Well.

This year's June holidays has been the most fruitful and have gained the most experience from. Let me start off with my first trip.

Mount Kinabalu 2012

This year, 34 Leaderz along with 5 teachers and 1 guide from the vendor attempted to make it up to the summit. 3 Leaderz did not succeed. It was a 5D4N trip, with a very early morning start.

We gathered in school at around 6 15am, and it was pouring. Thankfully, by the time we left school, the rain has almost stopped. So we took a bus to JB, and boarded the flight from Senai Airport to Kota Kinabalu Airport. Have totally no idea why those kids got their energy from. The teachers and I were sleeping on the plane, but all I could hear was chatting and more chatting.

Upon reaching Kinabalu airport, we got to our lunch place. After which, it was a 2-hour journey to the base of the mountain. (So slept again) Got our admin stuff done at the base, and headed to our accomodation - Strawberry Garden Hotel. Nice little place there, but filled with mosquitoes and bugs and insects. The girls were screaming over one small moth flying above their heads. We quickly settled in, which was around evening time, and headed for dinner. Before going to bed, the kids were gathered in one of the boys' rooms for a briefing of the first hike up to Laban Rata. Packed their summit packs and day packs as well, all getting ready for the climb the next day.

Second day came, and it was the time to put our training to good use. Being the last group, I was just keeping a positive mind, as well as telling the kids to keep pushing. All of a sudden, it started to rain. Thankfully I brought the new North Face jacket in my day pack. We stopped at different small huts to get ourselves hydrated, and to get a quick lunch. The rain got heavier, and the rocky path up was like a waterfall. The kids were all so tired but there was still a spark in them. They just kept going, and going, and no matter how many times they slip and fall, they did not want to give up. Finally, after 5-6 hours, we have reached Laban Rata, and found our hut. The faster kids, who reached the hut wayyyy before us, gave us a warm welcome. I felt so relieved. So did the kids. I was glad that all the kids made it safely to Laban Rata. After dinner, we had briefing for the activity for the next day, which was Via Ferrata.

Next morning, the kids were split into different groups. It was a new activity for them, and they were all pretty excited. But the weather did not do any justice to us. Halfway during the activity, it rained again. The rock surfaces became very slippery. One of the girls, who had the worst fear of heights I've seen, shrieked and cried all the way during the activity. It was tough to tell to go fast, but some of them were very motivating and that gave the group a little boost. We ended the activity around 2pm, rested a bit, and had an early dinner.

Day 4 and this was the moment we're all working for: the Summit climb. Just before we set off, the IC of this trip briefed us again, and told us about our new grouping according to the ability of the kids. Also, I had a surprise from pikaxiang! Heh. So the kids knew that it was my birthday that day, so they all sang a birthday song for me. I was feeling so positive, but I kept asking myself why I was doing this kind of thing on my birthday. But one thing which made the birthday even better was the night sky. Stars were all over the sky, a scene which you can NEVER find on this island. The journey up was long and grueling and a constant uphill hike, but the weather was awesome and rain-less. I kept checking my watch before our porter told us that sunrise was about 5 30am. The first sight of the peak was just after 5am, and I knew I wasnt going to catch the sunrise. So my pace started to pick up, (mind over body) and I just kept going. Climbed up the rocks like it was a playground and made it up at 6am! Saw the breathtaking sunrise, kept taking photos, kept smiling to myself like an idiot, could not believe that I made it up. Everything felt so unreal. The kids kept telling me that I made it up to the top on my birthday. I guess I was just blessed to have good weather and inspirations while hiking up. So we camwhored for a while more while waiting for the rest of the second group to make it up. Made the descend to Laban Rata and waited for the last group to reach. By the time they have reached, it was already 2pm, 3 hours behind the scheduled time. Oh well gotta suck it up when things did not go as planned. Then it was time to make the final descend to Timpohon Gate. And guess what, it rained again. ARGH how frustrating it could be! But thankfully we reached Timpohon Gate at 7pm, just as the sky was getting dark. I could not be more relieved when we have reached the base. We waited till around 8 30pm for the last group to arrive, then made our way back to the town, which was 2 hours ride. So means sleep. This time round, the bus was quiet because all of us were drained and drenched. Since we had leftover money, we got Macs for the kids and teachers for dinner. And the Head Leader presented to me a vanilla cone as my birthday present! How nice! And I could not be any happier when I finally took a bath at the hotel! Haha.

Last day came, and everyone was excited to go home! The staff went to buy postcards and wrote each of the group members a small remembrance note about the experience throughout the trip. Once we landed back in Singapore, the kids quickly gathered in their groups for the last debrief. What caught us by surprise was that the kids also got us postcards, with each of them signing off! And then, it was finally handing them back to their parents! Cheers and applause welcomed the kids back when they exited the belts.

I could not be more proud of these kids and their motivation. Without them, I would not think that I would be able to reach the summit with such a positive attitude. I'm glad that I volunteered to go on this trip, and all the trainings that we have done have made this trip all worthwhile.

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