911 Nuang
Sep 11, 2011 - On a whim, my wife and I signed up for a hike to Gunung Nuang via Janda Baik, organised by the Kuala Lumpur Hiking and Trail Running Meetup group. We were supposed to attend a wedding ceremony on Monday. Since we had the Sunday free, why not ?
Climbing Gunung Nuang from Janda Baik is supposed to be easier than starting at Hulu Langat. Apparently, the trail starts at a higher altitude and the route to the base of the mountain is shorter, making it an easier climb ... or so I was told.
At 5:30 am, my wife and I waited at the Summit hotel bus stop for our ride. Chanec, a fellow participant, was kind enough to drive us and 2 other hikers to the starting point.
We started the hike at 8 am from a dirt track where the cars were parked. We had to cross a river that was about ankle deep and we foolishly decided not to remove our shoes. Our feet got wet at the beginning of the hike.
Once we got across the river, the path led us through a big plantation. It was interesting to see farmers growing cucumbers, bitter gourd and other vegetables.
Within about an hour of easy walking, we got to a spot where the path splits into two. This was where the group stopped and waited for everyone. Eventually everyone came together and the ones that had rested enough set off first.
We took the path on the right and it led us into the bamboo forest where there were many big bamboo trees. Many of these bamboos had also fallen recently, probably due to the rain, making it into an obstacle course of sorts. This was also where the leeches appeared and I could hear many shrieking ladies in the background.
The path brought us to a beautiful river with an impressive waterfall providing a constant flow of water. We rested and ate our food here. Knowing that the daunting task of climbing Nuang only starts after crossing this river, we didn't rest for long.
At about 10:20 am, we left the river and headed for the path across the river. The path is located on the left, away from the source of the waterfall. From here on it was an continuous climb to the top.
As my wife and I had already broken away from the main group, we were by ourselves most of the time. Although the trails were marked and fairly visible, I doubted my decisions sometimes. Of course I told my wife I was very sure we were on the right route as I didn't want her to worry. Periodically, I went ahead on my own to make sure there's another marking ahead. The forest started getting mistier as we got higher and I knew we were getting closer to the summit. Certain parts of the trail were even eerie as it was quiet and dark. The thick mist, rain clouds and the forest canopy blocked out most of the sunlight.
Just before the peak, we got to a narrow rocky ridge with steep drops on either side. If you were to slip here, its definitely fatal. Upon crossing the ridge, we had to cautiously navigate a narrow ledge and climb up a steep wall with only tree roots and flimsy rocks to support us. This was the most dangerous part of the climb, it was a pity that the nice Janda Baik trail had to end with a haphazard climb to the summit.
We reached the peak at 1:30 pm, which was a big relief. I had set a turnaround time of 2 pm as I didn't want us to get stuck in Nuang at night. It's my wife's first time in Nuang and she did it in good time. I am so happy and proud of her.
The path from Janda Baik to the summit is a completely different one from the Hulu Langat way. The only similarity is the peak.
At about 2 pm, we started to make our way down. We met a group of hikers stuck at the dangerous ledge and I tried my best to help them up, I assisted some and gave some pointers to others, I hope they found them useful.
Did I mention it was already drizzling when we started the climb ? At about 3pm, the weather turned for the worst. The rain got heavier and the forest got much darker. It was so dark that I had to use my headtorch.
I was still meeting trekkers on the way up. I knew they would stand a high chance of getting stuck in the forest after sunset if they didn't hurry down. Normally if you are on the way down and you meet trekkers on the way up, the one on the way down will encourage the one going up by shortening the time taken to reach the peak. But this time, I told them the real time required. I didn't want them to make a wrong decision based on wrong information.
The steep slopes were getting very muddy and slippery making it really difficultly to descend. The markings on the soles of my shoes were all clogged up with mud, making it very slippery. We walked, we slipped and we slid. It was an arduous and painful way to descend. Our asses were sore and my arms and legs had many bruises and abrasions from all the bumps and knocks.
The descend was exhausting. A lot more tiring than the climb up. I can't imagine the condition of the slopes for the climbers behind us. We were about the 8 or so climbers to descend and there are 44 of us !!!
When we heard the sound of the waterfall, it was a MAJOR relief. We reached the waterfall at about 4pm and started to wash the mud off our bodies. We looked like we just came out from a mud wrestling fight ! There were leeches on my socks but i was so tired I just used my fingernails to flick them off. No energy to use the Axe oil i brought along.
At about 430pm, we started to make our way out from the waterfall. Although the rain had stopped, a lot more bamboo had fallen because of the heavy rain earlier. At some places, it was tough to navigate through the messy bamboo obstacles. Go under, squeeze through, go over ... I wish I had a parang to hack through the mess !
We got to a T junction in the plantation and there were 3 tracks ahead of us. Not sure of where to go, we stopped. Tham, a hiker who walked with us on the way down, asked a orang asli farmer and he pointed us to the smallest of the three possible tracks. We were lucky we stopped to ask for directions as the right track was the most unlikely one. Unless you took notice on the way in, it is likely you will choose the wrong path out. We found out later that many hikers actually got lost when the chose the wrong path at this junction.
We reached the starting point at 6 pm. It was getting dark and we were only the 5 or 6 person out. Slowly, more trekkers trickled in, arriving after sunset. Many complained about getting lost at the plantation T junction.
By about 9pm, only 1/3 of the trekkers had returned and rest were still in the forest. We were getting worried and some people even wanted to call the fire department (Bomba). We left the place at about 9:30pm when everyone in my carpool returned.
It was only 1 day later when we received an email from Alex, the hike leader, that we realised the last group came out at 1:15am ! Apparently, the slopes had gotten so bad, it became a big mud slide. Alex had assured everyone in the group that they can make it to the top. Its a promise that was only possible because he stayed on to be the last man. He ensured everyone made it to the peak and got down safely.
It is not easy being the last man, especially when you are fitter and you have to slow down to wait for the rest. For that, I really admire his patience and his leadership to get everyone out safely. For the record, 43 out of 44 made it to the peak of Nuang and many were novice hikers.
This hike has been affectionately named 911 Nuang by all the hikers as we did it on the 10th anniversary of the Sep 11 (2001) World Trade Centre bombing. It was supposed to be an manageable hike but got exponentially tougher because of the heavy rain. I reckon many were not prepared for the hike as they had chosen to ignore the packing list provided by Alex before the hike.
And yes, this is much more difficult than going by Hulu Langat. This is definitely a hike I will remember for a long long time. :)
Climbing Gunung Nuang from Janda Baik is supposed to be easier than starting at Hulu Langat. Apparently, the trail starts at a higher altitude and the route to the base of the mountain is shorter, making it an easier climb ... or so I was told.
At 5:30 am, my wife and I waited at the Summit hotel bus stop for our ride. Chanec, a fellow participant, was kind enough to drive us and 2 other hikers to the starting point.
We started the hike at 8 am from a dirt track where the cars were parked. We had to cross a river that was about ankle deep and we foolishly decided not to remove our shoes. Our feet got wet at the beginning of the hike.
 |
| Starting Point |
 |
| Walking through the plantation |
 |
| The trail gets narrower here |
 |
| Take the path on the right to the waterfall (the one going up) |
The path brought us to a beautiful river with an impressive waterfall providing a constant flow of water. We rested and ate our food here. Knowing that the daunting task of climbing Nuang only starts after crossing this river, we didn't rest for long.
 |
| The river where everyone rested |
As my wife and I had already broken away from the main group, we were by ourselves most of the time. Although the trails were marked and fairly visible, I doubted my decisions sometimes. Of course I told my wife I was very sure we were on the right route as I didn't want her to worry. Periodically, I went ahead on my own to make sure there's another marking ahead. The forest started getting mistier as we got higher and I knew we were getting closer to the summit. Certain parts of the trail were even eerie as it was quiet and dark. The thick mist, rain clouds and the forest canopy blocked out most of the sunlight.
Just before the peak, we got to a narrow rocky ridge with steep drops on either side. If you were to slip here, its definitely fatal. Upon crossing the ridge, we had to cautiously navigate a narrow ledge and climb up a steep wall with only tree roots and flimsy rocks to support us. This was the most dangerous part of the climb, it was a pity that the nice Janda Baik trail had to end with a haphazard climb to the summit.
We reached the peak at 1:30 pm, which was a big relief. I had set a turnaround time of 2 pm as I didn't want us to get stuck in Nuang at night. It's my wife's first time in Nuang and she did it in good time. I am so happy and proud of her.
 | |
| Resting in the hut at the summit of Gunung Nuang |
 |
| The Peak at 1493m |
At about 2 pm, we started to make our way down. We met a group of hikers stuck at the dangerous ledge and I tried my best to help them up, I assisted some and gave some pointers to others, I hope they found them useful.
Did I mention it was already drizzling when we started the climb ? At about 3pm, the weather turned for the worst. The rain got heavier and the forest got much darker. It was so dark that I had to use my headtorch.
I was still meeting trekkers on the way up. I knew they would stand a high chance of getting stuck in the forest after sunset if they didn't hurry down. Normally if you are on the way down and you meet trekkers on the way up, the one on the way down will encourage the one going up by shortening the time taken to reach the peak. But this time, I told them the real time required. I didn't want them to make a wrong decision based on wrong information.
The steep slopes were getting very muddy and slippery making it really difficultly to descend. The markings on the soles of my shoes were all clogged up with mud, making it very slippery. We walked, we slipped and we slid. It was an arduous and painful way to descend. Our asses were sore and my arms and legs had many bruises and abrasions from all the bumps and knocks.
The descend was exhausting. A lot more tiring than the climb up. I can't imagine the condition of the slopes for the climbers behind us. We were about the 8 or so climbers to descend and there are 44 of us !!!
When we heard the sound of the waterfall, it was a MAJOR relief. We reached the waterfall at about 4pm and started to wash the mud off our bodies. We looked like we just came out from a mud wrestling fight ! There were leeches on my socks but i was so tired I just used my fingernails to flick them off. No energy to use the Axe oil i brought along.
At about 430pm, we started to make our way out from the waterfall. Although the rain had stopped, a lot more bamboo had fallen because of the heavy rain earlier. At some places, it was tough to navigate through the messy bamboo obstacles. Go under, squeeze through, go over ... I wish I had a parang to hack through the mess !
We got to a T junction in the plantation and there were 3 tracks ahead of us. Not sure of where to go, we stopped. Tham, a hiker who walked with us on the way down, asked a orang asli farmer and he pointed us to the smallest of the three possible tracks. We were lucky we stopped to ask for directions as the right track was the most unlikely one. Unless you took notice on the way in, it is likely you will choose the wrong path out. We found out later that many hikers actually got lost when the chose the wrong path at this junction.
We reached the starting point at 6 pm. It was getting dark and we were only the 5 or 6 person out. Slowly, more trekkers trickled in, arriving after sunset. Many complained about getting lost at the plantation T junction.
By about 9pm, only 1/3 of the trekkers had returned and rest were still in the forest. We were getting worried and some people even wanted to call the fire department (Bomba). We left the place at about 9:30pm when everyone in my carpool returned.
It was only 1 day later when we received an email from Alex, the hike leader, that we realised the last group came out at 1:15am ! Apparently, the slopes had gotten so bad, it became a big mud slide. Alex had assured everyone in the group that they can make it to the top. Its a promise that was only possible because he stayed on to be the last man. He ensured everyone made it to the peak and got down safely.
It is not easy being the last man, especially when you are fitter and you have to slow down to wait for the rest. For that, I really admire his patience and his leadership to get everyone out safely. For the record, 43 out of 44 made it to the peak of Nuang and many were novice hikers.
 |
| We made it ! |
And yes, this is much more difficult than going by Hulu Langat. This is definitely a hike I will remember for a long long time. :)
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