James Kon
Despite the challenges of fatigue and dehydration, Chairperson of the Youth League of the Brunei Fuzhou Shiyyi Association Katherine Hii Peck Ngah with six association members recently conquered the summit of Mount Kinabalu, the highest mountain in Borneo and Malaysia with an elevation of 4,095 metres.
Led by Katherine Hii, the team included Kang Tzin Min, Connie Lau Wee Lin, Lee Kah Seng, Chieng Leon Son, Chieng Sin Kui and Chieng Sing Kong with some of them scaling Mount Kinabalu for the first time.
In an interview, Katherine shared details about the team’s preparation. “Training began a month before the actual expedition at the hiking trails in Brunei. We also started to seek tips and advice from climbers who have experienced the Mount Kinabalu climb but it could only prepare us so much.”
On the climb itself, she recalled, “Weather conditions on the day were unpredictable and because it was the first time for some of us, we didn’t know how our bodies would react to such a high altitude environment.
“Some of us were feeling dehydrated, some suffered pounding headaches, bodies were heating up and some had tingling sensations in their joints. These were uncontrollable external factors and we had to deal with it and adjust accordingly.”
She said, “Not only did we have to be reasonably fit to conquer the summit, but our mentality played a big part, if not the most important. It was about our persistence, determination and willpower to keep on going and to successfully complete the six-kilometre (km) trail on day one and getting up the next day, some of us with little or no sleep, at the break of dawn to complete a total of 12km.
“There were times when we thought we were at the end of the trail but each turn led to more areas we had to cover and the finishing point was nowhere to be seen.”
Despite the challenges faced, companionship was key to the team successfully completing the climb.
“We all came to Kota Kinabalu with the same goal of successfully summiting the highest mountain in Southeast Asia and we were not leaving until each and every one of us achieved that goal, no matter how long or how painful it would be.
“We maintained a steady pace and reminded each and every one to keep taking baby steps and to constantly sip on water to keep ourselves hydrated. At times of exhaustion or when one of us was down with cramps, we would come together as a team and helped each other even if it meant carrying their backpack to lighten their load,” she added.
“Though we may have split up as a group throughout the climb, we still managed to find a way to regroup, even if it was at the end and would congratulate and applaud each other on our own achievement,” she continued.
“Not only did we receive encouragement from our own teammates, but throughout the hike, we came across other climbers from all corners of the world. Each time we passed them, there would be words of exchange either congratulating us on how far we had come or words of encouragement to keep on going. We did the same in return and that gave us a sense of unity as a whole community.”
Sharing some takeaways from the climb, Katherine said, “We are all built different and the intensity of the climb differed for each one of us but nevertheless, we all definitely gained a sense of personal achievement.
“If anything, we all came out feeling even more determined and even hungrier for the next bigger challenge. It made us realise that the human body can achieve so much more than what we perceive it to and as long as a goal is set, with a strong mind, anything is achievable. Least to say, the bond and the friendship we have between each and every teammate have been fortified,” she added.
