|
"Doesn't that peak look like Botak Hill?" John asked. He
was perched on a branch of a small tree overlooking the
terrain in front of them. Limin got up to take a look.
Frowning, he nodded his head in agreement, "Looks like
we're way off course." In silence, John and Limin pondered upon their next
course of action. It was their second day of trekking.
The previous night, they had camped under a gigantic
rock that offered them protection from
the elements.
Then, John had already suspected that something was
amiss. The group of them had been climbing the whole day
and it was only near dusk that they finally found a
campsite. John recalled his previous trek up the
mountain several years ago and sensed that they had gone
off the main track. Besides, the path that they had
taken seemed unused for ages.
Mt Ophir, otherwise known as Gunung Ledang, is a popular
destination for trekkers all year round. The mountain
presents a formidable challenge to those who love the
outdoors. It is well-known for its beautiful waterfalls,
rock outcrops and greenery. Despite its popularity with
trekkers, the mountain remains relatively
untamed.
Occasionally, it would claim a life or two. Other times,
climbers would get lost and search parties activated.
Legend has it that a beautiful princess who ran away
from an evil king is still hiding in it and that the
forest is enchanted.
John and Limin got down from the tree and explained the
situation to the other group members. Joyce, Siti and
Patrick were on their first hike up the mountain. Both
John and Limin had been up the mountain before and were
jointly responsible for organising the trip.
They never
expected to be caught in this situation. When the
morning came, they were fairly confident of reaching Botak Hill very soon. Now, they knew how far off they
were from their destination. Botak Hill was important to
them because of one main factor- WATER. They were
looking forward to filling their water bottles from the
spring that was just below the point. The night before,
they did not have a proper meal as they did not have
enough water to cook.
Two options were presented before them. Either they
continue to head towards Botak Hill or head straight
down the mountain to find water. They knew the direction
where Botak Hill was and that the spring was there. The
risk was that they could still miss the hill once they
were submerged under the canopy of the trees. The second
option meant giving up the climb to the summit. However,
it was a more assured way of finding a stream. "Let's
head for Botak Hill," said Limin, a strong and confident
person, "I believe there's a track that leads there."
Infused with his enthusiasm, the rest of the group
agreed willingly. They had trained hard in preparation
for the climb and were looking forward to the beautiful
view at the summit. They were not quitters.
From the knoll that they were at, the group headed
towards their objective. They followed a faint trail
that looked like it had been a long time since it had
seen human company. The small pathway became
increasingly difficult as they progressed. Fallen trees
and creepers with thorns cut across their pathway. The
vegetation became quite unbearable. Most importantly,
they were running out of WATER. What if they should miss
Botak Hill? Looking at each other, a silent consensus
was being reached;
they had to go straight down the slopes in order to
reach water quickly. |
