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After a day of relaxing, I awoke the next morning to a trail run with a Brit and an American also staying in the hostel's dorm. However, while running through the jungle I quickly learned that glasses are not the best equipment for that particular environment. For the first 10 minutes of the run I was fine, and then the lenses fogged up and the previous nights rain dripped on them.

Jungle trekking

Peter Wyant
2007-02-05 19:19:09

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After a day of relaxing, I awoke the next morning to a trail run with a Brit and an American also staying in the hostel's dorm. However, while running through the jungle I quickly learned that glasses are not the best equipment for that particular environment. For the first 10 minutes of the run I was fine, and then the lenses fogged up and the previous nights rain dripped on them. I quickly lost pace on the other two as I made my way blindly along the narrow jungle path. To add to the fun, small irrigation pipes wound along the trail, providing ample oppurtunities to slip and fall. Numerous times my right foot slid off the trail and into the ravine below, fortunately every time I was able to pull myself back onto the trail. On one especially perilous segment, both feet slid completely off the trail into the abyss below . . . however, at the last moment my feet caught an irrigation pipe and I was able to work my way back onto the trail. Upon winding through a garden to the country road, I soon forgot the perils of navigating the trail and became lost in the views around me as we worked our way up a 3 kilometer stretch that ended at a local tea plantation. All in all, a thoroughly pleasant adventure that provided outstanding views.

After lunch and a shower I grabbed a map and headed out for some jungle trekking. I took a trail that led up a nearby peak. The hiking was spectacular. About 300 meters from the trail head, I turned onto trail 8. The trail immediately went straight up, forcing me to scamble up on all fours. It led this way for about half a mile before a steep descent, parts of which required the assistance of a rope tied to a tree. Then it led back up to the crest of the peak itself, with similar trail conditions, except for about 3 times longer. I made it to the top, briefly enjoyed the view, and noticed threatening clouds rolling in from the north. As I worked my way down the hill, I was greeted from the sound of a marching band rolling across the hill. In total the hike was about 3 hours, with half of it being almost straight up or straight down, I don’t think I walked further than 3 miles. The rain did stay off providing for a pleasant afternoon walk, and a heck of a workout. After this taste, I can’t wait to get to my next destination, Teman Negara, peninsular Malaysia’s largest national forest for more jungle trekking.