It had been a long, cold night before. I was having trouble sleeping. Perhaps it was the cold, perhaps I was just too anxious. I believed Yin and I hit the beds around eleven that night, with the idea of giving our body ample rest before our attack on the submit trail of Mount Kinabalu. It might had been earlier, I could not recall for sure, but certainly, long after the lights were switched off, on the lower bunk bed furthest from the door of the room01 of Bishop Head 1 of the Mesilau Nature Resort, I tossed and turned in bed!
The cold was just overbearing. I could feel my toes getting cold first. The blankets were not adequate enough to keep me warm. The extra pillow I took from the empty bunk bed above me, I placed it over my toes. I had hoped it would help to keep them warm. After a while, I realized it was not working. I tried another way, slipping my feet inside the cover of the pillow. I knew it would not help much either, but at least when I turned about in bed, the pillow followed my feet.
As soon as I laid still, I could feel myself freezing up. The cold was a little unbearable for me. I tried to lay on my left side, facing Yin. She was having an easier time, or at least I thought. She laid still, not moving as much as I did. Perhaps, she was already asleep, I thought. I tried to consciously remind myself not to make too much noise whenever I had to turn about.
The night felt very long, very quiet. Even with the blankets covered right up under my chin, sometimes until only my nose and above it left exposed, I felt cold. Often, if I lay still for too long, I would shiver. Thoughts of getting more clothes and socks from the bag crossed my mind. But I didn't want to get out from the wrapped that I had built and lost what little warmth I had managed to trap under the covers. Furthermore, the bag had been packed, and I didn't think it was wise to unpack it, at such hour.
As the night moved on, I must had dozed off for some time, for I remembered being awaken by the sound of people walking outside, at the corridor. Or so I thought. I realized later that it was Yin, coming into the room, perhaps after visiting the loo. I was lying on my back then, trying to sleep. I could hear her getting back to bed, pulling the covers, adjusting herself in bed. I wondered what time it was then. I had thought it must had been near to the hours to rise, as I had felt like ages lying there, exhausted from trying to sleep. I was surprised to find out that it was only some time past one in the morning when I checked for the time, though I cannot recall the exact time now.
It was going to be a long night, no doubt. My thoughts were flying, yet I knew that I had to sleep. Without getting enough sleep, I would be tired faster when the hike started and my ascend to the peak might be severely compromised. But it was just too cold to sleep. When I lay still for too long, trying to calm myself so that I could sleep, it got too cold that I shivered. When I rubbed myself or tossed about, I got more active. Lost, I realized, good sleep would be impossible that night. I had to just do with what I could.
And so, I told myself not to think about the cold. The cold is just in your mind, someone had told me. I tried to force myself to believe that, and laid still, eyes closed. After a while, I tried to think of nothing, to clear my mind. If I could not sleep, at least I must try to relax myself. Let my mind to rest. That would be better than not getting any rest at all.
It must had worked a little. In the morning, again, I felt myself jolted up awake. I had the urge to go to pee, though not urgent. It must had been cold getting into my body system. I checked the time, almost nearing the hour to wake up. I laid in bed, waited for the urge to be stronger, to be more urgent. I didn't want get out of my blanket into the cold room. It was awhile before I left the bed, almost more than half an hour, almost nearly six in the morning, the time we agreed to wake up.
My movement must had woken Yin up, for she spoke to me. Thus, we rose to start the day of our bid to the submit of Mount Kinabalu, after battling the cold night. I could not specifically recall the details of what we did right after we decided to wake up, but in our early morning chat, I found out that she too had trouble sleeping. That she too, thought I had slept well. But she was far more layered then when she had gone to bed. Yin had, in the night, at that one time that I saw her back into the room, put on another set of clothes over the one she was wearing before getting back to bed. Smart gal!
Our guide, when we met him to go for breakfast together, did mentioned that he too found it difficult to sleep. That it was an exceptionally colder night compared to the previous times he was there. The other 2 guys, when asked, too experienced the same. The night was simply too cold for them to get a good night's rest, as well.
And that was how the four of us started climbing adventures, sleepless in the cold night at Mesilau Nature Resort's Bishop Head 1, rooms01 and 04, respectively.
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