Gunong Yong Yap (7113 feet) straddles the Perak and Kelantan state border. According to Dr Wong Sai Hou, President of the Association of Backpackers of Malaysia, it is "one of the six Big Seven's (seven thousanders) on the 'Roof of Peninsular Malaysia' � Banjaran Titiwangsa" (the other five are G. Korbu 7162 ft, G. Yong Belar 7156 ft, G. Gayong 7129 ft, G. Chamah 7123 ft, G..Ulu Sepat 7081 ft) .The highest of the Big Seven's, Gunong Tahan 7186 ft, is on a separate range in Pahang. G. Yong Yap lies 21 miles from Sungei Siput as the crow flies at a bearing of 100 degrees.
The rendezvous was at the Sungei Siput Police station. After informing the police of our intended climb we set off for Lasah (12 miles north). We embarked on a bone-shaking, rib-cracking 2�-hour rodeo ride in a Toyota Hi Lux 4WD. After negotiating the steep slopes of several hills we descended into the valley of Kuala Mu and was welcomed by the imposing peak of G.Yong Yap looming in the background.
Kuala Mu (2,000 feet) is an orang asli village situated at the confluence of Sg. Palit and Sg. Mu. It marks the starting point of the mountain trail to Gunong Yong Yap. Kuala Mu has 19 stilt huts sprawling on both sides of the river, linked by a log bridge. The huts are constructed from materials obtained from the forest. The roofing is made of three layers of woven bertam leaves. Split bamboo is used for the walls and flooring. The Government has built a community hall, an office for the Aborigines Affairs Department and a two-room school to cater for primary pupils.
After lunch, we crossed the Sungei Mu, climbed up and down several ridges to a height of 3,600 feet and then descended to a valley at 3,000 feet. This stretch of the journey took us four hours. The trail passes through virgin primary forest. Red, yellow and green winged seeds of the dipterocarps formed a welcome carpet. At times the trail snaked through clumps of giant bamboo and the occasional thick lianas, the host of the Rafflesia flower. According to our guide the Rafflesia flower is also found in this region, but the spot is quite far from where we were trekking. Edible nuts like the horse chestnut and 'jering' were in season. Ginger (Zingiber sp) flowers, flowering gesneriads and lipstick plants (Aeschynanthus sp) add a touch of colour to the trail.
One distinct difference between hiking here and other jungle trails is the complete absence of leeches. However, it was noted there was not much evidence of large mammals around. Only one spoor of wild boar was seen throughout the trip. Monkeys were conspicuously absent and the forest was unusually quiet, especially in the morning when you expect the Siamangs to give you a wake-up call. One explanation is that the Orang Asli here still hunt with their blowpipes for subsistence.
Sungei Chinok is a crystal-clear fast-moving stream in the valley. We spent the night on the bank of this stream. Several members of the group elected to sleep in a 20x25 feet hut erected by a previous group from the Rakan Muda program while the rest chose to sleep in their insect-proof tents. The Orang Asli guides kept a smoky fire throughout the night to chase away the mozzies.
Next day, at about 9.00 am we started the climb to the summit. The trail was quite level initially. We had to cross two streams � the upper tributary of Sungei Chinok and the shallow but fast moving 15-feet wide Sungei Parak. Here we filled up our water bottles as the next waterhole is at 6,000 ft. From the banks of Sungei Parak, the climb is relentlessly uphill, mainly along ridges at an incline of between 40 to 50 degrees. Three hours later, we arrived at the start of the mossy forest (6,000 ft). It was quite a sudden change of vegetation type, from the tall dipterocarps to the moss-clad stunted trees. The temperature was noticeably much cooler. The enveloping clouds gave this area the mysterious atmosphere of an enchanted garden. However, we were rudely brought back to reality when the trip leader told us we had to descend a steep 200 yards deep ravine to get water from a stream as there is no water at the summit. The final climb to the peak at 7113 feet was a scramble through mossy forest, up slopes of 60 to 70 degrees incline. With the added weight of at least 3 liters of water per person, we huffed and puffed as we clambered over moss-covered roots. At times we had to crawl under branches which grew across the path.
The mossy forest is the most beautiful and interesting part of the trip. Several species of aerial and terrestrial orchids were in bloom and pitcher plants (Nepenthes sp.) were found in abundance. Two uncommon terrestrial orchids (Dendrobium sp) were spotted beside the trail. The flowers of a "jewel" orchid and a helmet orchid (Corybas sp.) were beautiful photographic subjects. Even more striking is the parasitic plant, Balanophora with its vermilion red inflorescence stalk and tiny white flowers. Two specimens were initially seen at the side of the trail but on further exploration, more were found a couple of yards off the beaten track.
After an hour and a half, we reached a 2x2 yards moss-covered, vertical rock face. The guide assured us that the summit was less than 20 minutes away. With a sigh of relief we stepped up our pace and was soon cheered by the early birds who had already pitched their tents in the choicest spots. The summit is a relatively flat area of about 15 yards square with space for about 8 tents. The summit was shrouded in clouds and after dinner the inclement weather forced us to turn in early.
Next morning we woke up at 6.30 am to watch the sunrise. The clouds had cleared and to the north we could see two peaks, one of which is Gunong Kuar. To the east, Gunong Berhit 2 miles away, is our nearest neighbour, to the south Gunong Bubu and Gunong Korbu 10 miles away. Towards the southeast, there were at least 10 peaks we could not identify. Unfortunately the view to the west was blocked by shrubs mainly Malayan Rhododendrons (Rhododendron malayanum) with profuse red and pink flowers. Interspersed among them are Schima plants with their distinctive thick maroon leaves that turn green as they mature. Aerial (climbing) pitcher plants crowned the top of these shrubs. Most of the pitchers are white with some displaying a red waist (Nepenthes macfarlanei). Terrestrial pitchers are darker in colour and has speckled dark maroon markings.
The descent to the halfway camp at 3000 ft was relatively easy and it took half the time required for the ascent. However from there on we had to climb to 3600 feet before descending to Kuala Mu.
We spent a night in Kuala Mu. Some of us camped at an uneven ground near a waterfall a few hundred yards above the village. Several of us wisely chose to camp by the level riverside in the village. Our guide took us on a night tour of the village. The only entertainment at night is watching video tapes. That night their 'TV' hut was filled to capacity with children (at least 50) watching a WWF wrestling program. Nestled in a valley, Kuala Mu is not able to receive any TV transmission. Next morning we had fresh durians for breakfast before leaving for home.
We heard a lot of birds singing but they are very difficult to see in the thick forest canopy. The following bird-list is supplied by our veteran birders � Lim Kim Chye and Lim Swee Yian.
( h= heard)