This trip was organized by the Malaysian Outdoor Trekking Hiking Scuba group or MOTHS. Group size was about 30 hikers, more than ideal. The mitigating factor was that most of the climbers in this group had some hiking experience.
Gunung Yong Belar standing 2,181m ( 7,270ft ) is the 3rd highest mountain in Peninsular Malaysia after G. Tahan and G. Korbu. Listed as a G7, a collection of mountains in excess of 7,000 ft in West Malaysia. Located on the Titiwangsa Range, it straddled 3 states namely Perak, Pahang and Kelantan. Avid climbers who have done G7 use it as "bragging rights" in exchanging campfire stories. My G7 order was not in sequence, having climbed G. Tahan years before. Hence my G7 list now is in descending order.
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| Our intended free stay |
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| Satisfied our need for comfort |
Our group of 8 hikers drove from Kuala Lumpur after work and reached Cameroun Highlands late in the night. The plan was to meet the rest of the climbers and sleep for free at the Chinese temple in Brinchang. The temple's cemented hall was a bit unkempt and would have been cold as the night wore on. We opted for some creature comfort and found Lott Apartment, actually a converted shop house for the night.
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| Early morning briefing |
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| Our core group |
Breakfast was bland noodles at a nearby shop. Got our gear and assembled at the Chinese temple a short drive away. MOTHS members briefed us and followed by group photo then to the 4 x 4. Remembered that one of the guide was very impressive and sounded experience during the briefing. However, all unravelled when he was put to the test when we could not find the campsite on the first day. Moral of story, pay due respect to any mountain we climb.
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| Happy faces and raring to go |
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| 4 x 4 that sat 10 of us |
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| Brinchang to drop off point |
The 4 x 4s were great mechanical workhorses, carrying about 10 of us with our full backpacks and camping gear. The terrain to the drop-off point was not helpful. There were steep hillsides to climb, wet muddied tracks that caused us to swirl inside the cab like jelly beans. Those standing upright on the truck-bed were 'slapped' by overhanging branches when they let their guard down. These 'slaps' coupled with free massage was truly enjoyable in a perverted sort of way.
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| Over unpaved hill tracks |
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| Over muddied tracks |
The first leg was a flight of stairs which was very steep and this went on for about 20-30 minutes depending on your physical fitness. My sweat came out poring and my heart pounded like crazy. This warm up was punishing. There were lots of water pipes that crisscrossed this trek. Some sections leaked with jets of water shooting upwards and muddying our path. It was slippery and dangerous as we had to walk on top of these rubberized pipes at certain sections.
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| Steep steps as intro |
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| End of road, starting point |
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| One more shot for the road. |
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| Our rest stop cum relief clinic |
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| A logged clearing which was exposed and hot |
At one stretch, we were attacked by nesting wasps. I was lucky and got stung 3 times. Our only Punjabi trekker had about 15 stingers as he had don only pagoda singlet. Therefore, suit it up guys!
By the time we reached the next stream, he showed signs of allergic reaction and shock. Thankfully, we had a qualified doctor to administer a jab to relief the swelling and allergy. He was ok for the rest of the trip.
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| Titiwangsa Range unveiled |
After this stream crossing, the trek became much hotter. We had to cross eroded and logged out sections along the trek. There were no foliage cover and the sun was mercilessly beating down on us. It was here that I tripped and scraped my knees on the return leg. At the end of this trip, my legs were scarred by scrapes, donated blood to leaches ( the real thing ) and itched by sand fly bites ( that lasted weeks ).
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| Bamboo grove |
Higher up, the montane changed and we reached the mossy forest. Damp, muddy and full of moss, the forest had an enchanted feel. Can be scary or eerie if you are left straggling alone in the mossy forest ... as though you are being watched.
Bamboo thickets were common here and must be careful not to be cut by this fast growing grass. The view improved and we had vistas of the main range before us.
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| Our hero, Jason. |
Had a bit of drama where we, the sweeper group, got lost! We were supposed to pick up stragglers and lead them on. Ha ha. The main group made a last minute decision to camp at another site where there was more water unbeknownst to us.
The experienced guide who exuded so much confidence at this morning's briefing was no longer himself. We walked continuously without an intended destination. Thankfully our group member, Jason, sensed something amiss and backtracked to look for us.
Though we used our distress whistle and he responded, we could not locate the direction he was coming from. Such was the mystery of the jungle and God really helped us that day through Jason. Thank you.
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| Bad weather closing in. |
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| Mossy terrain |
Our campsite was a narrow valley that ran parallel with a stream. As we were last to arrive, our allocated site was the worse ..... muddied, uneven and full of roots ( try sleeping on top and you'll know what i mean ). They say ... " it never rains but pours " and that night it poured buckets. Other campers were of no help with their ceaseless conversation nearby.
In addition, this campsite was sand flies paradise. Even with my branded 'Coleman' tent with netting, they came relentlessly, attacking each time the screen was unzipped. The itch was the embedded deep-down type that could not be satisfied by scratching. Had to roll up my pants in office, scratching hard to satisfy that 'craving' the following week.
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| What's left of my Hightec shoes |
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| Boey Boys |
We ascended Yong Belar with just a day-pack. Left our gear at the campsite. Was in the point group this time around and reached Yong Belar first with the fit Boey Boys. Another group that left earlier had lost their way and had to backtrack. My shoes were the main casualty, wet and caked with mud. That did not bother me as the joy of having reached the summit was overwhelming.
Lunch was the humble pita bread stuffed with Chinese sweet meat ( loong yoke ), cherry tomatoes and zucchinis. Accompanied by hot coffee, it was super yummy.
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| Unamed exotic |
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Some relaxing moment after lunch
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Upper montane flora consist of the usual monkey cups and some exotic blooms that we won't be able to see elsewhere. Some monkey cups like those found in Endau Rompin National Park were homes to land crabs. This was shown to us by a botanist friend years ago when we were there. There were no residents in the monkey cups here.
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| No crabs residing here |
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| Monkey cups at the summit |
The return to base camp was quite fast after our euphoric feat. Bathing in the stream that night, my glasses fell into the stream and disappeared. Looking for it in the twilight was challenging. Esprit de corp was strong and everyone waded and tip toed in to help. Thankfully, it was found without being crushed underfoot.
As we broke camp the next morning, the weather was bad and the winds were strong. Another group of 8 hikers came to our camp and rested. They had trekked overnight, were exhausted and a sorry sight. One of their lady hiker was clearly puffed out. They rested and we started our journey home.
The winds picked up speed and was blowing hard against the bamboo groves as we passed. The descend was cold and seemed to last forever. My thought and prayers went out to the overnight stragglers, making a mental note never to trek at night. Making error of judgement in the jungle may be inevitable. Making it during the night amplifies the problem. Must be avoided. Cheers.
