Mulu Caves Trip

Mulu Caves Expedition

It is once said that the will to persevere is to allow the mind to control the body, and not the body to control the mind. And through courage and determination are we able to endure through the greatest of hardships.

When I was first given the opportunity to participate in the “Mulu Caves, The Pinnacles” expedition, the first thought that came through my mind was that this trip would be a piece of cake, but fate stated otherwise. There we were, a group of 22 student leaders and 4 advising teachers, lead by two reliable and knowledgeable tour guides, in the rural, serene parts of Mulu. We had to walk miles and miles just to reach our accommodations for the night, we had to wait under rainy conditions just to witness the exodus of flying mammals, we had to climb steep mountains, slippery paths just to get a glimpse of a beautiful scenery, we had to endure through tough times where some of us were in the state of valetudinarianism. The hardships were incessant, but it was also transitory and we did not yield. In the end, we came back home not only in one piece, but also with an addition wisdom, experience and a rekindled heart. The epic story of the Mulu Caves expedition is a treat to those reading it, and a gift for those who experienced it personally.

We reached Mulu on the 19^th of March 2010 after flying from LCCT and Miri Airport, upon coming out of the aeroplane, besides the airport itself, misty mountains and thick vegetation were the only things our eyes could contemplate. At that moment, all of us knew that a tough and exciting journey was about to commence and turning back wasn’t an option within grasp anymore. We started our journey by checking in Benarat Lodge which became our accommodation for the first two days. During our stay at Benarat Lodge, we gained the opportunity to become spectators of the sunset on the first day and visitors of two caves in Gunung Mulu National Park which are Deer and Lang’s Cave respectively on the second day. Before going to the caves, we had a tour in the national park guided by our very informative tour guide, Richard. Our keen inquisitiveness also didn’t fail to earn all a few extra stuff to learn. Survival tips such as how to locate water and how to identify unpalatable fruits were among the few things learned during the tour.

We started off for Deer and Lang’s Cave after the tour. By now, we should be proud as Malaysians because Deer Cave is considered as the largest single cave passage yet discovered on earth. Besides that, these two caves are home to millions of residing bats, which brings us to the next part of our expedition – Viewing of the spectacular exodus of flying mammals or bats. Since bats are considered as the only flying mammals on earth next to the flightless platypus, observing them coming out in groups to search for food and dancing in the sky in different formations was definitely a breath taking experience for all of us. Upon returning back to the national park entrance, it had already started raining heavily but we did not bear any regret as watching the exodus of the bats was already rewarding enough for us.

On the third day, we departed from Benarat Lodge to Melinau Camp or preferably called Camp Five. First, we took a longboat ride before walking a long 8 kilometers trail to our destination. Along our journey, we visited the Batu Bungan Penan Settlement where we read some of the history about the settlement and its people besides purchasing local handicrafts. Wind Cave and Clearwater Cave were next in line after the settlement. In Wind Cave, we saw the amazing speleothems of the caves such as stalactites, stalagmites, and even the most intricate all of all the cave structures – helictites. In Clearwater Caves, all of us witnessed what an underground river looked like, apart from that, we came to know that the locals there believed that the river’s water could prevent the aging process of those who washed themselves with its water.

The following day after reaching Camp 5, we finally started the climax of our expedition, our journey to conquer “The Pinnacles”. We were informed that the Pinnacle Summit Trek was going to be an arduous and challenging one as we needed to cover 2.4 kilometers up a mountain to reach our destination. During the first few 100 meters of the hike, many of us were already panting as the trail was quite steep. But slowly, our versatility kicked in and we gradually got adapted to the steep inclination of our trail. We took a quick break at every resting point and finally we reached the 2 km point of our journey, where we had to start climbing ladders, till the top, just like the game “Snakes and Ladders”, that is without the snakes.

Why do some people enjoy accepting challenges? It is because they enjoy the exhilaration of victory. And that is the feeling we all had after 4 strenuous hours of walking and climbing. We felt exhilaration to reach the top, to get a scenic view on top of a mountain and to know that we are standing higher than the pinnacles and not the pinnacles that are standing higher than us. Even Richard himself who didn’t think it was possible was amazed when every single one of us successfully reached the top as all the previous groups he guided had a few people who couldn’t make it to the top. It just comes to show that a likely impossibility is always preferable as an unconvincing possibility. After coming down, all of us had a refreshing dip in the river in front of Camp 5. We were all excited about what was installed for us the following day.

On the fifth day, we started our walk through The Headhunter’s Trail which was 11.3 km long. We were informed that there would be longboats at the end of the trail awaiting our arrival to send us to the Bala Lasong Longhouse. But who knew that fate played a trick on us, the boats didn’t arrive due to the interruptions of radio transmissions between Camp 5 and the Longhouse. So, after journeying a tiring 11.3 km from Camp 5, we had no choice but to return back to Camp 5. But after many hours of walking, we finally reached Camp 5 again, exhausted and hungry.

On the last day of our trip, we returned to Mulu Aiport from Camp 5 and flew to Miri where we had a quick tour of the town before traveling back to LCCT.

The trip I considered to be as a piece of cake turned out to be even more challenging than expected. But still, all of us managed to endeavor through the whole expedition in one piece and come out with a new perspective in life. From just a simple expedition, became a breath taking experience. We learned about the importance of life, and became life itself. We went there as students, and came back as champions.

This is what the Mulu Expedition is all about – Change.

J.C. '10