Extreme Hike of Gunung Datuk [20th Dec 2009]

It was 2900 feet above sea level. 2 times the height of KLCC twin towers. The level terrain was very limited. 95% of the trail was all steep terrain. The steepness of the trail was crazy, 50-70 degrees upslope. It was a 2 hour hike from the foothill.

I was being called upon by Hock Beng to join this hiking trip organised by Angeline. I asked him which mountain, he said "Gunung Datuk". The name itself sounded very exclusive. So we googled search respectively to seek out more info of Gunung Datuk.

Apparently, there are not much pictures or coverage of the Gunung Datuk. Our google search resulted in a blog saying that even a woman bring 2 kinds, managed to hike up. So, we are pretty much confident that we will be able to achieve it.

We left Sunway about 6.15am, had some roti kosong before meeting the rest of the hiking members at the Asia Jaya LRT station. We headed south to Rembau about 7am.

7.30am, travelling on the highway to Rembau while the sky is still fairly dark

The beautiful sky..

After 1.5 hour of drive, we reached the foothill of Gunung Datuk. Time to flex some muscles and toilet break before starting the expedition. We passed thru a stream before the real expedition begins.

Gunung Datuk foothill symbolic sign..

Plain dumb car park system-.-

Group Shot, Expedition to Hike Gunung Datuk, 20th Dec 2009

Welcoming sign board..

Says what?

The stream with a small falls before the hike begins..

Man, from the start, it was already so steep. It was almost all the way 50-70 degrees of steepness. We keep talking among ourselves to keep each of us entertained. We never give up because we wanted to eat the watermelon which is waiting for us at the peak..haha.

Man, this is where it begins..an upward 60 degree upslope

The spotted flora and faunas on the way up

Almost all steep trail

Seems like it will never ends

One of the steep trail with many rocks and roots

Sibeh tired sia..our face doesnt lie..

Finally, reached check point after 1.5hours of hiking

Look at my sweaty shirt

I was feeling exhausted after the 1st check point. Sleeping barely 2 hours the day before doesn't help much. Had a short break, drank some water and munched some Toblerone offered by Mei Ching. Felt more energetic after the Toblerone. Thank you Mei Ching=)

Some rain forest tree

An uncle who is on the way down. He motivated us by saying don't give up..10 mins more to go, which is a lie..=.=

Just a short level terrain trail before it get rough

Jalur gemilang @ Camping site just right below the peak.
This time it shud be 2000+ feet above sea level. Can feel the strong chilly wind.

People hanging around before continuing to the top or descending the mount

The first ladder up

The second and third ladder to false peak

It's my turn man...wish me luck at ladder 2 and 3 of Gunung Datuk

The false peak of Gunung Datuk

The 4th and 5th ladder before reaching the peak

After almost 2 hours of hike, we finally summited near 11am. The view was breathtaking, the wind was chilly and the weather was cloudy making it great to chillax by the top. Eating watermelon at the peak was an unbelievable feeling. I never feel like descending because the ladder part was scary.

What a breathtaking view from the peak..

Look at my shoe

Enjoying every bite of the melon @2,900 feet above sea level

Spread my wings and fly away

The view where I'm standing

I have done Gunung Datuk=)

One last view before descending

We took lesser time to descend. However it's a tough one for me as my shoes grip was fading. I cling on to my life-saving natural stick and reached the foothill near to 2pm.

Top View: Descending the final and the 4th ladder

False Peak View: Descending the final and 4th ladder

Is this a toilet bowl?

Look at how steep can the terrain be.man..how long will it be before it ends?

Man, it is darn steep and my shoe isn't helping me

My turn to descend one of the steepest trail

I've done it, descended succesfully by 2pm with the stick=)

The view of the stream from the top. The upslope of hiking begins, after crossing the bridge

My Puma shoe Vs Hi-Tec Hiking Shoe

The open air hall that unites the villagers

Foothill campsite

Me and Hock Beng had BKT as our late lunch before heading home.

What an unbelievable Sunday it was. I made it even though I'm scared of height~ It was tiring but it will definitely go down as one of my greatest memories.

Thank you people for the support and motivation that you people have shown. It's been great knowing you guys and I would't have made it to the top without the support from each of you all=)