KUCHING: After climbing steep slopes and sharp limestone paths, media practitioners from the Kuching Division Journalists Association (KDJA) successfully conquered the peak of Mount Api, Mulu National Park, on Tuesday in a climbing expedition in conjunction with Sarawak Day celebrations.
The inaugural expedition, which lasted four days and three nights starting June 29, is the fifth edition of the KDJA’s annual climbing programme which was previously organised at Mount Kinabalu, Sabah.
According to the KDJA, the expedition brought together media practitioners from various agencies.
It aimed to test their physical and mental endurance while also highlighting the natural beauty of the UNESCO World Heritage Site in the state.
“On July 1, the third day and culmination of the expedition, participants started climbing as early as 6:00 am to conquer Mulu Peak, a 2.4-kilometre (km) climb which is known as one of the most difficult climbing routes in Southeast Asia.
“As a result, eight out of 10 participants successfully conquered Mulu Peak by 10:00 am and returned to Camp 5 before dusk,” said a KDJA statement.
The expedition participants represented agencies such as The Borneo Post, Utusan Borneo, Sin Chew Daily, Pertubuhan Berita Nasional Malaysia (BERNAMA), Dayak Daily, Suara Sarawak, Cats FM, See Hua and TVS.
On the first day, participants visited Gua Rusa and Gua Lang which feature limestone formations that are millions of years old and witnessed the bat exodus phenomenon at dusk.
The second day saw participants visit Gua Angin and Gua Air Jernih before taking an hour-long boat ride down the river to Long Litut.
“From there, they continued on foot for nine km through a horizontal forest track to Camp 5 to spend the night in preparation for the actual climb to the summit of Mulu on Tuesday,” the statement said.
Participant from TVS Jeeridyne-Eve Chan Sue En said that although it was her first time participating in such an expedition, the team spirit displayed, and the natural beauty of Mulu National Park made all the hard work worthwhile.
“I am very proud of myself and the team. Everyone should come here at least once in their lifetime,” he said.
Representing Cats FM Karuna Sho Hei Pohim described the climb as a personal experience that he had long dreamed of.
“The biggest challenge was during the descent, because at that time, a lot of energy had been used since the first day of the expedition, but I still strengthened my spirit and was grateful to have done it,” he said.
Meanwhile, Nick Fletcher Neha from the Suara Sarawak newspaper, who almost withdrew a week before the climb, managed to prove his ability when he was among the first participants to reach the summit.
“Since it was too late to withdraw, I challenged myself to prove that I was capable. I did move fast because I was worried that I would run out of energy on the way down,” he said.
On the last day, participants repeated the nine-km forest route to Long Litut and took a boat to the national park base before boarding a flight back to Kuching.
The programme was also supported by the Sarawak government, in line with the efforts of Sarawak Premier Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg to promote more of the state’s tourism areas for the Sarawak Day celebration on July 22. – BERNAMA
