The trail from Teluk
Bahang forest reserve to the top of Penang Hill has been on my list to do since
before I arrived here. Searching through possible hiking treks around the
island this seemed to be the most appealing as the distance and time required
better matched what I have previously done on longer hikes. However, after
being here for just a short while and trying some other hikes around the island
it occred to me that hiking here would not be like hiking in Japan/the US/New
Zealand and that each step would take a bit longer and be a bit more
uncomfortable. The thing about Penang, and about Malaysia, is that the heat and
humidity can be oppressive. Most days when I arrive home it’s a struggle to not
just lay down on the couch and never get up because the heat is just too much.
This has lead most of my hiking here to be in the 3-4 hour range max. Plus,
there aren’t too many people to whom a 6-8 hour hike clear across the island
would appeal to and it’s a trail where you don’t want to be alone due to
proximity to help. Should you twist an ankle it would be at least a couple of
hours hike on healthy legs, let alone a sprained or broken one, to get to help.
So when my friend told
me that she was going on an exploratory hike in advance of a club she would be
leading later I jumped at the chance. So too did a few of my colleagues and 6
of us set out at 12:45 from the Teluk Bahang Forest reserve this past Saturday.
Most estimates put the hike at 6-8 hours and so we assumed we could make it to
Penang Hill at or just before nightfall. There we would meet up with another
group of teachers at the Methodist Center, a sort of run down bunkhouse where
we could camp.
It took us just about
an hour to climb the first section from the base of the Forest Reserve to the
top of the first hill where we took a 15 minute break for water and snacks.
This part of the trail starts out fairly flat, but the latter half begins a
steep ascent where ropes are fixed in some places (yellow line).
After that is a small
series of up and down hill before a long steep ascent up to the juncture/right
turn off to Titikerawang. This juncture took just over an hour and a half to
get to from the last stop making this about 3 hours into the hike. We stopped
here as well for 15 minutes to snack and rest. There are some views here to the
west and north and the reservoir at Teluk Bahang as well as Batu Ferringi are
easily seen here.
After that stop the
trail goes right down the other side of the mountain and is very steep in some
places where fixed ropes are the only way to safely descend. I can’t imagine
what it looks like in the rain. This took us another 40 minutes or so. Once at
the bottom of the hill we stopped for a quick rest and water at rain gauge 11 before
heading up the final large hill to the edge of the Western Reserve (red line). Though
it appears on the map as if there is a turn off just before rain guage 11 to
hike to air itam dam we never saw that.
It took us about 40
minutes to make it to the edge of the Western Reserve where a red circle with
white dash told us to turn right. This followed about 10 minutes of steep
downhill, across a small creek, then steep uphill for another 10 minutes or so.
Then you are spit onto the road on Penang Hill. From there you take a right off
the trail to get to the tram. Keep going straight along the main road and you
should get there in about 45 minutes to an hour.
Overall the hike was
good, but if you are using the maps from the Forest Trail book of hikes be
careful. Maps are not nearly to scale or representative of distance relation of
objects to one another. Many trails have turn offs not listed. Bring plenty of
food and water. I went through 4 liters over the 5 hour period and was still
very thirsty at the end. The hiking is easy in some points, but all of those
points are broken by very steep sections. This hike requires stamina, so do not
attempt for a leisurely walk.
