The Movement Control Order threw a major spanner into my hiking and mountain-climbing plans since 2 years ago. It is only recently that after the restrictions were lifted that I managed to slowly get into the groove again. I actually signed up for this Gunung Besar Hantu (GBH) hike during one of the breaks in MCO some time last year. We were less than a week away from the actual date of the hike and then BAM!, the restrictions were tightened again and all outdoors activities were prohibited. All my hiking plans were put on the burner ever since.
So I’ve been jogging and exercising regularly in preparation for these hikes. And then two weeks before GBH, I took my wife and kid to Angsi and Datuk to work out my dormant leg muscles. I needed the workout because from what I read, climbing GBH is about as hard as doing Nuang. And Nuang in my opinion is one of the more challenging mountains you can climb for beginners or aging people like me.
November 27 was D-Day. Am I excited? Sure. Nervous? Heck yeah! This is my first real hike in many-many months. I decided to drive alone for an hour to Jelebu in Negeri Sembilan that early Saturday morning. Carpooling would be too much hassle. Waking up at 3:30AM alone was already a challenge and I’d hate to run around town picking up or waiting for other people. That decision proved almost costly for me because I never managed to find the mosque where we’re supposed to meet up. I solely relied on Waze to lead the way but the app brought me to a creepy bush in the middle of nowhere. I had a mild panic attack that morning, driving around in the pitch darkness and the drizzling rain trying to find the road to the starting point. Lucky for me somebody texted a picture of the signboard to the state park so in the end I had to trust my gut and follow Waze to the starting point in the Kenaboi State Park.
The fees that I paid included a 30 minute 4WD ride to the starting point but because I missed the initial gathering, I had to drive my trusty Alza along the beaten path there. Thank God the gravel road was not that bad (Gunung Telapak Buruk anyone?). Other than a few small branches scratching my car, I arrived in one piece at the park’s entrance and caught up with the rest of the guys there. There were around two-third of the 28 member group there when I finally checked in. Phone coverage was almost non-existent inside the thick jungle so if you are not familiar with the park, there’s a good chance you’ll get lost.
After distributing the packed lunch, a short briefing and a light warm-up, we started our long journey up Gunung Besar Hantu. The first part of the hike was an hour-long track along the logging road from the starting point to Sungai Kering. Nuang also had a 5 kilometer logging road but at least that one was relatively flat. The one near GBH, although shorter than 5 kilos, was a constant up and down hike across 3 or 4 mini hills which made it somewhat just as tiring.
We took a short break at Sungai Kering which despite its name was flowing rapidly with much water. The track after Sungai Kering was our real encounter with the thick jungle. Slowly but surely, we reached our middle pit stop, Camp Orchid, which took just over two hours from our last checkpoint. We took a much needed break and for some of us (just me really) had the packed lunch that we got earlier. If you’ve had Kembara meals before, you’d know how they taste. The instant nasi lemak that I had were not so good but I finished much of it anyway cause I’d hate to waste them.
From Camp Orchid, it was another 3 hours hike to the peak. That’s where the fun part began, including a steep hike at many parts of the mountain. Sometimes I curse and ask myself why do I even bother doing this, other times watching the clouds and fog enveloping the jungle and mountain brought much respite and serenity to my soul. As they always say: no pain, no gain homie. The summit of Gunung Besar Hantu presents some nice vantage points for sightseeing and taking pictures. It reminds me of Nuang but with a little bit more space to hangout. While the rest of them had lunch, I spent most of my time resting after the long hike. I did brought my yummy Brahim lamb briyani rice but I was afraid eating the whole pack might make me lethargic and too full for the return journey.
An hour later, we started our descent down the mountain. My pace is usually somewhere in the middle of the pack although most of the time, I’d like to make my own pace and take my own sweet time. Sometimes I go fast, other times I trot slowly amongst the tree roots and the muddy path. It was cloudy for most of the hike and the sky finally opened up by the time I got to Camp Orchid that afternoon. When it rains, it pours this monsoon season. I crossed two rivers and kept my boots dry on the way up but filled them up with mud on the way back thanks to the heavy rain. 11 hours and 1,462 meters later, I finally made it to the starting point in one piece.
I picked this trip with Ohana Adventure Sport or Ohana for short because of my pleasant experience with them in two of my previous hikes (I can’t recall which). They were really good organizers and the boss, Nik Mulya, was a pretty good cook. This time around though, Nik the boss doesn't really join much hiking trips anymore and spends most of his time in his comfy office. The packed lunch as I said before was not really good. I was hoping they were actually going to cook a proper lunch along the way but then again for a day hike like this, it was too much of a hassle to stop and cook at the campsite.
In hindsight, there’s a few things I could have done differently on this hike. For once. I could have brought more water - to drink and make more drinks. I could have also brought more tea, coffee or sugar. At the last checkpoint where we stopped, I should have left some of my belongings, especially the non-essential ones. Lugging the stove and empty water bottles for example just add weight to my backpack. A ziplock would have been useful to store my valuables and electronics so they don’t get wet when it rains.
All in all, I had a really good time with the hike, the experience and the good company. Met some new faces today, those who I never hiked before and mostly younger people than me. Can’t wait for my next trip with Ohana. Not anytime soon though because most of the regular mountains are closed for the monsoon season. I heard they will open again in March or April the soonest. One week after the trip, we received a really sad news about a member of the hike who passed away from a mountain bike accident. Al-fatihah to Amran and may his soul rest in peace.
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