Up Bukit Broga Part 2: Lessons Learned

We didn't stay there forever. We eventually moved on to the next three peaks.

The second peak was delightful. It reminded me of the field in Holden Caulfield's imagination. You know, the one in Catcher in the Rye. In the book, he said he wanted to be that guy who kept kids from falling off the field's borders, the guy who kept them from falling off the edge of the cliff. I could imagine him in his red hunting cap keeping all the mountain - err, hill climbers safe and in check.

I barely noticed the third peak. This one had a bunch of graffiti stones in it. I guess a lot of people wanted to leave their marks there.

The fourth peak was the most memorable. There were two ways to go about it. One way was a lot shorter but involved a rope and a couple of big boulders. The other way was longer, but involved a lot more climbing and sliding.

We decided to try our luck with the short way first.

Uh-oh.

"I have a very weak upper-body strength," I admitted as I clung on to the rope.

"I don't have any strength!" Next-door-officemate exclaimed.

We decided to go the other way. Before we turned back, though, two little kids - a boy and a girl, maybe six or seven - began to climb up with their mother. We decided to stick around and watch. We wanted to know how they would go about the climb.

Brother gave sister a boost. Sister pulled brother up. Mother supported both of them all the way. With the two kids up, we wondered how the mother was going to get herself on top of that rock.

Being quite fit and skinny, the woman simply fit herself through the crack between the two boulders. And just like that, she was up.

Our eyes went as big as Bukit Broga pebbles. "We're not as skinny as that!"

Eventually, we decided to go through the long way. Well, despite lots of slipping, we finally made it up the 400m point. Yahoo!

Photo by Next-door-officemate

Going down was easier. We just... slid. And imitated a bunch of hermit crabs.

The climb taught me a lot of things. First, as mentioned in my previous entry, I wasn't as strong as I thought I was. But then again, I was a whole lot stronger than I eventually thought I was.

Second, the view from above is always worth it. The journey is tiring. It requires a tonne of effort. But the end of it all, if you don't give up and just follow the footsteps of all those who had gone ahead before you, you'll find that the view is more spectacular than you have ever imagined, even prettier than any Photoshopped image could ever be.

Third, you'll have to bring other people up to the top again, next time. Maybe you can wait until your body has recovered. But you can not let people experience just your words and photographs - they have to experience the whole climb, because it's the journey that makes it worth it. Are you going to deny someone that?

So, yeah, once my body has fully recovered, let's go hiking again next time, shall we? 

I dare you.