak, Mount
Kinabalu in Kota Kinabalu.
The two day and one night trek soars 4,101 metres above sea level, with breathtaking views of sunrise over the clouds the reward for those who make it. Our nine intrepid alumni climbers (seven women and two men) approached their task strategically with regular training sessions as part of their three month preparation. This included mini climbs up Gasing Hill and to the Batu Caves.
The first leg of the Mt Kinabalu climb is a three hour journey to Kinabalu Park where the climbers stay overnight at a chalet. Day two sees an early start with a 5.7km climb uphill to reach Timpohon Gate. The final stretch from the mid point at Laban Rata begins with a 1am breakfast and a 3am start before reaching rocky terrain by about 8am. Then come the hard yards, with a slow rope assisted passage to the peak.
The
8.7km climb was the brainchild of Noriah Abd Talip, a long term chapter member,
mother of six and wife to the president of the UniSA Malaysian Alumni, Badrul Jaafer.
“I thought it would be great fun and easy but during the climb I was cursing myself for coming up with such a ‘brilliant idea’,” Noriah said.
“I did prove to my children that you can achieve anything as long as you focus – it is something I am always telling them.”
And for team mate Fazidah Juda there was a bit of déjà vu about the climb. “It reminded me of finishing my architecture degree at UniSA,” she said. “The first 500 metres were the hardest and there were times I felt like giving up but I could not bring myself to stop and turn back. The trick was to take small steps and eventually you reach the peak.”