Activities Report Jan 2000 Newsletter
Yong Belar (6 - 8 November 1999)
This trip started off badly and nearly
ended disastrously. The two of us from Sitiawan, namely Dr. Wong Ah Kow
and I, were to pick up a passenger, one Mr. Hooi at the rest area next
to the North-south Highway toll booth at Tapah, at around 4.30 pm. However,
we were delayed at the start of our journey from Sitia-wan and by the time
we reached the agreed spot, there was no MNS member to be seen! After about
half an hour of waiting and looking around, we then proceeded to the Cameron
Highlands with some trepidation, as we were now cut off from the rest of
the group-. We had been told that the whole group would be putting up in
Tringkap for the night. But where in Tringkap we did not know as the trip
leader did not furnish us with this essential information and at that late
moment in time there was no way we could contact the trip leader. So we
went to Tringkap and started hunting high and low for familiar faces among
the hundreds of visitors (it was a long holiday weekend), Bangladeshi workers
and locals. It really was a daunting task - who would expect success in
such an effort where the odds were all stacked against us. However, God
was kind to us and we finally found the group at a dinner table in a restaurant.
And not a moment too soon either, for they had finished eating and were
about to disappear from the scene into some apartment somewhere which was
unknown to both of us.
The next day we set off from Tringkap
to Kampong Raja where we had breakfast and waited for our jeep transport
to arrive. We could see that Kg. Raja was bustling, thanks to the influx
of a large number of new farmers and also to the tidal invasion of workers
working on the Simpang Pulai-Kg Raja-Kuala Berang High-way. We were told
that property prices had rocketed to rival those of Kuala Lumpur and the
rental market had exploded because to the migrant working population.
The jeeps eventually arrived, coordinated
by a very helpful and amiable Mr. Yeong who is a personal friend of our
chairman, Mr. Cheaw. They brought the whole lot of us to where we wanted
to go - the bird watching group to their birding area and the mountain
trekking group to the trail head next to Gunung Warpu where we started
off for -Gunung Yong Belar.
It was a bright sunny day and I was
very thankful to God for we were afraid that we might have to contend with
rain as it had been raining every morning and evening without fail for
the whole month before our trip. The meteorological service had said that
the weather pattern had gone into an inverted phase for the rain was highly
unseasonal. So off we went into the forest in the bright 10.20 a.m. sunshine.
We were already at more than 5,000 feet (1524 m) above sea level. Mah King
Wah took the lead, laying down a paper trail. We went up a little bit,
crested the hill, went down and then up a second hill. Twenty minutes into
the trek, near the top of this second hill there was a very nice view of
Gunung Yong Yap in the far distance with its head draped in clouds and
in front of Yong Yap was Gunung Korbu which was described as “a pregnant
lady lying on her back”. The profile fitted the description perfectly.
It was a view which I particularly savoured because Gunung Yong Yap was
the first mountain I have ever trekked up. That was September last year
and when other MNS members found out that I was attempting my maiden ascent
at a time when my joints were beginning to creak with age the encourag-ing
remark proffered was, "My, you certainly picked a tough one to start with!"
From the top of the second hill we descended, only to head upwards again
till we topped a third hill. From there the trail turned down again till
we reached a stream at about 1.00 p.m. Here we had a short break for lunch,
refreshed ourselves and filled up our water bottles, for that was the only
water point on the whole track.
This first portion of the trail was
for the most part narrow and encroached upon by undergrowth and pencil
bamboo. Going through this tangle did the most damage to the ground mats
that we carried outside our backpacks. Those of us foolish enough to do
that found out to our cost - the mats were gouged and torn. Now I know
stories I heard of raincoats shredded were not tall tales. On the way back
I made sure I stuffed my mat inside my backpack. To echo Dr. Chan Ah Lak's
wisdom - “I have learned to be wiser".
I was told that the area was famous
for pencil bamboo - the bamboo stem is the size of a
pencil. Incidentally, bamboo is a rather fascinating vegetation. For
a start, it grows tall like a tree but it actually is a grass! Secondly,
some species flower only at long intervals, even up to once a hundred years
or so. It is said that members of some species bloom at the same time even
when transplanted to a different continent! The most astonishing fact about
the bamboo, to my mind, is that it is born adult-sized. That means the
diameter of the bamboo shoot is the same size as the fully grown mature
plant. The pencil bamboo is as big in girth as it will ever get when the
shoot pushes out of the ground and so is the giant bamboo which could reach
a diameter of 30 cm. with a girth of 94 cm. Imagine a bamboo shoot that
big coming out of the ground. Isn't that incredible?!
After the stream there was a steep ascent.
This second part of the trail was generally uphill all the way though again
it con-sisted of a few crests and valleys before finally leading to the
top of Gunung Yong Belar. It was mostly through mossy forest. We had to
do quite a lot clambering over roots and tangles of roots as well as crawling
under low branches or fallen logs. Most of us found the crawling fairly
taxing. It was especially so for me because some two hours after crossing
the stream my legs started to cramp. Crawling and struggling to emerge
from under the low branches with the backpack refusing to follow me but
insisting instead to get stuck to the underside of the branch would trigger
-off a series of spasms. I found myself limping. Finally I had to stop
to rest, after which I could walk again (though not without pain) for half
to three quarters of an hour before being forced to rest again by resurgent
cramp. Three agonising hours of this act found me at the top of Gunung
Yong Belar at 7,155 feet or 2181 metres above sea level. Hooray! I made
it! I have completed the trek in eight hours.
Setting up the tent and making a hot
drink, followed by an in-stant noodle dinner took me into the night. Fortunately
we were blessed with a clear sky. The stars were out in full force. From
our vantage point we could see Cameron Highlands and Gunung Brinchang on
one side and Ipoh City on the other. And the next day dawned beautifully.
Someone commented the night scenes and the bright colorful sunrise was
reward enough for the tough ascent. I agreed wholeheartedly.
As a novice at mountain trekking, I
must say that I have not seen so many humans and so much human activity
in the forest before. When I reached the top, needless to say, members
of our group who were ahead of me had already set up tents and had even
cooked and eaten. Apart from our group there were also three Malay gentlemen
already firmly established there. They said there were three more of their
party on the way. And indeed, at 9.00 p.m. those three arrived and they
had to extend their tent. On our part, two of our group were tardy and
we kept looking out for them until finally we gave up and came to the conclusion
that they must have set camp somewhere along the trail. We found them on
our way down the next day, only about twenty minutes from the summit. That
is not quite the story yet: in the middle of the night, at 2.00 a.m.1 one
solitary man turned up at the summit and bedded down without a tent. Apparently
he was the guide for his group of twenty youths who were somewhere behind
him. Again we met the others at various points on the trail when we returned
- some were trekking, some were just breaking camp and others had not broken
camp yet. I must say I have a very poor esteem of a guide who treated his
charges in this way. But then again I have only been on three such hikes
and I am not at all sure if this is acceptable practice. Perhaps somebody
might care to throw some light on it.
At 9.00 am we started our return trip.
Mah King Wah was the last one out of camp, making sure that all of us were
safely out and on the right trail down to Kg. Raja. This leg of the journey
was uneventful. Liew Chin Chow was with me and 1 think that it was a good
thing. I think if the big group cannot keep together because the fast ones
are very much ahead of the slow ones, we should at least trek in twos or
threes. It is for safety, mutual encour-agement and support. I also like
to thank Kok Choo for keeping me company the day before when I was having
cramps. Back to the trek. By 3.35 pm. we were out of the forest where we
were left by our transport the day before. However, we have arranged to
be picked up at a different place. Finally, after some more walking, at
5.20 pm. (about eight and half hours from the start), we reached the pick-up
spot next to the Tenaga Nasional weir. Here, while waiting for stragglers
in our group, some of us washed and bathed in the weir and were tremendously
refreshed.
I alluded to a near disaster at the
beginning. Well, it was like this - one member of our group went missing!
Apparently he started off alone from the summit of Yong Belar and we guessed
that he might have taken the trail leading to Gumung Korbu. We were rather
perplexed over the situation. Firstly, he was a seasoned trekker from the
Penang branch of the MNS and, secondly, there was a paper trail for him
to follow. Surely after walking for some time without seeing any of the
paper laid down previously he would turn hack and look for the right trail.
He should not have gotten lost but he did. Our leaders had to stay back
one more night in Tringkap and the next day went in again to look for the
missing guy. They met him at the stream, coming back after having taken
the trail to Gunung Korbu the day before. Apparently he was none the worse
for the experience. Everyone was very relieved and that night there was
a celebration over his safe return.
Thus ends the expedition to Gunung Yong
Belar, a memorable adventure because of the things I experienced and learned.
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Created on 15th Jan 2000