Klang Gate run with a buddy

Klang Gate

Today my buddy - Raymun and i returned to a very familiar and memorable place for hiking/running. It was the place where both of us had our first hike. At that time, he was a young enthusiastic junior who just joined infinity Milers (a running and mountain-climbing club in IMU).  A very kind-natured person of a humble disposition, our friendship kicked off right away. Since then, we have climbed quite a number of mountains and ran many races together, the most memorable of which were 5-day Trans-titiwangsa hike (which covered Gunung Gayong, Yong Belar and Korbu) and Standard Chartered Marathon 2009 (our maiden marathon) that we did together. It's been four years since we first met, and many good things had definitely happened in the process.

Throughout the year, we have been talking much about going for a trail run together. The last time we ran together was in July 2011, when he came to Sunshine Coast to stay with me for 3 days in preparation for the Gold Coast Marathon. In that 3 days, we did some beach running and simple trail running. We also talked a lot on a wide range of topics, from politics to relationships to religion. There really was no ending to our conversation.

Anyway today is the day! We returned to Klang Gate again. Raymun picked me up at 7.30am, and off we drove to the foothill of Klang Gate. After some simple stretching and warming up, we set off. The plan was to cover Klang Gate twice, to run fast in the first lap and slow down in the second to take photos and enjoy the scenery.

There are three parts to Klang Gate. First - the ascent. Second - the technical part that is analogous to running on a dragon's vertebrate. And third - the descent. We started the first lap strongly. Raymun followed my pace and we were going as fast as we could. My thighs and calves started to burn after about 5 mins. Eventually we covered the first loop in 54 mins. The total distance measured is only 3.2km. Haha.. I thought it was more! Coz we normally took about 3 hours to finish the entire Klang Gate on a hiking pace.

In the second lap, we continued to ascend as fast as we could. When we reached the top, we stopped to take photos and enjoy the view. What was meant to be a short break turned out to be an almost half-an-hour break! The funny thing about raymun and i is once we start talking, there is no knowing when we will stop. We just have this brotherly connection that makes us lose track of time. Haha.. Anyhow, when our sweats started to dry up and heart rate slowed down, we thought it was time to be on the trail again. So off we went. When we reached the descent part of the run, we played a catching game. The rule of the game is simple - the first person runs off for 10 seconds first. The next person then starts running to catch the first person. If the first person gets caught, he has to let the second person run away for 10 seconds before he starts catching him again. So we started fumbling down hill and played catching!

The second lap took us 1 hr 24 mins, thanks to the break we had earlier. After the run, we went to a place for some light brunch and discussed our running plan for 2012. Both raymun and i want to attempt an ultra-marathon together, but we have quite different schedules that it makes planning difficult. The few choices we have are Glasshouse 100, Port Douglas Ultra, the Great North Walk, Northface 100 Australia. I hope we can run an ultra together next year!

Raymun is heading to Singapore for medical elective. He is doing an adventure race with Puimun (an avid runner and climber) this coming 15 January in Singapore. I hope they do well!

 

Bye Klang Gate

Week Summary (18 Dec -25 Dec)

18 Dec (Sunday)

Pm - 11.5km (51:20)

19 Dec (Monday)

Am - 11.2km (50:20)

20 Dec (Tuesday)

Am - 10.8km (2:22:03) - Gunung Nuang Trail Run

21 Dec (Wednesday) 

Am - 10.5km (54:02) - Bukit Jugra Run

22 Dec (Thursday)

Pm - 5.6km (22:36)

23 Dec (Friday)

Rest

24-25 Dec (Sat-Sun)

Sick

Total: 38.8km (Run) - 2hr58min18s & 10.8km (Mountain-run) - 2hr22min03s
Average: 4.60 min/km

Gunung Nuang Run

One of the places I have set my mind to run when i returned home from Australia is Gunung Nuang. Early in the morning, I filled my bottles, prepared some snacks, gulped some protein drinks into my empty stomach, and set off for Gunung Nuang.

I arrived to see the familiar sight of Nuang entrance. On  a weekday like this, i didn't expect to see any one on the trail. True enough, I was alone in this beautiful trail. At the gate, I met three uncles who were the care-takers of Nuang. They suggested that i take a new route up to the first checkpoint, saying the the view is scenic and I'd come across a waterfall along the way. The drawback though, is the the route is longer, more challenging and harder to navigate. They assured me that there are sufficient markings along the route to guide me on the right path, but due to heavy rain in recent weeks, a lot of trees or plants have fallen, substantially obliterating the route. I thought this is a good chance to try something different, given that i had already done the old route multiple times. The only thing I had to take note of was to get out of Nuang by 12pm, because I had promised my gf to have lunch at 1pm.

Gunung Nuang entrance

Three uncles that i met before the run (note: the middle one with afro hairstyle)

The new route veered off to the right from the old route at about 300m from the start. I was running as carefully as possible so i won't miss any marking. Finding the correct route was not easy, especially with fallen branches and bamboos everywhere. I relied very much on my instinct (which isn't reliable anyway), and the final words that the caretaker told me before i set off  ('Go follow the river all the way till you see a path on the left side going up') to navigate my way. On a few occasions, i had to crawl or wiggle my way through the mess, which reminds me of some action movies where the good guys have to negotiate slowly and skilfully through red lasered lines to get to the golds.

The correct route is actually on the right side

Fallen bamboos everywhere

How to cross this obstacle?

Spotting the marking tape in a thick forest like Nuang can sometimes be difficult. I discovered that when the path is straightforward, there would be markings in longer intervals (coz the risk of getting lost is low). If the path is windy or obscure, there would be markings in much shorter intervals. Should you ever get lost in a less straighforward path, always retreat to the last marking that you saw. Stand next to the marking tape and spot the next one from there. You are likely to find the direction to the next stop.  I think this is the way the marking tapes are placed - they are designed to help the hiker find the route from the previous one. After about an hour plus of hiking and multiple river crossing, I finally reached the waterfall which the caretakers told me about. On normal occasion, I would have plunged into the pool and enjoyed the dip for a while. But i decided to give it a miss this time, coz i could not afford to lose time, since i did not know how long more i had to go and i had to get out of Nuang by 12pm.

The river

River crossing

The waterfall

A marking tape

 The rest of hike was smooth and unremarkable. I was running most of the way till i exited the mountain. I spent a total of 2hr22mins in the mountain. Hiking alone in the moutain, I realised, can be a scary experience. When you are out there facing the elements by yourself, there are no phones, no aids, no extra food, no people who can respond to you. There are times when you need to make a decision with regards to which route to take, whether to carry on or turn back etc. A slip, a sprain in the ankle, a wrong turn or a snake bite can easily ruin the entire journey. You need to have faith. Life is sometimes like that. Many times God left just enough markings in my life to make me see His guidance,  I must have the eyes of faith and courage to follow His guidance.

Before i left Nuang, i made sure i spent some time washing up and dipping in the nearby river. As i slowly washed away the dirt and blood from my legs, taking my time to be as thorough as possible, there was a momentary peace and joy which welled up in my heart. I became quietly introspective as i watched the river flowing along my feet. I long for my sins to be washed away daily by the showers of Grace from God. Like how the dirt and scales slowly but eventually fell off my feet, so are our sins, blemishes, and infirmities cleansed by the blood of Christ. I felt refreshed after the time spent in the river.

Post run

Leech bite

Nature's bath

Butterfly likes sweat!

Rock climbing in Mt Tibrogargan - Not for the faint hearted

I can't remember the last time i had chills running down my spine when I was out in the mountains. Today is certainly is one of the days!

Neil and I decided to climb Mt Tibrogargan at last minute. He had previously warned me that there is a lot of rock-climbing involved but somehow it just didn't get registered in my brain. I was thinking perhaps the worst of it is similar to Klang Gate. I could not be more wrong!

So at 2.00pm, Harn, Neil and I set off. Initially it's simple hiking. We then reached the first rock wall -it was manageable. After climbing for a short while, i realised that the rock wall became steeper and steeper. Gee it is not as easy as I thought and I should have been more prepared ! The rock wall soon became vertical and i started thinking that i made a big mistake in under-estimating the mountain. That's the thing about mountain. No matter how 'easy' a mountain seems to you, it always has the ability to defeat you if you are not ready. It just takes a few slips, challenging spots, sharp thorns and chilly wind to destroy your confidence. Hence, respect the nature and do not underestimate anything.

Anyhow. To cut the long story short, there were a few really challenging rock walls ahead that we had to overcome (most of them vertical), and the best thing was, we did it without harness and ropes. It is much scarier and harder to climb knowing that you have no safety net. I knew that if i slipped, that would be the end of me.

At the peak, we were rewarded with beautiful views of the landscape and other mountains. Wow.. It was an amazing feeling.

Such adventure is not for the fainted. Had i known the difficulty level, I would have prepared myself more mentally. Anyway, it was a good effort and I am sure glad we had the opportunity to climb today. Thanks to Neil for his guidance and experience in this field and thanks to Harn for taking some really nice photos up there even at the risk of his own dear life.

I definitely want to come back again!

Mt Tibragargan from far

Getting ready to go

Neil leading the way

I was starting to feel scared

Harn enjoying his climb. He was certainly more confident than me.

Hanging on for my dear life

How am i going to get up?

A near vertical rock face

One slip and he's finished

Neil looking for some holds

Last resort - Neil tied a rope for me to pull myself up :D

Chimneying

127 hours

View from the peak

Neil and I

Beautiful view (Mt Beerwah on the left and Mt Coonawrin on the right)

Retriever! Another dog my gf and i want to get :D

House-hunting

I will be working in Caboolture Hospital next year as intern.

This may sound cheesy but my working in caboolture is by no accident. First of all, it's not even a place that i intended to apply to because of its competitiveness. For international students like us, the only possible places we stand a chance of getting are Rockhampton and Mackay, or maybe Townsville. One night when i was lying on my bed, it suddenly occurred to me to try Caboolture. It's like a voice speaking inside of me. I reasoned that i should not waste my time. But the voice was persistent in telling me that it's possible, if i try hard enough and believe.  Being half-skeptical and half hopeful, I decided to make a trip to Caboolture hospital to meet the person in charge. To cut the long story, this year turned out to be a miracle year. A lot of locals who applied to Caboolture/were sent to Caboolture pulled out. This opened door for me. So on Friday 26 of August, a lady from Caboolture called and told me that i was first in their list of international applicants, and offered me a job. Wow.. I was overjoyed and speechless. Was the voice real? Was it God speaking? I don't know. I don't want to speculate.

To me, Caboolture is an ideal place to work because 1) it's a small hospital and there is a good community-like spirit in there, 2) it's still relatively near to Sunshine Coast where my old church is and 3) it's close to glasshouse moutains, where i can be close to nature and pursue my interest in trail-running! So i am really excited to start work next year!

Today Anke and I took to a drive to Beerburrum/glasshouse mountain area to have a look at the place and find accommodation. True enough, the place is quiet and peaceful. Lots of greens, trees, farms, trails and mountains everywhere. Older people or people who are retiring predominate in this area. My heart beat faster the more i saw the place, the feelings are very much like a fish returning to water or a bird to the sky. Just by looking at this beautiful creation of God is enough to bring peace to my heart. :)

One thing for sure, I definitely won't run out of places to run. :D

My prayer is that this place would allow me to draw closer to Jesus, and that i can be an useful member of the community! 

Beerburrum

Beerburrum town

Map. Glasshouse and Beerburrum are where i am intending to stay next year.

Mt Tibrogargan

Anke coming out of IGA