Dr Jeffrey and his wife at the summit of Mt Kinabalu.
KUNDASANG: When Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Jeffrey Kitingan told his friends he wanted to scale Mt Kinabalu, many of them were sceptical.
Kitingan, after all, is in his 70s and still recovering from the effects of the 2007 horrific car accident that injured his spine, paralysed him and confined him to the wheelchair for four months.
However, the septuagenarian was determined to climb the mountain, long revered to be the final resting place of the KDM people, and plans were made as early as January of this year.
“The plan is to reach the summit where we will all change into our traditional costumes to promote the diversity of the KDM people’s cultural costumes,” he said.
Kitingan only walks around his house in Inanam every morning and evening to prepare himself for the expedition.
On Thursday, he led the group of 50 climbers up the mountain, arriving at the Panalaban Base Camp around 4pm.
They then began the ascend to the summit at 2am on Friday, reaching the top around 6.30am.
After spending about 30 minutes at the summit, Kitingan descended Mt Kinabalu, finally reaching the Timpohon Gate shortly before 7pm.
“It was a very difficult journey especially after Layang-Layang and the last climb to the summit from Panalaban.
“Imagine climbing on big stones for 6km with big steps up and up; there are many steep wooden steps. Then the final phase is from Panalaban, climbing granite rocks with ropes, before maneuvering lose stones for almost 3km up to the summit,” he said.
In fact, Kitingan said the team almost did not make it to the summit at all due to heavy rain.
They were told by the chief ranger at 2am that since it was pouring, the planned ascent could only be made at 3.30am, weather permitting.
If not, the expedition would have to be cancelled or postponed.
“But I said Akinabalu will not disappoint us. He is just clearing the path for us and we will be rewarded by a clear weather. True enough it was a fantastic sceneries given us up there,” he said.
“In the end, I’m glad I was able to participate in this expedition. I’ve always believed that we can all achieve whatever we set our minds to. If you really want something, go for it.
“Climbers will be tempted to give up many times during the ascent . The key is simple. Never, ever say never. Most importantly, ignore the critics and the sceptics,” he said.
Kitingan was accompanied on this journey by his wife Datin Seri Cecilia Edwin.