Royal Rangers Selangor 7

Lee Tu Jin wrote:

Climbing Gunung Tahan was not as easy as I expected. The first day’s hike to Kem Kor was not difficult. We had a good night sleep even though Kedric was shouting in his dreams. On the second day our minds and muscles were stretched to the limit. Some parts were so steep that walking a few steps felt as though I have been running for hours. Without God’s help I think I would have been dead by then. Not only that, after going uphill for 5 hours, we had to go through another 5 hours of suffering in mud, as high as my knee! Everyone was going to faint by the time we reached Bonsai. Again God miraculously gave us the strength to push our way to Bukit Botak.

At Botak the trail immediately change, from mud to rocks. The view was beyond our dreams. You could see mountain after mountain in every direction. After seeing the beauty of the place, our strength came back. We wanted to stay at the peak but our guide told us it was dangerous to continue since it was close to 7 p.m.

By the time we finish pitching our tents it started to rain. At night the moon was so bright that we could do our “business” without our torches. Nothing happen during the night except that Kedric started talking in his sleep again. At 5am we left our tents to continue to the peak. When everyone came to the top, we all felt like we had accomplish something not many people could do. At the peak I could only wonder at the beauty of God’s creation.

Hiking back was another story. This time our legs were over used. When we were going downhill, it was unbelievable that we actually came up yesterday. It was so steep; we knew our human body could not have made it up. Without God we could have given up and went home. Our third night at Kem Kor was a needed stop. The last day we felt like dropping down from exhaustion. I was reciting scriptures to keep my mind awake. At that point I have never been more tired in my whole life. When the trail ended, I could not express my joy of getting out of Gunung Tahan. Finally we made it out alive.

This trip gave me a very new experience, seeing how limits can be push if we have God by our side. All of us grew closer together. The encouragement and motivation I received from the others made me move another step forward. When I am old, I can look back and say I have seen God’s power so strong even when I am hiking. He is there to lift me up.

Naeden wrote:

Hello everyone, I’m Naeden and you would have already known that 7 of us from Selangor 7 recently climbed the highest peak in the Peninsular of Malaysia – Gunung Tahan! And you might be wondering how did we did it?! Here’s how, let me tell you … It is by training physically and most importantly God. When we left for the hike on Wednesday, we we're excited (kaw-kaw) until some of us could not sleep in the van. We started the hike the next day. The first part had a lot of leeches but thank God none of us got bitten terribly. We had to go through so many slippery and steep mountains and at some points some of us felt like giving up. But God was with us the whole way through and He guided every step we took. I really want to thank God for His support and love for us. Because of that, we all made it to the top! We praised Him on top of the mountain, shouting His name! It was really ‘happening’ when we reached the top, everyone thanked the Lord.

As we prepared to go down, this time He was really with everyone. You know Cmdr. Terence was in pain as he injured his knee on the way down. He still made it. How did he do it? Ask him yourself. But I personally know it is God. As we we're hiking down, we could not believe we had climbed the mountain (as it was very steep). We encountered some problems and difficulties but we overcame them by reciting scripture verses. Yu Tjin and I were walking ahead and every time there was a marker, we thought we have reached but we had not actually. At the last river crossing, Yu Tjin started reading scripture verses from the Bible and I was praying and guess what?! We were about 5 minutes away from the bridge that led us out. We shouted for joy and it was really God's strengthening us.

I know that all of them we're praying and thanking God the whole way through. We came out safely even though some of us were injured. God was always there. This was the most amazing hike that I have ever been to and I thank God again for his guidance upon each one of us… WOW !!

Sam Lim wrote:

This trip was a real big experience. We have never hiked through a jungle for more than 30 hours filled with up hills and down hills – until now! It is amazing how I made it. God was a real big part of this success. At times I really wanted to give up. The trail was so miserable at a certain point. I was cold, muddy, wet, tired, hungry and thirsty. But God kept me going, constantly giving me energy to take the next step. I still stumbled a lot and fell a few times, but He kept picking me up. He helped me on the way down also. All of us needed to reach a point half way down the mountain before it turned dark. When I realized it was turning dark, I ran so I could catch up with the guys in front of me and reach the point earlier to pitch the tents. I don’t know how I ran because I was so tired. With God’s help, I reached the guys in front of me before dark. This trip also gave me a new view of God’s nature. The mountains and hills were so beautiful and the jungle had trees and plants I had never seen before in my life. It was a wonderful sight. I hope that all of you will also be able to experience this someday. NEXT STOP : Kinabalu! (u can add that in if u want…)

Shaun Darwin wrote:

The trip to Gunung Tahan was a wonderful experience. We had the time of our lives enjoying God’s creation. Six of us were chosen by Cmdr. Terence to participate in the expedition. Before we started the hike we prayed for safe journey. Although it was the rainy season, all of us (including the guide) was surprised that it rained only twice for a short while. Despite the many challenges including being bitten by leeches, pricked by sharp thorns, having to sleep in the cold, crossing several rivers, getting stuck in the mud, God protected us and brought all of us back safely. Praise the Lord.

Zachary Chin wrote:

“Can you TAHAN?” was the common question asked before seven brave guys, Commander Terence Ooi, Lee Yu Tjin, Samuel Lim, Naeden Reuel Ng, Shawn Darwin, Kedric Kwan, and myself, embarked on our ADVENTURE to Gunung Tahan (I shall not call it an expedition as we are all Adventure Boys except Yu Tjin). All our hard and long trainings throughout the last month have brought us to the challenge we were all awaiting. With all our different goals in mind, we began our journey with a few wise words from “The Old and Wise” (Try and guess who it is!) who reminded us to pray for our nation. Crossing rivers, stepping into mud that reached our knees, leeches the size of sausages (just a little exaggerating), 70 degree climbs and down hills, through rain, body aches, shoes tearing, slipping and falling, hot and cold; Can it get any worse than this?! But as our guide said, “Apa-apa pun kena tahan; Gunung Tahan”. The problem, of course, was not just the physical but the mental. To keep myself going, I set myself on ‘autopilot’ by praying and singing praises. Like Commander Terence said, this trip was a good opportunity to observe each others true character and to learn teamwork plus change our bad characteristics for the better good of others. After two days of more than 15 hours journey, we reached the top. 2187 metres above sea level, we stood in amazement at the wonderful sight of God’s beautiful creation. Going back down, every part of our bodies began to ache. Encouragement to others was a necessity as I observed some of my friends beginning to slack and breakdown. God was all we could hold on to as we went on and on. All that we could ask for was strength to go on. Upon reaching the end, shouts of joy could be heard, “We made it!! We made it!!” Looking back, it seems impossible, but with God, impossible is nothing. So here comes a question for the rest, “Can YOU tahan?”