Stairs Climbing - Training for Gunung Belumut

-
04 Jun 2010 - "Climbing Gunung Belumut can be challenging for beginners and seasoned trekkers". "Hated Belmut [sic] coz both legs cramped when i climbed up"....  Are these all ominous warnings that Gunung Belumut is a "mountain" too far for the beginner climber ?  

Some members of the expedition have already begun their stairs climbing training.  I also hear stories of members climbing their apartment's stairs for training.  Stress ah! Surely i wouldn't want to be the only one who struggles and falls behind.  There's also an ongoing joke that the last person will offered to the tigers if they do appear ! Apparently, some trekkers heard the roar of a tiger at Belumut. O_O

"If you spot a tiger roaming around do not be afraid, for the tiger itself would not harm a human unless you agitate it. They usually go into hiding when they spot a human." http://www.cuti.com.my/Sub/Johor/guide_johor_gunung_belumut_recreational_forest.htm

The possibility of hearing a tiger roar is reason enough for us to start training ! We scouted around for a building to train and soon located a 40 storey HDB flat in Toa Payoh. 


Tiger fearing people ...

She trains even when she is not in sports attire ! 
(fear of tiger ?)

It was good training. I realized the intensity and exhaustion experienced is similar to that of climbing a mountain.  I also did some sprints up the stairs, in case i need to overtake any climber when the tiger appears ;-)

View from the top !

We climbed 3 times, each time it took us about 10 mins to get to the top.  We completed 120 storeys ! Who's afraid of the tiger now ... ROOOAARRR  (i am ...)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My First Pair of Adidas Kampung

-
Image
01 May 2010 - I have finally obtained my first pair of Adidas Kampung ! Thanks to my wonderful wife who persuaded the Malaysian supplier and convinced them to airmail the shoes over to Singapore.   This is the first time they have shipped these shoes overseas haha. You might ask, whats is this Adidas Kampung again ? Well, Adidas Kampung is the affectionate name for these Cap Gajah (elephant brand) rubber shoes - probably because of  4 stripes on the side of the shoes making them resemble Adidas shoes :-) They are usually worn by the rubber tappers and plantation workers in Malaysia and are also  popular among Malaysians for hiking in the tropical forests. These shoes are cheap (cost less than RM $10) and waterproof (100% Rubber).   It is often mentioned that porters in Mount Kota Kinabalu wear them to ascend and descend the mountain and they do so carrying heavy loads !  Studded soles  Cap Gajah (Elephant Brand) My wife bought them at RM $6.90 a pair and the entire package (inclu
Read more

Gunung Belumut

-
Image
19 Jun 2010 - Gunung Belumut (1010 m) is situated in Kluang, Johor and is about 2.5 hrs drive from Singapore.  We arrived at about 9am and started the trek assisted by local guides. It is compulsory to hire a local guide from the ranger office when you trek in Belumut. Depending on your group size, you may need more than one guide.   At the foot of the mountain, there was a nice river where families played and swam in the water. In the beginning, the trail was generally flat and easy.  Like all gunungs I have attempted so far, the easy part doesn't last long.  Once we got nearer to the midway point, the trail becomes steep and demanding.  Gentle beginnings .... Steep midsection The midway point ! There were lots of fallen trees and branches along the way.  I knocked my shin twice (double ouch !) onto fallen logs when i tried to get across them.  The fatigue must have impaired my judgment and sense of balance.  Anyway, the only good thing about injuring the same spot twice
Read more

Gunung Panti - Home to Blood Suckers

-
Image
10 July 2010 - The mountain was swarmed with blood sucking leeches ! Almost everyone in the group got bitten, myself included. Some even had multiple bites. Legs and ankles were still bleeding at dinner time ...  These suckers came in different lengths and sizes -  there were small thin ones (that can easily squeeze into your shoes) and long fat ones that looked like an earthworm. We constantly had to look at our shoes to check.  Without fail,  every 5 minutes or so, there will be leeches making their way up for a fresh blood meal ! Even when we stopped, we had to scan the ground for leeches.  A lot of us got bitten when we stopped to rest for the first time.  You stop to catch your breath and have a drink of water and the next thing you know, you have leeches making their way up from the ground to your shoes and ankles. Yikes ! Although, I got bitten by one blood sucker who made it up to my ankle and had a good feast, there were at least 10+ leeches that attempted to do so ! I ha
Read more