Mount Nuang (Kuala Pangsoon)
Camp Lolo
There were multiple ankle-deep river crossings after that point that passed by water pipelines and shortly after reached a water pump station. Camp Lolo, which we came upon soon after, turned out to be a sprawling campsite that had multiple clearings on both sides of the river for camping. It had taken the group about two hours to get there, so we decided to rest for a while and dig into the provisions that we had brought along. This area is also the Last Water Point (LWP) so it would be wise to replenish your water supply here, after filtering and sterilizing the water first, before heading out.
The group left Camp Lolo at 10:50 after two of the groups members decided to stay behind. There was a sign by the 'Jabatan Bomba' that stated that the next camp, Camp Pacat, was only 1.2 km away but that it would take 150 minutes of trekking to reach there. From this point the trail started to get a bit more strenuous as the inclination began to increase. Andy remarked that we were gaining an elevation gain of one meter for every three steps that we took!
The terrain began to get more interesting at this point as we left the crowds behind in Camp Lolo. The trail became festooned with stumps and roots patiently waiting to trip up the unwary, with vines and low lying branches swaying above one's head. The trees groaned every time the wind blew which (to me) was eerily reminiscent of Tolkien's ents. Before we knew it though we had already reached Camp Pacat which was nothing more than a clearing with a sheltered shed.
After a long, sustained climb with an inclination of about 50 degrees in muddy terrain, I suffered my first serious accident in many years of trekking and rock climbing. I stepped on a tree trunk that many in the group had used before which just completely shattered under my weight. My shin ended up smashing into another trunk just below and developed a nasty, swollen lump that surprisingly diminished soon after. I carried on nonetheless as there was no damage to the bone.
I was with Ramon in the group that hiked Mount Nuang. Now, for someone like me, who have low stamina (literally), haven’t ever hiked in my life, bought my hiking shoes the day before, not too sure what to bring along for the trip and headed for the Nuang which is known as the most hardcore in the state, I could honestly say I did pretty well. Though it took me 12 hours (yes, you read it right) from start to finish, all I could say is just go on and don’t stop. We met a lot of people who turned back down due to the insufficient time and they didn’t want to risk getting caught with the dark, just bring a torchlight and you’ll be fine. Oh and make sure you have a guide if you’re gonna be as slow as I am, at least he’ll know the way 😉