Dow Williams - Jan 29, 2010 10:41 am - Voted 10/10
camera fee?
failure to comply, 3 yrs....guess I can understand why we have no photos here....pic worth a 1000 words though....Pat, was hoping you would start to share some adventures from Asia...Hope all is well, sry I missed you in Vegas. Cheers.
Thanks for visiting. Different ecology here than the RR/Rockies for sure, but rugged in its own way. At 5RM, the camera fee is so cheap I couldn't resist - just took a day to get it put together.
I've climbed this mountain 3 times, twice Kuala Tahan-Kuala Tahan, once Kuala Tahan-Merapoh. If you climb via Kuala Tahan, you're likely to have to spend at least one night on the exposed campsite on Gedong at ~1900m. It's probably the coldest and windiest place I've camped at in Malaysia. I would highly recommend a sleeping bag for this campsite --- the only time I've been able to sleep there was when I had a sleeping bag, and no one who didn't have a sleeping bag could get to sleep (I suppose the guides could, but they're superhuman). I tried before with just a jacket (first time), then jacket and soft shell pants and thermarest (second time), and only on my third time there, when I caved in and lugged up a sleeping bag _and_ thermarest, was I able to get any sleep.
One thing about hiking sticks --- they are rather cumbersome if a lot of scrambling is involved. There's more of that on the Kuala Tahan route, particularly between Kem Pankin and the summit. The stick will come in useful for the many river crossings, though, but one can easily find sticks by the river banks for those.
Boots and gaiters will not keep leeches off --- they are small enough to get in through the gaps. On the Kuala Tahan side, the river crossings are much more difficult and I would strongly recommend against crossing them barefoot. Unfortunately that means you're going to get your hiking shoes soaked, unless you bring an extra pair of water shoes. It's something to consider if one is deciding whether to wear shoes or boots --- the latter soak up much more water.
Instead of taking the 3 hour boat ride, there is a public bus from the Jerantut bus terminal that costs something like 6RM and takes only 1.5 hours to get to Kuala Tahan. The buses leave every 1-2 hours (can't remember the exact frequency), while the boat leaves only twice a day. I imagine the boat ride's more scenic, though.
Dow Williams - Jan 29, 2010 10:41 am - Voted 10/10
camera fee?failure to comply, 3 yrs....guess I can understand why we have no photos here....pic worth a 1000 words though....Pat, was hoping you would start to share some adventures from Asia...Hope all is well, sry I missed you in Vegas. Cheers.
atavist - Jan 30, 2010 2:41 am - Hasn't voted
Re: camera fee?Thanks for visiting. Different ecology here than the RR/Rockies for sure, but rugged in its own way. At 5RM, the camera fee is so cheap I couldn't resist - just took a day to get it put together.
Wowbagger - Feb 3, 2010 11:54 pm - Hasn't voted
EquipmentI've climbed this mountain 3 times, twice Kuala Tahan-Kuala Tahan, once Kuala Tahan-Merapoh. If you climb via Kuala Tahan, you're likely to have to spend at least one night on the exposed campsite on Gedong at ~1900m. It's probably the coldest and windiest place I've camped at in Malaysia. I would highly recommend a sleeping bag for this campsite --- the only time I've been able to sleep there was when I had a sleeping bag, and no one who didn't have a sleeping bag could get to sleep (I suppose the guides could, but they're superhuman). I tried before with just a jacket (first time), then jacket and soft shell pants and thermarest (second time), and only on my third time there, when I caved in and lugged up a sleeping bag _and_ thermarest, was I able to get any sleep.
One thing about hiking sticks --- they are rather cumbersome if a lot of scrambling is involved. There's more of that on the Kuala Tahan route, particularly between Kem Pankin and the summit. The stick will come in useful for the many river crossings, though, but one can easily find sticks by the river banks for those.
Boots and gaiters will not keep leeches off --- they are small enough to get in through the gaps. On the Kuala Tahan side, the river crossings are much more difficult and I would strongly recommend against crossing them barefoot. Unfortunately that means you're going to get your hiking shoes soaked, unless you bring an extra pair of water shoes. It's something to consider if one is deciding whether to wear shoes or boots --- the latter soak up much more water.
Wowbagger - Feb 4, 2010 12:01 am - Hasn't voted
Getting ThereInstead of taking the 3 hour boat ride, there is a public bus from the Jerantut bus terminal that costs something like 6RM and takes only 1.5 hours to get to Kuala Tahan. The buses leave every 1-2 hours (can't remember the exact frequency), while the boat leaves only twice a day. I imagine the boat ride's more scenic, though.
atavist - Feb 5, 2010 5:11 am - Hasn't voted
Re: Getting ThereThanks for the additional information. Feel free to add pictures as well.