Coming from the beautiful North of the UK, I would say I’ve had my fair share of cold, wet and miserable hikes up mountains. My hike up Kinabalu a few days ago was no different really. My ascent up to camp was that typically Asian rain – relentless, very sudden and no amount of waterproofs can really stop you from getting absolutely soaked. So that was that, I hiked up to camp, cold, wet and probably much quicker than usual as a result. Despite waterproofs, I arrived sodden and most of my clothes for the next day also quite damp, which wasn’t good news considering that it tends to be quite cold at 4095m.
But you know, those hours of shivering and desperately trying to get my things dry, was completely worth it. Despite it all, I got to the summit of the tallest mountain in South East Asia and saw a beautiful sunrise on my way back down. There’s definitely something exhilarating about making it despite the bad weather. I have always said, even at home, that being wet and cold on the side of a mountain is one of my happier places.
