titiwangsa lessons

| lessons | some of the useful lessons learned during the titiwangsa traverse from 11 october 2008 to 14 october 2008 | may not apply to all though | trek | every trekker has a different pace and different style of trekking | it will take some experience to develop own style and pace | personally consistent pacing yield the best results, be initially conservative | need to adopt different pace for different ground surface, different terrain and different weight of backpack | packing properly and properly securing and tying the backpack is important | leave nothing hanging outside the backpack or body | do not waste energy trying to stay clean | learn to use 2 hands, 2 legs and butt, the butt is quite useful | stay upright when possible | for tricky stretches, look and think before attempting | have a trekking buddy of more or less the same physical fitness and with similar trekking style, others may not wait for you or make the trek a little bit easier on you | a trekking buddy will also make the trek more enjoyable and safer | wear gloves to avoid cuts and to keep fingernails clean | wear protective and quick to dry clothing during trek to avoid cuts and exposure to itch inducing insects and plants | will not get cold while trekking | photo | take photographs at all water points, stream crossings, hill tops, camping sites, signposts, peaks and whatever that takes your fancies | time stamps on photographs will enable one to prepare a log of the trek | keep camera in a small separate bag which can be hung from the belt | gear | buy good lightweight gear | test gear before starting trek | ask around | advice | do not ignore unsolicited advice | but do not blindly apply all advice | apply only what is personally applicable | rain | rain is not always bad | with proper planning, rain can be a blessing | use a plastic sheet to trap rain water for use | wind is worse than rain | pack | keep pack as light as possible, and then lighten some more | this is worth repeating, keep it light | backpack will get heavier with rain and there will be need to carry water up to the peaks | take only the minimum required | it is indeed possible to wear the same clothing during the treks on all 4 days | need not even have changed the underwears but what the heck | had trouble believing it before this | it is also possible to wear the same clothing on all 3 nights spent on the yong belar peak, junction peak and korbu peak | just in case, bring a spare set for night use | it is however not as cold as some may make it out to be | some trekkers can be seen walking around in just shorts and t-shirts, and when there is sun just underwears | take only dry or dehydrated foodstuff along | no need for toiletries, just a small towel and medicated powder will do | but then again a little luxury will lift the spirits | think about how to lighten load | every trekker has own priorities |