Epic Hikes of the World ( PDFDrive )

Steps. Endless, slippery, winding steps. Steps that are steep and shallow;
steps that are deep and broad. Steps formed from intertwining tree roots,
gnarled and knotted by centuries of growth. Steps carved into black volcanic
rock, slick with moisture. Step after step after step. Countless steps behind;
countless steps to come. I’ve only been on Mt Kinabalu for three hours, but I’ve
already climbed enough steps for several lifetimes, and I’m barely a quarter of the
way to the top.
At 13,435ft (4095m), Kinabalu isn’t just the highest mountain in Borneo, it’s one
of the highest mountains in all of Southeast Asia. A great hump of brooding black
rock, thrust up by the movement of tectonic plates from Sabah’s northern coastline,
Kinabalu is a formidable sight: more fortress than mountain, a tower of inky granite,
wrapped in mist and shrouded in steaming jungle. To local Dusun people it’s
known as Aki Nabalu, or ‘the sacred place of the dead’. It’s a holy mountain,
haunted by the spirits of their ancestors, and as such, definitely not a place for the
living. But ghostly guardians aren’t the only obstacle for the 20,000 people or so
who set out every year to conquer Borneo’s highest mountain. For them, and for
me, it’s the steps that hold the greatest dread.
Though it’s a relatively short climb – from the national park gates to the summit
the trail covers little more than 5 miles (8km) – Kinabalu’s great challenge is its
elevation gain. From start to finish, the trail ascends 7874ft (2400m) – roughly
equivalent to scaling seven Eiffel Towers, six Empire State Buildings or three Burj
Khalifas. Much of it comes via a punishingly steep staircase that spirals up the
mountain; the rest involves climbing over bare, slippery granite or hauling yourself
up fixed ropes bolted into the rock. Temperature and humidity levels wouldn’t seem
out of place in a Swedish sauna. And to cap it all, the mountain is notoriously
earthquake-prone – the most recent tremor struck in 2015. In short, Kinabalu is not
a mountain to be tackled lightly.