Sarawak : Part 3 - Success on Pinnacles Summit Trek!

The next morning, I woke up anxious to start the climb. I felt nervous as it was my first climb, and the words of the Guide the night before was lingering in my mind. It is 2.4km but the path was made of rock formations and it was steep all the way. No clear roads.

I was the slowest, and soon enough I was separated from my group. I followed another group who was behind me. So, one of the climbers helped to snap my photos using my phone. Evidence! My friends were really fit and they were so quick. I was so tired. 

This is the last 400m where the ropes and ladders start. My arms ached from pulling myself up using the ropes.

This is where the ladder starts. The first of the 15 ladders. We must reach the initial ladder by 11am or earlier because the climb down is longer. During the climb, I kept looking at my watch to make sure I was within time. I did not come all the way to Mulu just to climb midway! I must persevere!

The last ladder. As you can see from the time in the below photo, it was 9.30am. And that photo was from my friend's camera. And in the above photo, the time was 10.30am. I was lagging behind them by an hour.

Finally, I reached the peak of the trek! My friends were starting to climb down when they saw me. They did not think I was going to reach the peak in time. Yay to my perseverance! :-)

And this is why I climbed 2.4km. To see the Pinnacles! The Pinnacles’ at Mulu consist of a series of 45 meter high, razor-sharp limestone spikes that tower above the surrounding vegetation.

After snapping photos for about 30 minutes, it was time to climb down.

It was a tiring climb down for me. I kept asking the Guide how long to go. This is a sign of mental strength, and that mental of mine was really weak then. I kept stopping to sip a water or take a sweet. My legs were so weak, and my knees were wobbling. I can't wait to reach the Camp. 

We reached the Camp by 6pm. By then, it was dark, and they almost wanted to send people to look for us. Fortunately, they had faith in my Guide who was really experienced. One of the Guides told my friends to feed me more to strengthen my legs. Haha!

Till today, my legs are still not strong. It has been 3 years since my first climb and my legs' strength have yet to increase. But I still go on treks and hikes, because there is something I have that will keep pushing me to go on - my mental strength.