Ascent of G. Trusmadi - by Penaga Natural History Society, Brunei

. Ascent of Gunung Trusmadi
An Account of the Trek in the Crocker Range National Park Sabah.
Introduction
Gunung Trusmadi is, at 8670 feet (2640 meters), Malaysia's second highest mountain and is located in the Crocker range some 60km south of Kinabalu. Until recently the ascent required a 7 to 10 day round trip from Tambunan but logging activity in the foothills has now made the area accessible to motor vehicles and the summit can now be reached after only one days climb from the nearest logging road.
There are no facilities on the mountain and overnight accommodation is in tents. One night is normally spent on the summit to take advantages of the spectacular views of Kinabalu at sunset and sunrise
The total ascent from the logging road to the summit is 4500 feet (1370 meters) over some 10 km. The path is well trodden and proceeds directly to the summit without any forks or junctions. There are few difficult steep sections although in many places the path narrows and it is necessary to squeeze between or under stunted trees.
In addition to the views from the summit the main reason for making the ascent is the opportunity to see a wide verity of pitcher plants including the large Nepenthes X Trusmadiensis which grows at higher altitudes and is said to be unique to the mountain.
Route Description
Day 1
Turn off the main Tambunan - Ranau road about 4 km South of Tambunan at Waypoint 1. If you are driving from Tambunan this is a left hand turn opposite a row of shop houses. The road is signposted "Jalan Kaingaran".
The road is initially sealed and after about 500 meters passes over a bridge across a small river. Soon afterwards the road becomes unsealed and travels more or less directly to Kg Kaingaran about 20 minutes later. There are several forks on the way to the Kampong but these are mostly logging tracks and the correct route is very distinct.
Kampong Kaingaran (Waypoint 2) is a Dusun settlement and has a large school which obviously serves the whole area. The porters for the climb (two brothers) are based here.
After collecting the porters turn back along the dirt road back towards Tambunan. The junction for the mountain is the first left hand turn approximately 5 minutes drive outside the Kampong. There is a small logging vehicle maintenance camp at the junction and a padlocked barrier. The porters needed to find the logging camp boss to open the barrier which may be one of the principal advantages of including the porters in your party.
The drive to the base camp is along logging trails for a little over one hour. The road is of good quality and is easily navigable with a Toyota minibus (not 4WD). The route generally follows the main (most heavily used) road and there are only two "T" junctions on the way - turn right at both junctions. Our guide informed us that a left turn at one of these junctions would have lead to a camp site only two hours walk from the summit, but that the road was impassable except for 4WD vehicles. Again, the porters would be invaluable in giving directions to this alternative starting point.
The base camp site (waypoint 3) is just off the main road and is reached via a rough track on the left which climbs steeply to a clearing with a small weather station. We have no exact distance to this junction and without the guides/porters it could easily be missed unless you are using GPS.
The last water stop before the base camp is a small stream which crosses the main logging road approximately 1km before the turn off.
Day 2
The path to the summit begins at the opposite side of the base camp clearing to the entrance track. The path is initially indistinct and overgrown although after about 100 meters one enters the main jungle canopy and the path is much clearer. The first few hundred meters of the route generally follow a ridge but there are both ascents and descents with little net gain in height until a steep 150 meter long uphill section marks the start of the climb.
The first hour and fifteen minutes climb up the ridge is through primary rain forest with a high canopy. There are several small clearings along the way although the dense cover overhead prevented us taking a GPS fix.
Waypoint 4, at 6650 feet, marks a distinct change in the type of vegetation with the tall trees of the primary rain forest having given way to smaller stunted trees and bushes. Stunted trees often cross the path and it is necessary to squeeze over or under them. This is also a very important point as our guide informed us that this marks the end of leech country, the upper slopes being too cold/dry/exposed to support them.
For approximately two more hours the trail climbs only slowly to waypoint 5 at 7750 feet. The path continues to follow the ridge and, on a clear day Kinabalu should be visible due north. The trees are increasingly covered in moss and lichens, and there are many pitcher plants along the way - particularly Nepenthes X Edwardina & Nepenthes Lowii. The pitcher plants were identified using photographs in Brigg's "Mountains of Malaysia" - we probably did not see Nepenthes X Trusmadiensis which appears to be similar to Nepenthes X Edwardina but with a more rounded bulb and less pronounced ribs around the mouth.
The next two hours climb to the summit involve a net ascent of less than 1000 feet but there are two steep descents on the way and a further 20 minutes walk from the first peak to the summit proper. The path is now quite narrow and crossed by many tree roots. There are two short, almost vertical sections one of which has a safety rope fixed.
The summit is reached after between five and six hours walk from base camp. It is marked by a large metal tripod and a concrete trig. point which can be seen from several clearings along the ridge path below. The campsite is 20 meters further in a sheltered depression just below the summit.
The only water on the summit is in two rainwater pools adjacent to the trig. point. It is heavily discoloured but, if boiled, is suitable for making tea or cooking rice (we lived!).
You should arrive at the summit with plenty of time to make camp and rest before the clouds over Kinabalu begin to clear (about 5.00pm on our trip) and the photo session starts.
Day 3
After a night on the summit and an early rise to photograph the sunrise over Kinabalu, the descent to base camp takes between 2 hours 45 minutes and 4 hours. If you have made an early start, the beer that you hid at base camp will still be cool!
Equipment
The equipment list from our May 1995 trip is included in this report. This was based on our arrangements with Api tours who supplied all the food, cooking equipment and tents. Note that if you are making your own arrangements, the porters from Kg Kaingaran do not supply their own food and equipment.
If you are not using porters then you will have a little more to carry (probably 3 - 4 kg extra) and a GPS will be essential to locate the base camp.
Tents are necessary as there are no trees sturdy enough to sling a hammock, either at base camp or on the summit. Tents and sleeping bags are also essential in the cold of the summit.
In planning the weight of your packs, allow for the fact that there is no running water along the trail or at the summit. You should carry about 2 litres for the ascent and 1.5 litres for the descent plus whatever you need for cooking/drinking on the summit (unless you plan to use the rain water pits on the summit). We each left base camp with at least 3.5 litres with the guides/porters carrying a little extra for the meals at the summit. Our rucksacks probably weighed about 15 kg.
Guides/Porters
Our party of six was accompanied by a guide from Api Tours, his helper and two Dusun porters. They were useful in cooking meals and carrying the tents, food and cooking equipment. It is not necessary to use guides to point out the correct route once the base camp has been located although the presence of at least one porter should ensure that your expedition is not hindered by the logging company or local authorities.
Photography
One of the main reasons for making the ascent is the opportunity to photograph the rare pitcher plants along the route and the sunrise and sunset over Kinabalu from the summit. 400 ASA film may be useful in the half light under the forest canopy but most of our photographs were taken either with flash or with the camera supported, therefore, slower film would have been equally acceptable.
There is a flat concrete trig point on the summit which can be used to support your camera for sunrise and sunset pictures. We found that a mini tripod was also useful for larger SLRs and for more varied shots.
Everyone takes Kinabalu from the summit at sunrise and sunset and fails to notice that there is also an excellent view from the campsite itself, where the mountain is framed by trees and bushes, until they return for breakfast!
General
Our trip with Api tours lasted three days although the first day involves no climbing, only the drive to the base camp with an optional tour of the Raffalesia Centre on the way. With an early start from KK, it would be possible to drive to base camp by late morning and make the ascent the same day, thus making it a two day trip.
If a night in the cold on the summit is not appealing it would be equally possible to make the journey to and from base camp in a single day, especially as there would be no need to carry heavy packs. This, however, would mean that you would miss the dawn/dusk views from the summit, when cloud cover is at it's minimum, and a sight of mount Kinabalu would be unlikely.
As there is no running water at either camp, you will welcome the chance to bathe on the way back to KK. A good spot is on the Tambunan - KK road, on the left hand side, just before you reach the Raffalesia Centre. There is no sign post, just a small track which ends about 20 meters from the main road. 100 meters further is a small waterfall where you can wash (not big enough for swimming though). Further along the same road on the right hand side is a signposted track to a larger river and waterfall. This involves a 40 minute walk and you probably won't feel like it!
List of Waypoints
Waypoint
Description
Co-ordinates
Approximate Elevation
Time on Ascent
Time on Descent
1
Turn off Tambunan Road
N 05o 40' 07.3"
E 116o 21' 48.6"
630 meters
16.00 hrs (Day 1)
Arrive 10.20 - 11.30 hrs (Day 3)
2
Kg. Kaingaran
N 05o 38' 22.2"
E 116o 27' 32.7"
730 meters
16.20 hrs (Day 1)
3
Base Camp
N 05o 34' 24.6"
E 116o 28' 38.8"
1650 meters
18.00 hrs (Day 1)
Depart 07.30 Day 2
4
Start of Mossy Forest
N 05o 33' 52.2"
E 116o 29' 19.8"
2000 meters
09.30 hrs (Day 2)
5
Clearing on Ridge
N 05o 33' 29.8"
E 116o 29' 59.2"
2350 meters
11.15 hrs (Day 2)
6
Trusmadi Summit
N 05o 33' 13.7"
E 116o 30' 49.8"
2650 meters
13.30 - 14.30 hrs (Day 2)
Depart 07.30 hrs (Day 3)