C.  Climbing Gunung Api to Pinnacles Viewpoint (02/08/09)

The Ascent To Pinnacles Viewpoint

There are two mountain ranges located within the Mulu National Park. One is the sandstone peak of Mt. Mulu (2377m) and the other is the limestone peak of Mt. Api (1750m). In between the two mountains are rugged hills and deep gorges with clear rivers. Amongst them, the most fascinating attractions are the Pinnacles.

Pinnacles are located 1,200m above sea level. They are razor-sharp limestone spires rising 45m over treetops forming a stone forest of their own.

To view the Pinnacles, one has to trek up Mt. Api to the Pinnacles Viewpoint. The trail to this Viewpoint is 2.4km in length and rises about 1,200m from Camp 5. Our plan was to start the climb from Camp 5 in the morning and return to Camp 5 for the night.

In the briefing we had the night before the climb, we were told to bring along at least three liters of drinking water and we must reach the first ladder at 2.0km before 11.00am to make sure that we could reach the Viewpoint and return to Camp 5 before sunset.  

With the information about the climb, I was still under the impression that it was not a tedious one compared to what I had achieved especially in trekking up the Island Peak in Nepal. I even brushed aside concerns by a few trekkers at Camp 5 that at my age I should not attempt the climb.

Though I did not have a good night sleep, I was awake before sunrise and after a light breakfast was ready for the assault to the Pinnacles Viewpoint.

But I had with me only two liters of drinking water instead of three as recommended as I thought two liters would be more than sufficient for the climb. The only accessories I took along were a pair of gloves and a trekking stick, leaving behind the first-aid kit and the ankle and knee guards.

We started our trek at 7.00am. There were three or four other groups making a total number of about a dozen climbers. Our group of three was one of the last to commence the climb with me trailing behind Kenny and KC.

The first 200m of the trail was relatively flat passing through lowland forest. After this the trail rose steeply and it was quite an arduous climb to the first check-point, the little Pinnacles, 900m from Camp 5. After a breather and a gulp of water, we pushed on to the next check-point, the first ladder.

The trail grew more steeply and with large limestone rocks littering the trail, occasionally I had to scramble on all fours to inch forward. I huffed and puffed all the way to 2,000m, the first ladder, arriving there by about 9.30am, well before the 11.00am deadline. To lighten my load, I left a half-liter bottle of water under a rock and to retrieve it on my return journey.

The last section of the trail (400m) to the Pinnacles Viewpoint was near vertical, with 15 metal rung ladders and guide ropes anchored into the rock or tied to trees strategically positioned to help with the climb. It was much safer and convenient to grapple the guide ropes and climb the ladders to ascend.  But in sections where there were no ropes or ladders, it was more precarious to climb over sharp edged limestone rock outcrops, tree roots and debris strewn on the trail. On many instances, I had little option but to scramble on all fours.

After struggling for over three hours, I suddenly heard some voices coming from around the corner and finally I came out onto a rocky outcrop where Kenny, KC and a couple were smiling and congratulating me for making it to the Pinnacles Viewpoint.          

At the Viewpoint, there was no viewing platform to make it easier for climbers to admire the stunning view of the pinnacles. But the vegetation was sparse and it was not too difficult to find some good spots to take in the view and take some snapshots of the silver-grey forest of stones that rose from the forest – the limestone Mulu Pinnacles.

The Descent to Camp 5

After taking some photos of the Pinnacles, I sat on a rock in the shade to relax and had a bite of the packed sandwich for lunch. By 11.30am and after spending about an hour at the Viewpoint, we started our descent.

The descent proved to be more difficult and slower than the ascent. Again, climbing down the vertical slopes installed with ladders and ropes was not too difficult, but I had to scale down in reverse. I took over an hour to descend to the First Ladder (2,000m).

After reaching the First Ladder, I began to feel pain in my knees and ankles. I regretted that I had left my knee and ankle guards at the camp. From then on, I had to tread more carefully with smaller steps to ensure that I did not overstrain my leg muscles and joints. Occasionally, I had to sit on a rock, find a suitable foothold and with both hands clutching to rocks, plants or roots would slowly lower my foot on to it and descend carefully. On one occasion, I had a slip with one of my legs caught in between two pieces of rock outcrops and my knee would have been badly hurt if the other foot of mine did not find a foothold in time!

The trail was well marked with short poles painted red and white at the top. And at every 100m, a small tag showing the distance from the camp was attached to the top of the painted pole.

Getting more tired and thirsty in descending, I stopped at every pole with a distance-tag to take a drink and also a short rest. At every drink stop I only had a sip of water instead of a gulp as my supply of water was dwindling fast. Before descending, I was left with 11/2 liters of water. But by the time I reached the Small Pinnacles (900m), I was left with my last bottle of drinking water (1/2 liter). I rationed my consumption of water so that it could last me until I reached 200m. The last 200m to the camp was rather flat and it would be easy to traverse that distance even without any water to drink. As planned, when I came down from the last stretch of the steep slope, I drank my last drops of water!

Just after 4.00pm, a full and exhausting nine hours after setting off, I finally stumbled into the camp. Tired, wet with sweat and thirsty, I went straight to the kitchen and from the water dispenser filled up my two ½ liter bottles to quench my thirst.

Though Kenny and KC were back to the camp much earlier, I was not the last to return from amongst the climbers who left together in the morning.

The Pinnacles is a wonderful site. But the ascent is tough and the descent is even tougher. To me it was my toughest one-day trek compared to others I had done. I attribute this to my over confidence in undertaking the task as I thought it was an easy meat. All in all, I took it too lightly. It served me right!

After a short rest in the room, I went to take a cold-water shower to cool off and to numb my aching leg muscles and joints. Afterwards the three of us gathered around a table in the open yard to celebrate our success with Kenny’s “Chinese Tea”*. As no alcoholic drink was available in the camp, the “Chinese Tea” was an attraction and soon two friendly French ladies joined us. After finishing the “Chinese Tea” we went to have our dinner in the dining room. As we approached our dinning table, a Mat Salleh congratulated us for the success in the climb and pointed at me and said that it must be the “Chinese Tea” that had helped me to accomplish the task! 

 * The previous evening we also gathered to have a drink of brandy I brought from home. A couple of Mat Salleh passed by and one of them were curious of what we were consuming and enquired what it was. We told him it was “Chinese Tea”!

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