throwback : mount kinabalu (experience with AMS)

26 Oct 2013 - happy birthday baby! sorry I am not there with you.. but here is my shout out to you! I love you and hope you have a good time celebrating your birthday!! (throwback Kinabalu 2013)

That was me, with bad case of AMS, can't even get up for a decent photo! LOL! Before I started climbing, Having read alot about AMS, I ignored every single rule on mountaineering. Basic mountaineering rules, I practise :

drink plenty of water
munch sweets, anything that gives you energy throughout the climb
NEVER EVER climb faster than your usually trekking pace, REMEMBER it is NOT A RACE!

I was never a fast trekker, but having been hiking, climbing and trekking in preparation for Mount Kinabalu, my pace improved alot. Much to my dismay, it was not enough. I am not Killian Jornet ! Haha!

Everything happened for a reason. After kilometer 3, I got separated from my group and I realised then that I was actually trekking alone. Coincidently leaving them behind The weather was not great as it was raining throughout the whole time I was there - and guess what? Every resting hut is packed! Trekking alone does give you some advantage finding a place to sit and eat, and mingle with the crowd - but to wait for the rest of the group in the cold? No way!

A few guides actually advise me to just continue trekking alone to keep the body warm..... and that was what I did. AMS comes and gets you slowly and without you realising and it normally hits you at the 2,500 meter mark. The bugger got me good, and it wasn't until the next day I felt unusually tired after waking up for the climb to the peak. Every breath was a struggle.

Advise :

Do not trek alone! Have a buddy with you!
Play music if you have to keep your mind distracted
You can take the anti AMS pills - didn't help me much, but maybe it could be worst

Overall it was a lesson and a good experience for me. Would I repeat the climb minus the AMS? In a heartbeat :)