Gunung Nuang (Y2013 MTT)
BASIC INFORMATION
Trek: Y2013 MTT
Date: 5 - 7 October 2013
Location: Gunung Nuang, Selangor, Malaysia
Elevation: 1,493m
Duration: 1D
BRIEF ITINERARY
Day 1
Overnight transport to base of Gunung Nuang
Day 2
Trek up to Camp Lolo to Camp Pacat to summit
Descend
Transport back to SG
Day 3
Transport back to SG (early morning)
We gathered at 11pm on 5th October and were off at about midnight. Upon reaching the van, we noticed an unknown man amongst us. That fella shook Mazlan’s (the driver) hand, helped us arrange our seats, and got on the van. So we thought he’d be the Mazlan’s friend. Along the way, to break the awkwardness, I tried to make small talk with him. But to our horror, it turned out that this guy was not related to either Mazlan or us! Mazlan quickly pulled over and kicked the guy out. He looked dazed and confused, so we suppose he must have been a druggie who had gotten lost. Many of us were quite taken aback. But what a start it was to the Mid-Term Trek!
Our journey went pretty smooth from then on, and most of us had a good rest on the van. We reached some prata shop for breakfast at around 5.30am. It was drizzling and the possibility of the weather turning for the worse was definitely there. But we were still sleepy and hungry and found ourselves more occupied with prata and the tarik, rather than with worrying about the weather.
It sure was good that we did not worry because as it turns out, we had some of the most fantastic weather we could ask for in a trek. It did not rain and was amazingly cool throughout the day.
We reached the foot of Gunung Nuang at about 7am, 30 mins late for the waiting guide. Given that Gunung Nuang, at 1493m, requires us to run a tight schedule, we hurried ourselves to get ready, did our warm-ups, and set off in about 15 minutes.
The start was quite an easy walk. The road from the foot of Nuang is known as the “never-ending-road” because it is….. a very long road. Haha. We went up and down slope after slope, but the ground was wide and rather well maintained. There were lots of gigantic bamboo along this road, which, along with the morning mist, made for a rather pretty sight.
After about an hour and a half, we reached our first checkpoint, Camp Lolo. That is where the real adventure begins…
There were several rivers to cross from Camp Lolo to Camp Pacat. Fortunately there were strategically placed rocks that we could hop on through to get across. One river even had a Banyan tree- like plant with hanging roots arranged almost in plaits that we’d hold while crossing.
From Camp Pacat to the false peak to the real peak, it was rocks, roots and a very steep climb all the way. This took us about two and a half hours and we reached the peak at around 1pm.
The view at the summit was blocked by trees. But we did get a glimpse of what was beyond on the way up, just a few minutes from the summit.
We stayed up at the summit for lunch and for a short rest before heading back down. It was noteworthy that Samantha brought cup noodles along with a flask of hot water, and Kaijun brought a slow-cooker with dim-sum, fishball and bao up a mountain for lunch. I was quite impressed.
The trek down Gunung Nuang was definitely more challenging than going up. But we wanted to go home. So we persevered, sliding down slippery slopes and climbing down where tree roots have formed a natural ladder. As we reached Camp Pacat, we were, one by one, greeted by an overly-enthusiastic dog. But we were not as enthusiastic about the dog as we were about reaching Camp Pacat. We have certainly made good progress, especially for those who were having their first experience trekking in a mountain. As we continued our journey, the dog continued to hang around us.
After crossing the same rivers again, we were relieved to have finally reached Camp Lolo. From there on, the terrain would have been a lot less challenging. We took a short break and quickly went on our way because it was already early evening. And our dog followed us throughout our way along the never-ending-road, which felt soooo much longer than when we went before.
All in all, we took about five and a half hours from the peak to the foot of Nuang, reaching at about 7pm. The dog was still with us and was now having a shouting match with the other dogs that had been hanging around the foot of the mountain. We washed up and left for dinner at about 8pm (it took us a long time because there were only two showers).
We arrived in school slightly earlier than planned, at around 2.30am on 7th October. Some of us went home, some of us stayed in school to sleep, and a whole lot of us went to Swee Choon to supper. After what was a pretty rigorous mid-term trek, we all had a satisfying night of rest. The company, adventure and experience made the trek well worth it.
To everyone who came for the trek, thanks for coming! It was indeed an achievement to climb up and down a 1493m mountain in just a day, especially for the many of us who are relatively new to trekking. And not to forget those who have made this trek possible for all, the org com, Jing Ying, Ryan, and Samantha, as well as our big boss Wei Jie who guided us throughout the planning process. Thank you for making this trek possible!
Written by: Ang Cheng Da, Trek IC
