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At 4095m Mt Kinabalu is the highest mountain between the Himalayas and New Guinea.The first recorded ascent of the mountain was made in 1851 by Sir Hugh Low. The summit: Lows' Peak is named after him. Mt Kinabalu NP is now a Unesco World Heritage site. The Climb: This is normally completed over 2 days. The trail officially starts at the Timpohon Gate (1866m), from where it's an 8.72km walk to the summit. And it's all uphill. The alternate trail is the Mesalau Trail ( the one I did) adding 2km to the overall route to the summit but allowing more time to acclimatise. Either way its wise to stay overnight at park headquarters the night before the climb. This allows an early start and the beginning of acclimatisation. The climb is uphill virtually all the way; it is unrelentingly steep in places and there are seemingly endless steps (2500) as far as Laban Rata. The park recommends that you trek as far as Laban Rata (3272m) on the first day and stay overnight. Most people leave Laban Rata at 2am, to summit at dawn for sunrise before the clouds roll in later in the morning. From Laban Rata to the summit the trail becomes even steeper then disappears altogether on vast vertical fields of slippery granite ( there are ropes in place to assist), ending with a scramble up a long pile of rocks. Enjoy the unbelievable views from the top of Asia! Take your time ascending as the mountain is high enough for altitude sickness to be a big problem. It is not a race! Take warm/waterproof clothes, it gets very cold and it rains regularly. (gortex/ thermals/ warm hat/ gloves) Mount Kinabalu is split down the middle by a 1 1/2 kilometer deep gorge. The result is a "U" shape, with the two sides Kinabalu East and Kinabalu West, stretching over a kilometer apart. This led people to assume that the mountain was an old volcano. However, recent evidence proves differently. It reveals Mount Kinabalu as the youngest granite pluton in the world. In order to understand the geology of this mountain, we must go back 35 million years when Borneo was submerged beneath the sea. Marine sediments began accumulating where Mount Kinabalu now stands. Powerful forces of pressure and temperature transformed the ocean mud into layers of rocky sandstone and shale. These were uplifted to form a range of mountains, now the Crocker Range which runs through East Malaysia. In the Pliocene period, about 15 million years ago, a huge ball of molten rock was forced beneath the Crocker Range. As this rock hardened it formed a granite mound, called a pluton, deep beneath the earth's crust. Only a million years ago this pluton was forced upward through the Crocker Range. The process continues and Mount Kinabalu, presently 4095 meters (13,435 feet), is still growing half a centimeter (1/4 inch) every year. The sandstone and shale which once covered the granite have eroded away to reveal the underlying rock. As you climb the mountain you can see that the geological story does not end here. During the Pleistocene glaciers covered the summit, altering the topography still more. Glaciation ended only a few thousand years ago and left its mark on the mountain. At 3,300 meters (10,800 feet), particularly behind Paka Cave, you can see where the tip of glacier pushed many different sized rocks before it, forming a moraine. The jagged peaks of the summit remained above the glacier but ice sheets smoothed over the remainder of this area. Since then, the effects of chemical weathering, heating, and cooling have also transformed the mountain's surface. The outer shell of granite has split along weak points formed when molten granite solidified next to the old layered rock. Water freezing and melting in the rock cracks has helped to break the outer face down even more. The tiled appearence of the summit results from thin layers of rock flaking off. The varied forces at work on the mountain have left a summit of bare rock eroded into fantastic chasms and pinnacles. TO LOG THIS CACHE: Answer the following questions and email me the answers: a. While standing on the summit (Low's Peak), look towards St Johns Peak. What animal does this peak resemble and how many sides does it have? b. The surface near the summit consists of flaking rock. What causes this process? c. Mt Kinabalu is also home to a diversity of plant life. Pitcher plants are easily spotted near the track. Photograph one and explain why they have a "lid". d.Take a photo of yourself: 1. on the summit next to the summit sign. 2. next to the final km 8 summit track marker and map. The physiogeography of Mount Kinabalu is the result of volcanic, tectonic and geological processes that occurred 1.5 million years ago. Mt. Kinabalu itself is a plutonic intrusion surrounded by metamorphosed and Tertiary sedimentary rocks. Rapid uplift followed by glacial erosion during the Ice Age accompanied by further geological activities has sculpted the mountain into its present form. The summit area of the mountain (above 3,200m) displays the effects of glacial activity in the shape of "nunataks" jagged peaks (such as Low’s Peak and South Peak), other areas shows signs of striations, grooves and polished surfaces, as well as the creation of cirques and deposit of glacial moraines. U-shaped valleys and gullies are present in the park, as well as roch moutonnés. Ultrabasic intrusive, granite and sedimentary rocks are present, acting as parent material for eight soil associations.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
[Avoid altitude sickness, go slowly! If you feel unwell do not go higher, descend. Altitude sickness kills!]