Thanks for this advice! I was planning to use my ND grad filter for the sunrise (hence the tripod) but it looks like I may need to forget about it and simply go for wide-angle handheld shots at the summit. May be try some for HDR. I guess the rest of the glass will have to stay at Laban Rata (safe?) Is it really so many people up there? Hmmm.... I hope I won't regret this trip....
I've rented a service from a company (Incredible Borneo ... or something like that), so I'll have a guide for myself all the way up. We are going up from Timpohon, I think. Don't know if I can change that. May be the guide can help me carrying some stuff, or else a porter. I heard one can hire porters all the way to summit. Not true? Thanks again!
I think you would have to initially book your accomodations at Laban Rata and then on the day of the climb go to the front office to sort out your guides and i think your routes. IIRC, i told the office i want to start at Mesilau and back at Timpohon.
The guide will not help you carry your stuff. You would have to hire a porter to do that. The porters will only go up to Laban Rata whereas the guide will follow you up to the summit. Are you going to reach the park early in the morning and straight up for your climb? it's a 2 hour drive from KK. I think if you reach the park around lunch the day before and you start your climb the next morning, It's better cos :
1) you get the afternoon before the climb to walk around the park office. There's loads of trails ranging from easy (30 min) to hard (Liwagu trail - 3 hour) and no need guide. You may stumble upon some fauna and nice scenery of the mountainside on the trails. sort of like a light warmup before the climb la.
2) You get to see the park itself and enjoy the evening & night.
3) there's a daily briefing at the restaurant in front of the park office every evening, cant' remember the time.
4) You get to take your time to wake up and eat a hearty breakfast and go toilet before your climb. (trust me, you'd want to go toilet for a big one before you start your climb. I had the unfortunate luck of having an impossible stomachache just before my climb at Mesilau and the guide ask me to anyhow go off the track and in the bushes. :bsmilie: luckily the pain go away and i didn't feel it until i reached Laban rata in the afternoon.). There are of course shelters along the way i think every 1km or so for you to catch a breath, refill your water from the taps (not sure what water but boh chup) and go toilet but i don't think you want to do your business there...
5) stock up on last minute things at the park shop e.g. choc bars, etc. but they're much more expensive then in KK.
There's LOADS of people climbing up Kinabalu - you'd be surprise. If you climb up at night on the last stage and look down upon Laban rata and up at the mountain, you'll see a long line of headlamps and torchlights. I'm not sure if you are able to see if the night portion of your climb coincides with a full moon or not (15th of the lunar month). If it is, you're in luck and you won't need your headlamp. It's bright enough. If not, too bad la. hehe.
SIgh...talking about kinabalu brings back memories.
Are you just in KK to to Kinabalu? or you have other activities lined up?