XPDC GUNUNG MULU Apr-Mei 2009

Subhanallah Alhamdulillah ALLAHu Akbar ! Itu lah yang mampu saya ucapkan setelah berjaya meredah hutan belantara Gunung Mulu ber-trekking kurang lebih 100 km dlm masa 8 hari non-stop.

XPDC kali ni mmg "berjalan kaki" sungguh. Besides trekking and climbing Mt Mulu (48 km altogether), we even trekked from Mulu Park HQ to kedai makan Stella Mulu at the riverside next to the Royal Mulu Resort (as suggested by Cjan which is abt 2 km away just for dinner ikan kukus). Dinner that night costs us RM200 for 11 people. Kuang3 ...

And on the last day we again walked to the Airport (Mulu) - dengan backpack sarat atas belakang masing2 (jarang2 org buat)! Mmg trip kali nih kira penuh dgn berjalan kaki sahaja ...

On the average I trekked at a speed of 13-15 minutes per km. That’s what we called power walk – sampai bengkak-bengkak kaki dan tegang urat keting ! Siap dpt anugerah 2 big blisters - one on each side of my foot soles.

But thanks to the antiseptic cream (borrowed from Doc Ramly & Cjan) which after applied to the foot, the "giant" blisters simply dries up just within 2 days. Very effective. But no one is complaining. Mmg puas berjalan kaki !

Meme "kerjo oghe gilo" - termasuk lah ambo sendiri pung "gilo" jugok !! Kalu tok gilo, dok ghumoh tengok Astro lagi best ... heheh3 ... ;)

Actually, this is my 2nd trip to Mulu. The first one was in mid 2006 where our group went for caving expedition. But the weather was much cooler then. It rained almost every evening. So most of our trek was wet & soggy. But it was fun though.

This time along, our xpdc involves climbing Mount Mulu, and with the hot dry weather (35 degrees at daytime), our attire were drenched with sweat - even with leotards !

Anyway, I guess it was a blessing in disguise coz that makes our trekking trail dry & therefore rather "easy" for us to move around and maneuver the steep slopes - no muddy puddles etc.

Pengalaman & exposure menikmati keindahan ciptaan Illahi saaanggaaatt lah menyedarkan saya betapa lemah & kerdil nya diri ini. Ia membuatkan saya lebih appreciate kpd apa yg Allah anugerahkan kpd kita.

Betapa tulang empat kerat ini mampu melakukan sesuatu di luar kudrat manusia biasa - hanya dgn berdoa, berusaha gigih & bertawakkal kpd Nya kita mampu melakukan sesuatu yg extraordinary.

Kesabaran serta konsentrasi yg fokus kpd goal (matlamat) amatlah penting. Don't rush - just take one step at a time. Go at your own pace, don't be embarrased or intimidated by others. Let your mind control your body. It's a psycho kinda thing ... At the end you'll realized that all the pain, body aches & tiredness are just secondary.

Kalau nak ikutkan dgn enjin berusia 50 tahun saya nih, mana nak mampu panjat Mulu yg dikatakan 20 kali ganda Nuang ? (may be with a bit of exaggeration here). Walaupun Mulu hanya 2377m ASL berbanding Kinabalu 4095m ASL, tetapi trek Mulu jauh lebih dahsyat & mencabar mental & fizikal para hikers!

Malah ada yg mengatakan Mulu jauh lebih mencabar drp G7 (above 7000 ft ASL) - ia merupakan "abang long" kpd CUS (Chamah-Ulu Sepat) ... mmg "extreme & advanced level" ... wallahu a'lam.

From my years of experience in trekking/hiking the Malaysian mountains, ketinggian sesuatu gunung bukannya penentu samada ia susah / payah didaki. Tahap cabaran setiap gunung adalah berbeza2, masing2 mempunyai kelebihan & keunikan sendiri.

Malah, ada gunung yg rendah tapi susah didaki. Ada yg tinggi tapi mudah didaki. Weather conditions spt cuaca dsbnya jugak memainkan peranan yg penting untuk menentukan samada trek kita menjadi mudah atau payah.

Overall, the Mulu Summit trek from Base Camp (Park HQ) to Camp 1 (abt 5-6 km) can be considered as "a piece of cake" as most of it is flat land, crossing 2 small rivers, plus several tributaries yg dah kering air nya (due to dry season).

But from Camp 1 to Camp 4 mmg mencanak giler, yg mana 70% adalah trek “lutut bertemu dagu”. Tahap fitness kardiovaskular hikers mesti tip-top, kalau tak ... mmg boleh pancit !

Tapi dgn izin Allah swt, kami berjaya jugak menawan puncak Mulu dengan mendaki sejauh 48 km (24 km up & 24 km down). Allahu Akbar !

Semasa di puncak - Masyaallah ! sunggoh menakjubkan ciptaan Allah swt. Betapa ... eishhh3 tak tau bagaimana nak describe. The views were just awesome - fantastic, bombastic, tik tik tik ! Cerita pun tarak guna. Kena mendaki sendiri baru tau … Bak kata Bro Pyan Hashim - Peerrggghhhhhhhh !!

Pada ketika itu lah saya teringat kpd nyanyian kumpulan Snada yang mana liriknya di adaptasi dari Surah As-Syams (Demi Matahari) yg berbunyi :

"... Demi langit, beserta seluruh binaannya.
Demi bumi, serta yang ada di hamparannya.
Demi jiwa, dan seluruh penyempurnaannya ...
Subhanallah !"

Down from the Summit, kami rehat satu malam & early next morning terus ke Camp 5. First part kitorg naik boat singgah kejap kat Perkampungan Penan utk beli sedikit souvenirs. Then proceed to Wind Cave and Clearwater Cave.

The river water levels at Clearwater was just at knee level - very cetek (shallow). Not like when we visited there in mid 2006, siap boleh terjun tiruk ! But not this time - unless if you want to break your neck !

The boat ride took us to Kuala Litut where we continue on foot - trekking for another 8 km to Camp 5 for the Pinnacles. Trek dia kira "ok" lah sbb mostly landai jer. Tang nih I buat average 14 minutes/km. So in just 2 hrs dah sampai Camp 5.

Camp 5 was built at the river side, pemandangan mmg cantik serta menenangkan fikiran. The colorful Rajah Brooke butterflies were everywhere. Bila tidur malam, boleh dengar desiran air mengalir di sungai ... Subhanallah !

For those interested to know abt the camp facilities - they only provide the basics. Camp 1, 3, 4 and 5 are wooden huts on stilts. So kat bawah lantai tu mmg berangin lah - natural air cond ! So trekkers tak payah bawak khemah utk xpdc Mulu, cuma sleeping bag jer !

Camp 5 provides the best facilities of all here - siap ada proper toilet & public kitchen complete with stoves etc. They even provide tilam getah nipis for you to sleep on. On the other hand, Camp 2 is not even a camp - it's just a small jungle clearings for trekkers to rest or take a break between Camp1 to Camp3.

What's the most important item to bring along in this xpdc ? Water, water and more water - what more when you're hiking during the hot dry season. Our body dehydrates very quickly thru sweat, and this must be replenished immediately. Most people can go on without food for a week, but not without water !

I carry a 1.5 liter bladder inside my 35+10 liter backpack, and another 350 ml water bottle on my hip. After Camp 1 onwards it's very difficult to find water source. So you got to be prepared.

Banyak juga detik2 "masam-manis peluh ketiak" yang sukar dilupakan – seperti menolak perahu (sbb air sungai terlalu cetek), ada yg asyik terkentut2 sepanjang trek, berpoco2 dgn MP3 Bro Sham (lajak nampaaak ! ...), bersolat jemaah dlm hutan ...

Masak-makan-minum bersama2 - especially GULAI MASAK LEMAK ikan masin yg Cda buat tuh - mmg perrrgggghhhh ! siap bubuh air nenas lagi tuh (menggantikan gula yg kehabisan stok) ... Shy & Yeop siap bubuh cili padi lagi - mmg terangkat kao punya ! Lepas tuh semua berebut nak "answer the call of nature" ... kuang kuang kuang !

Ada org tu siap sempat lg menonton "soft porn" percuma - hikers mek2 salleh dgn selamba & tanpa segan-silunya salin seluar dalam didepan2 bijik mata kita org semasa kat dlm kabin di Camp5. Astaghfirullah ...

Sebenarnya saya dah cuba tutup mata, tapiii ... masih "ter"nampak jugak melalui celah2 jari jemari yg nakal nih. Ohhh Camp5 ... x kan dpt ku lupakan semua tuh ... Fuuuhhh rugi sapa yg x der masa tuh ... ;) kuang3 ...

Anyway, masa dok panjat dari Camp 2-3-4-summit (both ascending & descending) ada dua perkara bermain2 dlm kepala saya. Yg pertama ialah bertekad bila sampai jer kat Base Camp nanti nak cepat2 switch telco from Digi back to Celcom.

Apa tak nya, now mmg tested & proven Digi punya coverage tak der langsung kat Mulu - "wide coverage" lah konon ! Sorry lah Digi, I couldn't find any of your "yellow man" up there. It was very frustrating sbb x leh update climbing progress kat family di kampung. Dulu masa panjat Kinabalu, I guna line Celcom tak der masalah pun. Kat Laban Rata pun dpt full bar - Fuyoo !

Yang kedua ialah hasrat untuk gantung kasut ("Boling" getah) & backpack (Deuter) trekking - kononnya dah "serik" lah. Tp skrg bila dah selamat sampai ke Park HQ & Bangi, mula lah terasa RINDUuuuuu teramat sgt ... nak trekking lagi. Mcm dah naik gian lah pulokkk ... So camner Bro Sham, bila nak wat lg ? heheh3 ...

Nxt trip rasanya nak mula trek dr Limbang melalui Head Hunters Trail ke Camp5 ... Cik Liza Coventry pung leh ikut sama nnti ... !!

One may ask me why I'm still doing all these kind of "extreme" activities, esp at this age (dah masuk separuh abad !). What more when it's a well known fact that Mt Mulu is not just physically tough but mentally challenging too !

Well, firstly this xpdc is my birthday present for myself (for reaching 50 !), which at the same time serves as a platform for me to sort of "test power" to see whether I still have that "oomph". And now after having conquered Mt Mulu, I guess it is proven that I still have it - alhamdulillah !

But I've to admit that climbing Mt Mulu is really tough. In fact I vomited once between Camp 4 to the Summit due to dizziness. It was my fault for not taking anything for breakfast. Of course I realized now that today I'm not as strong as when I was in my 20's or 30's. But still, I feel much fitter than most of my colleagues in their 50's out there ! heh3 ... ;)

In my younger days, it's quite normal for me to compete with other climbers to reach the summit first. But today, just being able to complete the trek is already considered a blessing. It doesn't matter much anymore if I were among the last to reach the summit. Yang penting kita masih boleh & mampu melaksanakannya tanpa menimbulkan banyak masalah kepada diri sendiri ataupun kepada orang lain.

And that reminds me not to find excuses supaya lebih menghamba & mengabdikan diri ini beribadat kepada Allah swt. Dengan anugerah kesihatan yang masih mantap, there's a lot I have to thank Him for the good health and good life He has given me.

Secondly, I need to get that 1 week supply of "free" fresh unpolluted Mulu oxygen - very good for my asthma ! After getting away for 1 week from work and the hustle & bustle of the busy city life, I now feel more refreshed, energized and motivated - even though a bit tired & aches all over from the long trek. Sakit tapi sedap !

Unlike Mt Kinabalu which may have hundreds of climbers on daily basis, I considered Mt Mulu as still "virgin", having only on the average one group of climbers per month. I don't think it lacks promo by the authorities, but I guess Mulu is not meant for everyone. Mt Mulu is just for "serious" & matured climbers only.

To me, this is again a blessing in disguise too ... bcoz less people means less "pollution" in Mulu. Therefore we can get better & more oxygen from the flora as well as clean fresh water from the river !

Ok geng, gotta pen off now. Nak ucapkan syabas & terima kasih yg x terhingga kpd semua trekkers Mulu2009 kali nih, esp Bro Pyan (Mohd Sofian Hashim) yg menjadi teman sejati menemani saya (dibelakang sekali sbg sweeper) semasa trek dr Camp2-3-4, dan Bro Sham (Roshamrizal Zahari)dari Camp4-Summit. Terima kasih lah atas kesabaran melayan kerenah enjin tua ni...

Otai2 lain pulak dah "berdesup" ke depan ... siap jogging lagi dgn backpack yg sarat di atas belakang - nak show off lah tuh !! Takpe takpe ... ;) Rakan2 trekkers spt Cda (Nur Mursyida Musa), WRos (Wan Rosnah Awang Isa), Yeop (Shahrul Halmi Shaarani), Shy (Mohd Shaiza Ibrahim), Shah (Mohd Shahril Salleh), Lin (Norhazlin Ali) & Cjan (Che Jan Che Seman) - u guys r THE BEST !! Mmg seronok abis dgn telatah masing2 hingga hilang rasa penat & sakit2 badan.

Tak lupa juga TQ kepada makhluk istimewa yg bernama Doc Ramly (Dr Ramli Ahmad) !! w/pun baru seminggu saya kenali, tp rasanya mcm dah berkurun2 kita bersama ... masyaallah, I envy you lah Doc Ramly ! You are a living example of waraq + sporting ! Banyak jugak dpt tips (free medical consultation) dari "mushroom head" kita yg sgt gemarkan carrot nih ...

Last but not least, syabas & terima kasih daun keladi kpd Guide Jenny, Asst Guide Sarudin (Penan), and porter Katong (Penan). Saya tabik sprinnggg kat diorg nih - selamba jer panjat Mulu ... macam berjalan2 pergi pasar malam ! All the staff at Mulu Park main office & Mulu Cafe were very helpful & friendly indeed. I really enjoyed my stay there.

Utk trip tahun depan, mintak Cda / Bro Sham cari tarikh yg sesuai ... terus booking dgn AirAsia !! ;) Kalu ke Medan / Indon pun kira ok gak. Doc Ramly kata kita leh pakai group border pass jer, tak yah passport pun. Yer ker ? Kita cari lokasi yg boleh mix hiking dgn leisure @ jalan2 cari makan ... ;)