The Trail of Mount Yong Belar (7,156 Ft.)

                 At the highlands, a convoy of 3 military vehicles were slowing down toward a sharp rising bend at a bottom, before the road steeply inclined upwards. Suddenly, shots rang out and the bullets accurately found its marks through the windscreens of the jeep at the front and the rest of the vehicles; more poured at the sides. At the end of the day, 4 soldiers were killed, one dying and scores wounded. A civilian from the Malayan National Board (MEB) was among the dead.

                The ambush occured on the 2nd of March 1950 at a road was set up by the Communist Terrorists (CTs) just beyond Brinchang,  then a village, some 6 miles from Tanah Rata, Cameron Highlands in the State of Pahang, British Malaya (now Malaysia), at the height of the local communist insurgency. The convoy was caught in the ambush while on its way to Blue Valley to recover a vehicle belonging to the electricity board which had gone off the track and slid down deep into the jungle. (Facts extracted from Britain's Small Wars)

                Cameron Highlands was once a hotbed of communist activities many decades ago. It was also one of the gateways from the southern region to the ridges of the Titiwangsa Range, spanning a few hundred kilometres across mossy forests and thick jungles to the borders of  Thailand, a mere 3 weeks of hiking. According to an ex-army personnel, the route was tranversed up to 40 times by a veteran communist insurgent during its heyday and located along the paths of the 6 peaks of mountains  at a height of over 7,000 feet. which are called Mt Yong Belar, Mt Korbu (another gateway), Mt Yong Yap, Mt Chamah and Mt Ulu Sepat respectively. For an aspiring mountain hiker in Malaysia, having summited all the above mentioned peaks and Mount Tahan (highest in the Peninsular) from a different range, categorised fondly as G7 mountains, is considered a great personal achievement! With the surrender of the CTs in 1989 and all booby traps cleared off from the ridges, the restriction to the Titiwangsa Range was thus lifted.

             In the '80s and '90s, only a handful of groups organised hikes to the Titiwangsa mountains. However, with the influx of affordable GPS handsets  and in particular, the Facebook network have spurred countless groups into existence paving a way for more young and old generations together to embrace the rough and tumble in the jungles. One such group was led by the energetic, Ray L. and accompanied by his mentor, Wong whom he calls Master or "Sifu". I found myself hiking with the group on a day's hike to the summit of Mt Y.Belar which normally requires an overnight trip at the peak as I had done twice more than 10 years ago.

             Hitched a ride in Benson T.'s car and instead of using the long and winding road which sloped up to the highlands where the ambush took place in 1950, a new highway emerging from Simpang Pulai near Ipoh was used. In his fifties, Benson who is a newbie to the mountains, was a tad worried that he may not reached the summit before the turnaround time set at 2.00 pm.  So, the hike was a race against time for him. In the car were Chen B., a lady trekker, Vincent L., another recent hiker, and a flora photographer enthusiast, Vincent G. We arrived by nightfall at the Chinese's Kwan Ti Temple in Kampung Raja near the Blue Valley, and got a place to bunk in overnight free of charge!

  

              The next morning, we boarded trucks for a bumpy ride through a vegetable farm in Blue Valley and were dropped off at a dam in forty minutes. The trailhead started with a long flight of stairs on the right side of the dam. Thereafter, at the top and minutes later, a nice flat track at a distance of a few hundred metres has now turned into countless mini swamps. Ten years ago, there was only a lone 3-inch pipe in diameter along the entire track. Now countless illegal pipes, some leaking water straddling along the entire length and width like giant ugly-looking worms fighting for limited open space on the ground. One has to tread carefully on the slippery pipes as stepping on unstable ones will sink your foot together into the water and thereby trapping it between the pipes. Stepping on newer ones will increased the odds of not falling off the pipes!
  
           After crossing a stream and up a ledge, the trail continued along a flat terrain to the left of an abandoned shack infested with swift's nests. On the right side of the shack was a former trail. indistinct by now, which was used years ago connecting to another hillside and to the back of the Blue Valley farms. Having changed from sandals to trekking shoes, we bolted into the faraway hills. After a slippery slope at the hillside, the terrain changed into a thick mossy forest; a hiker's delight!

 

 

                                                     Photo Credit: Vincent Goh

                                               Photo Credit: Vincent Goh

                                                 Photo Credit: Vincent Goh

    Choosing to follow closely while observing Vincent G. taking photos of the variety of flora, a sleepless night and insufficient training, had somehow affected my momentum. After only 2 hours of hiking and finding myself at the tail end of the group, I've decided to stop at a small peak with a view of the Mt Y. Belar's peak at a faraway distance! Not wanting to push on anymore, I rested and took a nap for a few hours. Dark clouds had gathered around the area from a distance and soon a drizzle commenced. From here, a few small peaks stand and one would arrive at the first campsite,   Kem Tudung Periuk, which has a water source. Thereafter, the final source of water is at Kem Kasut. The peak is just half an hour away for a hiker with a small backpack. At the peak, on a cloudless day, the summit of Mt Korbu, the other gateway to the Titiwangsa Range, can be spotted across a valley, reachable in a full day's hike into the night from Mt Y. Belar. By the time the last hiker reached the summit just after 2 pm, the rain finally poured out. Benson T. has made it to the peak, more than an hour before the turnaround time, which was an achievement and whatever trepidations he may had, faded away.

                                          Photo Credit: Jess Low.
                                                   At the peak of Mt Yong Belar with a background
                                                   view of Mt Korbu in 2002.

                                          Part of the surrounding view of the Titiwangsa Range.


             The return trip for tough hikes are more challenging, prone to lapses of concentration and maybe injuries. Compounded with the tropical rain, things can get quite rough ahead. I was wondering who will be the first hiker to appear at the trail back from the summit. Just then, someone appeared out and was quite glad to see me as he doesn't like to trek alone. Having turned back before reaching the peak, it's quite awhile before he meets any soul in the jungle.  So, we hiked together off the mountain until we reached the shack. Here, two hikers were running towards us and followed by another runner later in the hour. Then more hikers came down lead by Ray.

             We continued the journey back and encountered the pipes again. There were two sets of pipes running at the trail. One set goes down along a stream while the other up a slope. There was a hesitant moment as the paper markers marking a direction had either vanished or soaked in the mud. When we were heading the other direction in the morning, the other set of pipes weren't evident then. There was a plastic marker tied high up at a slope but it may lead to another trail while the lower pipes seem to be on a flat terrain. Having wasted much time checking out both ways, I decided to hike up the slope and thereafter managed to find a flat terrain high at the top. In the dark, returning hikers will have difficulty determining the actual route, which unfortunately happened to a couple as they wasted more than an hour locating back to this spot after choosing the wrong route!

          When I reached the dam, the first group had already left and driven back to the temple. Much later, smaller groups begin to troop down. Among them, Benson and Chen B; tired but elated. Some were hungry and the chocolates I had brought up came in handy. Back at the temple at 7.30 pm, but waited until 11.00 pm for the final truck, bringing back the last group of hikers. Among them was Vincent G. and they were on the mountain for more than 12 hours in the cold weather. I would certainly be among them too if I had continued the trek to the summit and thus avoided a personal odyssey! Of the 41 hikers, only 2 didn't reached the summit, and a great success even if destination was used as a yardstick.

                                             Standing at the left end: Myself. Photo taken at the temple.

           It was equally a tough terrain for the CT's decades ago who used the ridges along the Titiwangsa Range to escape from the enclosing dragnet set by the commandos in the British Army. Having raised our Malaysian flag at the peak during the month of our Independence Day, we should also take note of the sacrifices that took place near the Blue Valley, prior or after 31st August, 1957. These young men too played a part in ensuring a bright future and a democratic way of life. So, here goes their names in the following sequence:-

Lt. Richard W.J. (aged 20) and Sgt. Ritter C.R. (aged 21) -  Jeep

L/Cpl Haggart N. (aged 21) and Mr Yates, a civilian         -   Ford Recovery Truck

Driver Jones R.H. (aged 19) and Cpl. Hand F. (aged 26)   -   3-ton Truck

(Source: Britain's Small Wars)