Here is the group photo we took today. If you want the original hi-res photos, drop me a comment, and I’ll be in touch over email!

So what’s next, Kian Ann?

Ha ha… now that we’ve met up, we can work on some longer and more interesting treks (I see that today was kinda “no sweat” for many of you!).

Shall we go Bukit Timah next? What about Sat 30th August, or Sun 31st August? This will be slightly more challenging than today!

Meanwhile, I know many of you have plans to go overseas and are already looking for kakis! Heh… I’ll set the forum quick so you can communicate with each other!

More about it is reported here.

From the report, apparently the climbers met with the avalanche on their descent and K2 has the deadliest descent:

Those mountaineers who reach the peak have a much greater chance of dying while descending than on other peaks: 27 per cent have perished making their way back down – a rate three times higher than on Everest.

This is a real tragedy, and I express my deepest condolences to the families of the climbers - and lets all also pray for the best for the climbers who are still on the mountain fighting for their lives.

… and my belly’s got bigger too.

Well, I’m glad that I started this blog, if not I guess my trekking days will be over. Its great to know that over the year, the community has grown to a good size (at least enough to be a community!)

Recently, there has been a little more activity, and a few of us have decided to get started with a small activity - just as a warm up… lets go for a walk at MacRitchie Reservoir next weekend!

Here are the details:

Date: 10 August 2008 Sunny Sunday!

Time: Meet at 0815hrs (please come on time, we’ll leave at 0830hrs sharp!)

Where: Bus stop at MacRitchie Reservoir (refer to map below!)

What: Walk, 1 round MacRitchie ~ 2 - 3 hours, and get to know each other better! (so we can work on longer treks!)

Grade: Suitable for everyone! Bring water, cap, snacks (if you need) and insect repellant if you are very sensitive to insects.

Who: You! If you are reading this… and bring your friends along! No need to register or pay anything, but do leave a comment on this post, so we know approximately how many to expect!

Here’s the map and how to get there:

View Larger Map

Excited!

The trek crosses through high altitude regions with rivers, and passes, highest point being about 20,000 ft (about 6,000 meters). According to Ravi (our member), this trek is only suitable for people with experience trekking.

The trek is scheduled in the month of July, as this is the only month when these pass are accessible. The cost of the trek is about S$2000 apart from the air tickets.

Do drop a comment if you are interested, so I can connect you up with Ravi!

Through this list, I hope that I can help to connect you with other people interested in trekking, so for example, if you are organising a trek and you hope to find some company, you can contact me and I can help you broadcast out. Do sign up for the community at the blog sidebar if you are interested to be part of the community!

Actually, I would love to use a forum for this purpose instead, but from my own experience, forums need a lot of time and effort for moderation… and I doubt I will be able to spend that time doing that! So I guess email is the next best alternative yeah?

It seems like this community is growing, and there is a demand for details and contacts to get to the different treks in Malaysia. I apologise because I don’t have all the contacts at the moment, its been two years since I’ve been trekking regularly. But what I will do is I will start to compile them, and then put them up on this blog (or maybe start a wiki, so everybody can contribute?)

My guess is that I won’t be doing much trekking for the next few months. The uphill and downhill treks at Endau Rompin took the toll on my right knee. I might need to rest again for a few months, eat more nutritious food and do more soft exercises to build up my knee again. Argh.

But I won’t give up trekking. Too fun. Maybe no Kilimanjaro, but definitely there will be more Mount Ophirs, Gunung Stong etc.

After exchanging a few emails with the group, we figured most of us wanted a trek where we could just nuah (relax!) in the waterfalls, and isn’t too physically demanding. In the past, we always chose Lumbong (Pelepah) falls for a quick no-need-to-plan weekend getaway, but word has it that now there is a need of a permit (which costs money!) to enter the grounds, and we are not allowed to camp overnight there anymore.

So, the discussion brought us to the idea of exploring Ken waterfalls in Kota Tinggi. According to the BOAC website (that seems to be the only agency doing a trip there now), it seems to be a fairly easy trek - sounds even easier than Pelepah, with less than an hour of uphill trekking.

But the issue is that there doesn’t seem to be any resources online about where exactly the trail is, the administrative procedures (if necessary), how to get there and the condition (or availability) of a campsite.

Anyone been to Ken waterfalls before? Care to share some details?

Eventually, the momentum dies down and then we find either people trekking alone, or at maximum in pairs… and the rest of us give up the recreation completely.

I don’t want that to happen to me. I want to continue to take trips out of the busy city life even when I am 40, 50 or 60 - as long as it I am physically capable of overcoming the trails and obstacles.

So, I want to hear from you - where do YOU want to go this June/July? Gunung Tahan? Berkelah Waterfalls? Mount Ophir? I want to build a community from this website, so we can all meet and plan trips together.

And yes, it doesn’t matter if you are old or young - as long as you love the outdoors and you love mixing and meeting around with people… and you love trekking.

I’ll be hearing from you - where do you want to go?

We talked about trekking, skating, and some of the other outdoors sports - and it struck me that I haven’t been doing outdoor stuff for a very long time now. Yesterday’s session re-ignited my life for the outdoors, and I think I should get back to schedule, at least for a skating session every week.

I think it would be tough for us to all meet and do things together as every one of us get busy with our one schedules… but I think again that most of us go on a trip not because of the trip, but because we enjoy each other’s company so much. After all, counting the number of years since we go to know each other in the Rovers committee, its been almost 3 years.

Its sad but true that many trekkers trek alone, or at the most, in a pair. I think the fun in outdoor sports does not lie only in bathing in the hot sun or shivering in the cold rain, but also with the people are with. I really hope that the small group of us (there are only like 5 left in this group amongst the 15 comm members!) can stick together for activities.

According to a friend, the mountain’s terrain is not difficult technically, and the main issue concerning most trekkers is the altitude sickness.

Its still a year away, but I’m not taking any chances with my fitness. So, what treks shall I go for in 2007 to prepare me for Kilimanjaro in 2008?

Here are some which I think I need to conquer first - to conquer my fear of that 5000m mountain in Africa.

1. Gunung Tahan - a must go!
2. Gunung Rinjani - I heard the scenery is too breathtaking not to go!
3. Kinabalu - I want to go there again!
4. Mount Ophir - Maybe for a night trek to the sunrise

Apart from these, I think there will be a lot of Bukit Timah Hills and a lot of stairs climbing to do. I’ve already got my stairs climbing training schedule out, but I’m still reluctant to travel 2 hours to climb a 165m hill. Heh…

So onwards I plunge into 2007, onwards with more treks for myself to train towards Kilimanjaro in 2008!