Bukit Tabur : Tips On Successful Trekking 1

Part 1 : What it takes to have a successful trekking in Bukit Tabur

Bukit Tabur East Or Bukit Tabur West in Taman MELAWATI / KLANG GATE is exciting hills to trek in Kuala Lumpur.

We enjoy going there at any time of the week, any month of the year. The air is freshest and the cool breeze is like God turning on the natural air conditioner for us to enjoy.

If you are an avid photographer, Not only it has very scenic view of mountains

and lakes in its mirrored reflection

You can encounter varieties of human behaviors sometimes, and wish you can captured them in photography.

When accidents happened, Bukit Tabur normally get unfair negative publicities and blames with unjustifiable remarks that it is dangerous.

Certain parts of Bukit Tabur and its unique terrain is indeed dangerous.

However, and factually, from experience trekking there, we know there is a lot of human factors /human behaviors in the climbing that can and has contributed to the accidents.

It’s always good reminder, no matter how much one runs marathons and put in many impressive trail miles, for every trek, we see that the below is important

Prepareness before trekking is important,

Be proper in trekking shoes and attire is important,

Be careful in every step you take is important,

Admit that you need help is important,

Awareness on safety is important,

Going in group or in buddy system, caring for each other is important,

Love nature and the life surrounding it, is most important,

Knowing there is always a human limit to what we can do is critically important,

Other than that, recognising the fact that no matter how our emotion wanting to overcome any particular challenges, it must comes with the ability to calculate the risk being taken and knowing the consequences that arise from it.

etc...

etc...

Even though one may have gone the same trek many times, each trekking journey has risk of its own.

Most of all, trekking on quartz energy of Bukit Tabur,observing general principal of balance and be relax, with all the tips on climbing above, if you are not enjoying, you should not be there at all, let alone you consider it a successful trek

Bukit Tabur : View from Several Spots

Views of Bukit Tabur from several spots nearby

1) This is a sight of Bukit Tabur West, Picture taken from Melawati Housing Estate

2) This is a view from Wangsa Maju LRT station

3) We enjoy trekking in Bukit Tabur ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bukit_Tabur), the journey will start from the foothill behind a wall near the Klang Gate water dam gate.

when we first started trekking in Bukit Tabur West, we were as curious as anyone who trek up and wondered what the mother nature has to offer, we ventured out to trek Bukit Tabur East not long after there and has been regularly, for the past two years trekking there for laughter and fun, for exercise and friendship with like minded trekkers.


This is a picture of Bukit tabur West taken from Bukit Tabur east ( click on the picture for clearer view )



Melawati Hill is situated in Melawati neighbourhood, This pictures is taken from Melawati Hill. Genting Highland can be sighted from Melawati Hill and Bukit Tabur West & East on a clear day.


The accident happened on the day of October 12, 2008 changed our outlook in trekking in Bukit Tabur, not because we are unaware of the danger, but we come across many others that do not know the place and ignorant of the danger therein..

This is a picture of a portion of Bukit Tabur taken from Bukit Mas Apartment, Kuala Lumpur, which shows a different view and angle. We will try our best to describe how dangerous it can be if people are not familiar with the terrain of this place.


Click on the picture to have alook at the verticle cliff and drop as well as height of the place.


Accident Prone Site

It was awful when we were made face to face with the incident of accident and it spur us to do something, from within our hearts & abilities, in the hope that this sharing will be beneficial or perhaps save life.

After some discussions, among the trekking buddies, it is our heartfelt intention, to take this opportunity to create awareness on Bukit Tabur & some familiar path that we have been to many times, which we found it safe to thread on.

The information in the blogs are gathered through a period of two years,

most are our own trekking experiences,

some were our mistakes,

some are our observations

while some are common sense.........

May our sharing be beneficial to you.

DISCLAIMER


The information provided herein is purely from the experiences we gathered in trekking Bukit Tabur, we do not claim them as the only way, We WILL NOT BE and CANNOT BE held responsible for any mishaps and/or accidents whatsoever arising from your trekking here.

Bukit Tabur : Danger Notices

We have put up some red color laminated transparency of Danger Notices this morning.

It is positioned at the dangerous spot which accidents always happen. the notices are for temporarily use only.

After the Chinese New Year, we will get some permanent signs up.















You can never do a kindness too soon, for you never know how soon it will be too late.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Bukit Tabur First Rope Location & Terrain

The picture below is to shows direction towards First Rope.




Almost 50 meters away from First Rope.



We put up a danger sign here.


This picture with arrows shows the trek towards First Rope if trekkers wants to go down the cliff by using rope.



We put up two Danger Signs here.


Beyond the tree and the small patch of rock, at the First Rope, it is vertical cliff ( drop ).

Most accidents happened here.

The rope is supposed to assists trekkers getting down the cliff to get to the other side.

We believe situation led to accidents can happened as follows :-

1) The trekker himself is unsure how to go down, under some coaching and guidance from friends or fellow trekkers, he may try his way down.

2) The trekker, even though afraid of height, still holding unto the rope tightly, and slowly manouver himself down.

3) Beyond the tree and the patch of rock, it is vertical cliff ( drop) The trekker, even though afraid of the height or edge of the rock, they still want to try the rope way.



There can be situation which they loose balance and swing their body like pendulum and out of panic, they let go of the rope and drop down vertically to the foothill.


4) We have also seen on one occassion, there was a couple posing themselves playfully by sitting with legs hanging down the cliff beyond the tree, ( meaning to take photographs next to the tree ) , we kindly told them it is dangerous at that particular spot. However, they just gave us an unfriendly stare, which means mind your own business.

Since they choose to have their own way for pleasure though they are informed.

We just shaked our head and moved on.


This is most tragic, when accident happened. Everyone is stressed out.

In such steepness in slopes and terrain. The rescue teams and para-medic has to be on foot to reach the victims for evacuation. According to the rescue team, It is very dangerous for the helicopter to fly next to the cliff and so, rescue by helicopter will definately a challenge

from our observation and experience, the speed and time taken to reach the fall victims on foot depend largely on the fitness level of the rescue personnels.

Even if the rescue team are fit, having to carry the heavy equipments while trekking is not a joke.


So, to all the trekkers, we wish you have an understanding why we need to get the message to as many as possible on the risk and danger at the First Rope.

Let's do something to contribute towards accident free trekking in Bukit Tabur.

Not to scare off anyone coming here but while we have fun, safety is utmost importance in trekking.

Dangerous Spot in Bukit Tabur

We are putting up this danger notices at the spot where accident always happened in Bukit Tabur. It is also to warn others that a fall can be fatal.



The location is at the first rope which most experience trekkers agreed.




The messages are as follows :-

: Please be careful & consider safety as utmost importance, this is not a playground.

:- 2 ways to go down the cliff, first is by rope ( left) & the second is to trek towards the right down the slope.

:- Be reminded that it is 100 to 150 meters fall off the vertical cliff if you loose your grip on the rope if you go by 1st way.

: 3 serious accidents have happened at this dangerous spot, victims have suffered broken ribs, punctured lungs, broken hipbones& ankles, 6 to 8 inches cut during the accidents on Oct 12, 2008, December 18, 2008 and the latest being Jan 18, 2009.

:-Please help each other to be careful. Do not litter while enjoying yourself on this Bukit Tabur

More information on the terrain & challenges in climbing Bukit Tabur is available on this blog.

We understand this blog can reach limited trekkers who comes to visit here, we appreciate if you can dessimate this information to your friends by forwarding this to those who might be interested to trek here.

Our intention is never to spam anyone but provide some useful information on Bukit Tabur so that people will be more inform of the danger and risk you have to take at certain spots.

I believe your good intention may save someones life.

Some local Chinese dailies has published this mountain in their newspaper, without a note of caution on the danger that's lurking for the inexperience trekkers, we are also in the process to inform the press about this.

Let's join hand to help each other, remind each other and care for each other to ensure safe and accident free trekking in Bukit Tabur.