I reached Mt. Kinabalu’s Lowe’s Peak at around quarter to 7am, meeting several of my (fast) team mates who were already going down.
I looked at my watch thinking I need to make the cut-off time at Sayat-sayat for the Ferrata, so I have an hour to get down to km7 or known as checkpoint, can I make it considering the steep descent, rope segments and my knees?
Thankfully, I did not suffer any headache and I was able to cope with the altitude. I asked a fellow hiker who was already going down to take photos of me with the signage which he gladly obliged. He even asked me if the shots he took were okay, I smiled said yes, thank you and he left me to catch up with his buddy.
I was left alone at the peak.
How I wish I could stay longer, the beauty was so eerily captivating. I can feel the euphoria taking over my being.
But 10minutes was gone too soon and I started my descent, meeting several of my friends midway, I congratulated them and said “I need to get down”, I was in a rush that I forgot to take a photo of them, a photo of us. To celebrate with them the joy of reaching the top. I think I would always regret that, a lesson learned.
I started running down the slope from km8, thankful of the traction of my shoes and the rough surface of granite stone. The ropes were a lot of help too. In my mind, a small voice was shouting for me to decrease the speed, one wrong step and I could tumble down to the waiting nothingness and then the rocks below.
But it seems the recklessness of youth haven’t left me yet. The gift of not having a kid or a commitment.
I survived, thanks to the granite stone and my ability for balance. Walking on rice paddies paid off 😂😂
At 10 minutes to 8am I reached the checkpoint, the guy manning the registration smiled and offered me a hearty congratulations and then registered me again for the ferrata or known as “walk the torq”.
And there, I re-discovered my fears. One segment almost brought me to my knees but the rest was fun.
I’m glad I have lived this far to experience it. Life has too many experiences to offer, it doesn’t end when a relationship ends. It doesn’t become meaningless because a dream didn’t come true.
It is not the physically strong that survives, most often who survives are those who are strong emotionally, it’s those who stand up (always) even after a defeat.
ven going places 