I think I left Laban Rata at 3:30 a.m. to head up to the summit of Mount Kinabalu. There was already a string of flashlights on the trail ahead of me and more behind me.
I guess today the LED headlamp is de rigueur, and they certainly leaves your hands free but in 1989 they didn't exist. I recall that when I was moving it was fine and when I stopped it was cold. I wasn't well prepared for the cold but figured I could manage for a few hours. I did not have a hat which was my biggest omission, followed closely by not having any gloves with me.
Some of the slicker parts of the path across the granodiorite upper reaches of Mount Kinabalu had ropes pinned to the rock so you could stabilize yourself. On the plateau at the top, white tape led the way to the summit. We mostly shuffled in silence putting one foot in front of the other and hoping it would be worthwhile. Whenever I looked ahead or behind I could see the pinpricks of flashlights swinging back and forth as their owners climbed on.
As I neared the summit the sky to the east was growing lighter and that helped propel me forward such that I was nestled at the summit with a crowd of other hikers as the dark blue of night gave way to the reds, oranges and yellows preceding the sunrise. From my perch at the summit it became evident from watching the string of flashlights that quite a few of the hikers would not make the summit before sunrise, either because they left Laban Rata too late or couldn't keep the pace at altitude.
In the photo below, two of my fellow climbers rest against the rocks at the peak as the tell-tale signs of the sunrise color the sky to the east.
Get a 15% discount on your purchase or upgrade of any Topaz product when you enter discount code rdavisphoto at checkout. Click on the banner below for this offer.
