The Climb, West Bukit Tabur

I have to be honest- this is one hill that i was fearful to hike or climb but always wanted to, seeing it from the Middle Ring Road 2 every time i pass by. Being rather infamous for the many accidents, recent or not, it took a while before one courageous day, i decided to ring my cousin and set a date to, well, face the fear and conquer that hill i always wanted to. It didn't rain the night before, which was good, because i read that the rocks at the top could be very slippery when wet- one less thing to caution.

I picked my cousin up, and then parked my car alongside the road at the foothill of Bukit Tabur, near the gate of the Klang Gates Dam. The road was narrow but we didn't want to walk from my cousin's place because it meant that we had to walk back after the strenuous hike- a lesson my cousin and two other friends learned. There were a few other cars and enthusiastic climbers when we were there. As i left my car, i tightened my shoelaces, pulled my knee sleeves up (a recent trail run had me feeling wary for my knees) and flung my backpack over my shoulders, all pumped to climb, telling myself not to fall.

The start was the toughest, actually. The climb was a steady rise, one rock after another, until it plateaus at the top. I didn't focus much on the surrounding on the way up; my eyes were fixated on the rocks i was going to put my hands or feet on. The only moments when i got to bask in the climb were during the water breaks, when i realized we were higher and higher in altitude. Once we were at the top, the scenic panorama of the hills and lake/dam was truly rewarding.

A blue sunrise...

And the sun peeking above the clouds.

Tranquility.

Just...

... silently...

... taking in the beauty.

Imagine waking up to this view. May be a camp up in the hills one day?

It wasn't just all beauty without sweating it out. Some rope climbing needed.

And carefully maneuvering through rocks (with the scenery behind).

Warning: Please be careful. Much consideration and care were taken for this shot.

And this too.

What is life without risk?

That's my adrenaline-fueled, adventurous self talking.

Because a 'wefie' is too common. Being different.

On one side, you get great views of the hills and lake/dam, on the other, you get the amazing KL skyline. Don't leave the top without a picture of you here- that you made it there!

Just being on all four- i can't remember if this was the way up or down.

The climb and the beauty at the peak were more than enough to satisfy my appetite for adventure and nature, that the descend became monotonous. Just before the exit, we passed through some villagers' homes and their farms. We made it back in less than two hours, just before the heat. And we had McD to celebrate our climb.

West Bukit Tabur lived up to its reputation. While i mentioned much in this post about the climb and the beauty at the peak, i also picked up on potential hazardous areas. If you plan to climb, make sure you have good shoes, always be focused and be ready to overcome your fear of heights. At some point, if you turn to look down, you look all the way down (though not a 90 degree cliff but still it's a steep way down). My cousin was more familiar of the place than i was, and so he highlighted the accident-prone spots to pay extra attention.

This will not be my only climb here, surely- with caution, this hill is one of the best climbs i have done. Here's to taking it to the next level!

* This climb was performed months before the date of this post, delayed due to busy work schedule.