On November 16th, I completed my first solo jungle trek to the summit of Mount Jasar in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia. The trek was completed by way of trail No. 10, rated as moderate to hard, and totaled a distance of about 4km, which took me around 3hrs to complete. Once I made my way down the trail on the other side, I noticed a huge power station and a small walkway that led me to a newly paved road back to the center of Tanah Rata. The road, which appeared to only be used by construction workers at the time, was about 2km too long for me to even think about walking when the only thing I could think about at that time was lunch and a nap. 🙂 I walked along the road for about 15 minutes before a man, by the name of Mr. Santana, asked if I wanted a lift. I absolutely could not resist his offer, in fact, this was the only time I felt like it would be rude to decline such act of kindness. 😉

Check out the video below capturing some of the highlights from my first solo trek.

Why A Solo Trek?

I absolutely enjoy the outdoors, I find that being surrounded by God’s creation gives me this sense of serenity. I also enjoy a nice hike to the top of a mountain or through the jungle, minus the moments filled with leeches, man-made steps and annoying bugs. Despite the enjoyment I get out of navigating a trial, I never thought I would attempt to do it on my own.  Not because of a certain physical inability, but more so a mental limitation. I’ve had my share of watching several mountaineering movies and the constant thoughts of something of a similar nature happening to me, made the idea seem even more terrifying. What if this or what if that, were all questions floating around in my head. However, after confirming there were no stray dogs on the trail or any other wild animals, I decided to take on the challenge – just me, Jesus and my pepper spray. 🙂

What did I learn?

Once I reached the top of the mountain, I noticed that the emotions from conquering the very thing I feared were much more exciting and memorable than the fear itself. It was in those moments alone that I felt brave, courageous and empowered. My solo trek to the mountain on November 16th, served as a reminder to me that there is nothing I cannot do when I put my mind to it. My greatest defeat in life hasn’t been my physical ability to do, but my mental ability to complete, conquer and dominate. I look forward to creating more moments like this, that will serve as a reminder that I AM, I CAN and I WILL.

Until the next adventure…

Lots of luv,

Samiyyah