I took the photo below on my ascent to Laban Rata. Ascent, that is, as in climbing the stairs rather than something more skillful.
It's still relatively early in the morning but already I was out of the lowland forests and climbing through the conifers and dwarf shrubs that wrap the middle elevations of Mount Kinabalu.
This is a southerly view over the lowland hills. A haze still fills the valleys while the sun burns off the remnants of the overnight clouds. This was both a good and a bad sign.
It was good because it meant I would have a nice climb with the prospect of better views from higher altitudes. Bad because it meant it would be a hot day.
On this section of the climb there was not enough shade to keep the sun off but not enough opening in the trees to see much. Of course, the climb was mostly this head-down, one-foot-in-front-of-the-other, slog up the seemingly endless stairway.
If you make the climb, when you pause to catch your breath, take a sip of water, or when the path switches back on itself, take time to look back. On the way back down the mountain the following day you usually pass through here late morning or early afternoon when the light sucks. Plus you'll be pretty tired after a short, rotten night of sleep and you may also have the residual effects of altitude sickness.
In other words, while reaching out for the summit, don't forget to enjoy the journey!
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