Going up Bukit Kutu was not one of the easier hikes for me.  It was quite a tough climb. The initial 4WD road was okay but as the climb gets steeper, it stayed that way almost all the way to the top. Yup, it was not [...]]]>

This huge boulder area is a popular rest area

Going up Bukit Kutu was not one of the easier hikes for me.  It was quite a tough climb. The initial 4WD road was okay but as the climb gets steeper, it stayed that way almost all the way to the top. Yup, it was not an easy climb at all.

Personally, having to climb up such a steep terrain within a time limit isn’t really something enjoyable. But because of the group’s safety, time limit was the only way to make sure that everyone had ample time to ascend as well as descend. With the cut off time in place (we were told that by 2pm, everyone MUST descend), the group minimizes the possibility of people struggling down the hill in the darkness of the night. I doubt if many of us brought a minimum kit to last a night there.

I brought my GPS with me and I tracked the entire walk up to the peak of Bukit Kutu. Below is a profile of the climb from the data downloaded from my Garmin.

The Bukit Kutu profile based on my GPS

What can I say. I was huffing and puffing all the way to the top that I probably missed 1001 things along the way.No thanks to my lack of stamina, this is a classic example of how the ‘end destination’ superseded the ‘joy’ factor of the journey. I can only ‘vaguely’ recall the journey being steep climbs, fallen trees, more steep climbs and people (lots of people!)

Somehow, there were at least 60 people (including our group) on Bukit Kutu that day. Some camped at the top and was descending down while others made their way up very early in the morning.

At the top of the Bukit Kutu peak stands a chimney of an old house that was built long time ago. Surrounding area around the chimney is relatively flat land and is a popular place for campers and day hikers.

Flat ground around the old chimney, popular among campers

I got to the peak of Bukit Kutu in one piece (thank God!). A little bit more climb up from the Chimney area looks like the ‘real’ peak. It is marked by yet another one of the familiar yellow metal boards.

The yellow metal sign on the top of big rocks at Bukit Kutu reminds people that the area is a gazetted reserve area

I wonder how the authorities actually enforce this

Crowd is never my thing, so I decided to descend. It’s great to be able to walk down, knowing that I have achieved yet another peak and the next item of the day is food and lots of fluids. I can now give Bukit Kutu a permanent cross off my to do list.

Click here to read Part I of the Bukit Kutu hike