Here, the bridge has fallen on its side so you’ll need to walk along the section that is above the water, which was a bit slippery on the day I went hiking. The second water crossing will come soon after. This is Sungai Pertak, which you’ll cross by bridge. Photo by Mani.įrom here, follow the gravel road and you’ll reach your first river crossing. In happier times, before the grumbling began. Turn into the village and follow the road until you reach a sort of clearing where you can park your car. If you’re coming from Kuala Kubu Bharu, head for the Sungai Selangor Dam and look out for signboards for an Orang Asli village called Kampung Pertak. The first 45 minutes into the walk up Bukit Kutu is deceiving, because much of it is flat. It was only while descending that I was able to see Bukit Kutu for what it was: just a hill, and that I needed to complete the hike just as I had completed my other hikes. It’s easy for me to say this now, of course. Mix these elements together and you’ll have a combination that can ruin your experience if you view these obstacles as larger than they are and lose sight of the real goal- reaching the top and after that, reaching the bottom. What’s challenging about Kutu are the things you find there- the steepness in certain parts the length of the steep sections the thick bamboo jungle, where you can cut yourself if you’re not careful the tree roots, which can serve as steps but can also be slippery on your descent and finally, the rocks that you’ll have to either climb over or around. I’ve done Gunung Batur (1,717m) in the dark, Mount John (1,031m) in the cold and rain and hiked up to 16km in a day. One’s fitness level and stamina are important but most of the time it’s how you deal with your circumstances that makes the difference.Īt 1,053 metres, Kutu isn’t high as far as mountains go. The thing about Kutu- in fact, the thing about hiking in general- is that it’s all in the mind. I wiped my hands on my trousers, which were now an olive green with muddy patches of dark brown. I had tugged on the strap and as a result skidded on the wet earth and had just been able to stop myself from landing on my behind. We had been descending and were about halfway through a bamboo jungle when a strap on my backpack got caught on something. For me, being able to laugh was a relief, an excuse to stop for a while, a sign that we were still okay. Anyone nearby would have wondered what on earth was going on. Our long-drawn laughter was the only sound we heard. It was about 5.30 in the evening and the jungle was quiet. “Yes, you are a diva,” Mani replied, and we laughed. “I hate to sound like a diva but I’ve walked farther than this and done higher mountains in Indonesia and New Zealand, but this is like, really annoying,” I turned to speak to Mani, realising only a split second later how spoilt I sounded. And the fact that I found climbing it such a chore made the whole thing even funnier, considering that I’d climbed higher peaks overseas. Which was funny, because ‘Bukit Kutu’ is a lie. I would count the number of times I skidded on the mud going down Bukit Kutu. My Best & Worst Personal Purchases for the year 2020Ģ020 - A Personal Reflection on What I've Done/Ach.How many times will I need to slip on this stupid hill? I asked myself angrily. Social Media Accounts I Love (& have learnt a lot. The second bridge has collapsed and you've got to perform a wee balancing act to cross over. The first two rivers are connected by a bridge. The first 1.5km was more of a trek - it was a leisure trek, and you are required to cross four rivers/brooks. I'm splitting this into two parts - part 1 (the first 1.5km) and part 2 (the rest of the hike). Usually, the descend would be much shorter than the ascend, but for this hike in particular, the terrain was awfully slippery at some point so we took our time descending. TIPS: Your legs might thank you for parking inside when you descend :p The road leading in from Bukit Kutu Parking It is a short 5-10 minutes walk to the trailhead You may proceed to drive inwards from Bukit Kutu Parking, there is another empty plot of land closer to the trailhead, but because the road leading in was narrow-ish & there were many cars were parked at the side of the road, I decided to just stay put at Bukit Kutu Parking.
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