20042014 - This weekend I decided to join a hiking trip to Gunung Angsi organised by Orang Gunung Kuala Lumpur (OGKL). It is one of the leading trekking groups in Malaysia. I never gave myself the opportunity to join their events because the participation fee is not exactly cheap. But this time, I joined because there is no fee involved except for the RM5 ticket to enter to the Forest Reserve Ulu Bendul. We met in Hutan Lipur Ulu Bendul at 7am. We drove further inside towards the entrance of Gunung Angsi. At the parking lot, we were required to fill up the OGKL form. It is so odd because I did not bring any pens. It never come across my mind to bring a pen to my hiking trips. Now, I shall make it a habit. After filling up the form, the organiser gathered everyone, gave a short speech and did a warm-up exercise.
The organiser informed that this is a Grade C hike. Now, I have not the slightest idea what is this grading system. I wished they would have elaborated. Now, the hike to Gunung Angsi can start either from Ulu Bendul or Bukit Putus. For us, we started from Ulu Bendul and we exit at Bukit Putus. If you opt for Bukit Putus, one has to walk 3km back to Ulu Bendul, which is what we did.
Finally, at 830am, we moved! First, it was a flat trail, and then our first river crossing. There were 2 river crossings involved. It is not very deep. It was just until my knee. Plus there were rocks to hop on. But I was careless. I slipped and I just decided to wade inside the water. Good thing I was wearing my rubber shoes. In Malaysia, it is preferable to wear rubber shoes while hiking or trekking because the condition of our trail - either muddy or rocky.Wearing sports shoes will wear out the shoes and may even tear it. From the first river crossing, the trail begin its ascending route. Ascend all the way. Thankfully, it was not a steep ascent.
Check out the lamp post I saw along the trail. A LAMP POST!
Along the trail, we occasionally stopped to catch a breather. Times like this, we stopped to eat and also snap photos! Photos are a must. But we casually remind ourselves to not constantly stop to avoid the historical 12 hour hike at Pine Tree Hill. We saw Lazy Log 1 at 10.40am.
There were signs on the tree to inform us how long we have till the summit. But this sign would have been applicable for a hiker with constant speed and who does not stop. At "60mins to Summit" sign, it was 10.40am. But guess what, I reached the summit at about 12.40pm. Definitely 60 minutes not at my speed. I read there was some rope climbing required and we saw that at 11.40pm. It looked easy but in reality, it was not! Plus, difficulty heightened when it rained! There were not much rocks to hook your feet to pull yourself up. It was more of pulling up your weight with your arms. The ropes itself were so heavy when I held it. So climbing up become a massive task for me. From the rope area, it was 27 minutes to the summit. But, as we all know, I am relatively slower. For me, it was another hour.
I thought the rope climbing session ended at one time. But there was another rope session. This time, it is advisable to climb down backwards because it was slippery. This is a short distance of 2 meter. For me, I was a sissy and decided to slide down. So, I became the only one in the entire group with muddied shorts.
At 12.40pm, we have reached the peak! It is a very spacious peak! Gunung Angsi at 825m. Took me about 4hours. There were a lot of people at the peak, whom are from our group. But my group of friends were the last to reach. At the peak, we cooked rice, sardin curry, chicken balls, and clams. For the first time, CLAMS!
The view from the peak. It was very misty, and hence, not a clear view.
At 2.55pm, we made our way back towards the exit of Bukit Putus. The route was descending all the way. It would have been easier if it did not rained. But, it did and the route was slippery and muddy. So, one must exercise extreme caution trekking down. I saw an open area with tables and chairs which reminded me of Bukit Saga. I saw some elderly trekkers cleaning up the place and making their way back. I bet they boil tea and sweet potatoes.
At 4.45pm, we climbed down the last flight of steps. And exited towards the main road. It took us close to 2 hours. We walked back to Ulu Bendul which took us about 30minutes. Of course, during the walk, we snapped lots of photos!
That was a fun day!
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