KOTA KINABALU: Curiosity about the olden belief that the soul resides at the peak of Mount Kinabalu drove the then 26-year-old Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan to scale the mountain.
“I had just returned from a holiday trip from Australia when I received an invitation to scale Mount Kinabalu. That was in 1966. I was curious about the olden beliefs, the soul of the dead and the spirits, how they portray our life, the traditions and cultures, and the sacred mountain.
“Hearing all these interesting stories made me want to scale the mountain, so I said yes to the invitation. Of course, being a young man, we thought our youthfulness was good enough, there was no need to do little exercises … well, we thought wrong,” said the Deputy Chief Minister, reminiscing his first climb on the 4,095-metre Southeast Asia’s highest peak.
Like any other first-timers, Pairin was excited to explore.
“There was no cabin at Panar Laban, and in order to save money from getting a porter, we had to carry our own food supply, which was quite heavy. What I learned from my first experience was that we had to know how to control our breathing and we must walk in a group. We should not walk too fast because it burns out our energy … in short, do not show off.
“We had to stop half way, slept in a tent and since there was no electricity, we used kerosene lamps. The next day, just before starting our journey to the summit, we noticed our noses were black due to the smoke from the lamp … in such conditions, we had to be practical, but it was fun.
“We finally reached the summit. We were glad because we reached and achieved our mission. It was the best moment of enjoyment, although we could only stay for a brief time on the peak, it was worth the climb. The scenery was breathtaking, it gave one the opportunity to view Kota Kinabalu and inspirations,” said the Infrastructure Development Minister.
Pairin, who has scaled Mount Kinabalu twice, said a true Sabahan should climb the mountain at least once.
“Once you have experienced it yourself, only then can you share what Mount Kinabalu is all about,” he told reporters after flagging off 60 Public Works Department staff led by its director, Datuk Ir John Anthony, to scale Mount Kinabalu yesterday.
Pairin also said he had climbed Mount Trusmadi in Tambunan twice.
“Mount Trusmadi is more challenging than Mount Kinabalu because you have to go up and down a few valleys before reaching the top … but the sense of satisfaction is the same. You can even see Mount Kinabalu from Mount Trusmadi if you look north,” he said.
Touching on the department’s Mount Kinabalu expedition from July 15 to 17, he said it was aimed at creating closer ties among the staff and their family members while promoting a healthy lifestyle.
Earlier in his speech, Pairin also shared his experiences with the participants and gave them a few tips.
“Walk carefully, do not hurt yourself, and if you feel any muscle cramps, relax your muscle first before continuing your journey. And on the way down, support yourself with walking canes.
“And please go and have foot massage to relax all the muscles … because I am sure we will need you to come back to work, fast,” said Pairin.