Gunung Benum

Tokyo Marathon: Sunday 22 March 2009 - To my runner friends who are taking part in this great event, wishing you a safe journey, a good race and a wonderful holiday. This is the time where there is an abundance of cherry in full bloom. If you know your friend's bib number, you can even check their split time for every 5km interval. click here
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Written by Dr Hamdan

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click here for photo album by courtesy of Dr Hamdan.

Trekking up Gunung Benum is three times tougher than Gunung Tahan. Despite three days of trekking and sleeping in the rain, we managed to reach the peak, leaving half the group that gave up the following morning as we were conquering the summit.

The trail looked as though it was last used more than a year ago; we had to cut our way through most times with many rattan and uprooted trees that blocked our way. Now I have a clearer picture of what was once a trail used by the communists.
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The trip was planned by Mr. Wong and his wife Rosalind and I was invited to join this exclusive 15 members group. Partly due to food constraint and the other is of course accommodation in either tents or under flysheets which the porters could carry.

Initially I was quite reluctant since it was a well known fact that this G.Benum is one of the toughest trekking trail known. Being a black area, it was opened up after the communist surrender in 1990. Hence, most of the tracks that are found inside this mountain used to be walking trails between stations for the communists. My first thoughts were that we might stumble on some undiscovered booby traps, and you can guess what that might do.

When Rosalind told me that the whole package would be undertaken by our usual organizer, a customs officer and a few assistants, I was relieved. That means we do not have to carry our own food or tents, except for water. Water supply is limited to our first night camp site only. From there we have to carry water for ourselves and about a litre each to be reserved for our meals at the summit. In that way, our cook won't be burdened with carrying water for two meals for 15 persons.
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Super vehicle on a waterhighway

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The Ascent

The trek would take two nights of camping; first day and the next at the summit, and the third day is all the way down. We spent five hours uphill to get to the base camp at the available water point. Trouble was, our guide, being there about a year ago, could not initially find the starting point since it has overgrown so much in one year. Thus we spent searching from the waterfall after crossing the river, a nylon line that was left there. From there the guide cut his way through the overgrown rattan and other undergrowths to make it easier for us to follow through. Half the time we are right at the cliff edge, down below is a one hundred metre drop to the river. The footpath was slippery (it was raining) and very soft, that everyone was sliding all over the place. By the time we reached the water point, it was drizzling heavily and dark. Mr Wong decided that we should stop here rather than let the porters carry extra water for the night's meals and the following day meals for fifteen people to a camp site another two hours up. What a good decision making that was.
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Four persons were under first flysheet; seven under the second flysheet, three in one tent a few metres away at a slightly lower elevation (we were on a sloping terrain), and our potters and cook under a separate flysheet next to the seven-man flysheet.

After dinner, rain kept coming. We used the flysheet runoff as rain harvest into our spare bottles. This saves us from going down the cliff edge to the river for water fifteen metres down. We used this water to wash our dishes and brush our teeth before settling in. With the rain and wind blowing through, it was difficult to sleep as our sleeping bags were getting soaked. I don’t think anybody that night had a good sleep. Everyone was too exhausted after dinner that hardly any conversation took place.

Next morning, the five persons from Cheras decided that they had enough. The thought of carrying three litres of water each to last for two days, and trekking thirteen hills up and down for another ten hours puts them off completely. And they decided to descend. It means that we have to sacrifice one of the potters to bring them down to the river crossing where the 4WD would be waiting to bring you down the mountain, about an hour back to Sg.Chalit, the small town where we started. But they descended despite pleas from Wong that we are short of one porter. The rest decided to continue. I ended up with a twenty-two kg pack after the three litres were added. And to trek uphill for another ten hours? Phew...
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The trek from first camp onwards was rougher than going up G.Tahan. At least Tahan is well defined, though muddy, and it is only one gradient up. Here, you kept walking up and down peaks thinking when it will end. But it did. After four-and-half hours, we stopped for lunch, and continued for another four hours to the peak. Better than expected of ten hours. At places, because of fallen logs, the passage between the huge log and the ground barely fitted your trunk. So we had to dismount our packs and let it pass through first, then crawled through to clear. My last count for this type of going through was ten places. Those fallen trees are so huge that to go over the top would risk slipping and down the cliff. Scary mate.

It was such a jubilation when reaching the summit. Now that we are "otai" already. One up than the group that chicken out. But the camping area is slightly below the summit; very small flat patch (which you may have observed from the photo) but managed to fit everyone. Once again, it was sleeping with the rain belting down; wet sleeping bags and loss of sleep. It was really tiring. Once again, nobody talked after dinner - just too tired.
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Arriving at the peak of Gunung Benum. Dr Hamdan is 2nd from left with a bandana.

The Descent

On the third day, we had early breakfast so that our potters can pack up early to descend for ten hours. The rain slowed us down; I slipped down the cliff only to be stopped by the bushes and regained my strength to pull myself up back to the track. Someone pulled my backpack up, only to know how heavy it was. Descending in the rain on slippery mud track was no fun, and we took twelve hours to reach the first river crossing where the 4WD were waiting. By then it was dark and cold, everybody shivering, some sneezing from the cold. we reached Sg.Chalit by nine at night, changed to dry clothes and headed for a small stall for food. I reached home nearly midnight; it was raining all the way from Sg.Chalit to Bentong to KL. What a day, but what adventure we had.
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Our fingers and palms were all bruised from gripping rattan trees or caught in them by accident...ouch. It really hurts. And the worst were the leeches. They were everywhere. Even when washing the backpacks, my maid found ten of them stuck inside the pack. Why didn’t I see them … I don’t know. There are 15 leech marks on my feet now – very itchy.

Given what we have been through, all I can summarize is that, the trek is challenging. Had it not been for the rain, it would have been a little comforting at night and during trekking. Other than that it was real adventure. No doubt tough, but more fun than Gunung Tahan.

Written by Dr Hamdan

Note by KC: Dr Hamdam is part of the team in trekking to Annapurna Base Camp, Nepal in May 2008 click here. He will be joining me again in the October 2009 trekking to Everest Base Camp. I am still looking for three trekkers; do contact me if you are interested. Click here.
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