| I've
been to Gunung Nuang more times than I care to remember already.
This is one of Selangor's highest mountains, and it's not really a difficult
mountain to conquer. Really. It only gets difficult when it rains
- the path gets so muddy and slippery that it seems like for after
every three forward steps one makes, one takes a step backward.
That adds to the mental anguish, and it can often break one's will.
The
Trek adapted from Don
Mah's website with updated information.
The infamous Gunung Nuang is really in
a category by itself because it has caused its share of problems
for even our most experienced hikers. The challenge rating of
this mountain is compounded by the fact that we do most of it
in the night. That's right. Our start time is usually about 7pm,
which means reaching base camp (Kem Pacat) takes about
5 hours for even our fittest hikers. The whole group is usually
together again at camp Pacat by about 1:15am — some 6 or
so hours of walking only by torchlight, though we did have one
hiker once use only a pocket lighter.
Nuang
is pretty much a nightmare, or a dream depending on how you look
at it. You just keep walking, and walking, crossing the occasional
stream, dealing with moderate to high steepness in some areas,
and there is nothing to see save the piles of garbage strewn throughout
the campsites on the trail. Nuang is divided up into four parts:
1.
The Never Ending Road:
To access the start of the trail,
trekkers must first deal with the "Never Ending Road",
a name coined by former trekking team leader,
Ian Wikarski. The road takes about 70 minutes to walk, but
it feels like about 2.5 hours. This road is the main reason we
do this trip at night because it doesn't feel so long when you
can't see it.
2. The Pipeline:
At the end of the Never Ending Road,
one crosses a small stream, makes a quick left and then follows
the pipeline up to the dam (usually known as Lolo Camp). This
part takes about 1 hour.
Crossing the dam, trekkers hike
for another 20 minutes or so, reaching the what we call "Hut
Camp 1". Turn left crossing the stream (do not turn right
to the huts), and then continue up along the trail passing various
camp sites until you see "Hut Camp 2" across the stream.
You now have to cross the stream again and hike up to Hut Camp
2. Note that this is the last water source before Kem Pacat.
Once at Hut Camp 2 make a quick left and continue up.
3.
The Red Clay:
As you continue up now
you will notice that the steepness of the trail has taken a sharp
rise. And you will also notice that you are hiking on red clay,
which is what you will hike on for the remainder of the trek until
you reach Kem Pacat. Red clay is fine when dry, but at
Nuang it is rarely dry, so make sure you have a grippy pair of
boots (running shoes do NOT work well). There is also a lot of
erosion on this part and the trail looks different each time we
trek. What used to be a 6"wide-8"deep water channel
is now a 12"wide-3'deep ravine. This part of the trail takes
3-4 hours, longer if it is raining of course.
You will know when you're close
to Kem Pacat when you find yourself on a short descent
before heading uphill again on the trail. About 15 minutes later,
you will reach what we have termed "Pacat Rock", a rock
on the left side of the trail marked with a big red arrow pointing
to the campsite and way to the summit.
Kem Pacat is where we set
camp for the night. Though this spot literally translates as Leech
Camp, we have rarely encountered leeches here. We have, however,
come across many large insects and animals here. There is a water
source accessible from the camp site, but it can only be safely
accessed during the day because it is a steep 20-minute descent.
4.
The Summit Push:
From Kem Pacat it is about a
1½-hour trek to the summit; our record for the Summit Push
is 1 hour 8 minutes. It's no longer red clay but now a mixture
of rock, root and mud, and moderate to high steepness.
As one continues the trek, one will
come to the first peak that one reaches after Kem Pacat.
This is the peak of Bukit Pengasih. To get to Nuang's peak,
use the trail that leads to the left. Other paths will lead one to
Janda Baik -- that's about another day away.
The summit has changed in recent years
in that there are two lookouts. Before, one could hardly see anything
from the summit as the view was 90% blocked by overgrown brush
and trees. Today, it is possible to have an awesome view looking
down at the Ulu Langat dam and the distant town. To access the
lookout point, turn left at the summit, and hike for few minutes
to see the second lookout. The view here is worth the pain you
endure while trekking up!
We
Trek Because We Love to Hate Nuang!
We do Gunung Nuang because of the high
mental anguish that this mountain has to offer. Hiking on the
Never Ending Road is more than enough to drain a person mentally
and physically. And when we hike during the monsoon raining season,
which it has been on a few occasions, then Nuang scores a perfect
5-leaves for mental anguish. CIMP Trekking Club has been to Gunung
Nuang six times in a row now, becoming somewhat of a tradition.
Many have summitted, few have summitted on their first attempt,
while many have summitted more than once.
Contact
Pejabat Hutan Daerah Selangor Tengah,
Pangsoon, ulu Langat
43200 Cheras,
Selangor, Malaysia
Phone no.: 03-90752885 |
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