We climbed Mt Kinabalu

The summit of Mt Kinabalu at 4095 metres is the goal. Ten of us started the steep climb from the base at Kinabalu National Park from where the lofty peak can be seen through the fast moving clouds. The track winds over steep and rough terrain for 6km to Laban Rata at 3,250 metres, our overnight resting spot before the final 2.7km climb to the summit. The climb to Laban Rata took up to 8 hours of uphill slog. What a welcome sight was the lodge on the hill, with a hot meal and a warm bed waiting.

The final climb to the summit started at 2:30am the next morning (yes it was dark). We rugged up against the cold and climbed for up to 4 hours, I reached the summit at 6:45am to watch the beautiful sunrise. The view from the top was exhilarating and certainly worth the effort. To feel as though you are at the top of the world on a beautiful clear morning is absolutely fantastic.

However we were not done yet, as we still had another 7 hours of downhill to get back to the base of the mountain. The downhill was very hard on the legs, by the end of which we were limping along on sore knees and weary muscles. Relief was in sight in the hot springs of Poring, where we spent the next day recovering.

- signing off, Marika Martinez - Women's Own Adventure