Kinarut

As my trip was winding down, I decided to head to the beach town of Kinarut. Unfortunately, it was raining while I was there and didn't get to enjoy the beach all that much.

Plus, I wasn't too keen on swimming with the jellyfish!
However, I did make the day of a few local girls when I stopped to buy some of their desserts. I guess tourists usually don't buy food at the end of a driveway!
But I did..... and all of them were delicious. How could I resist at 3 desserts/1 RM; or approx 67 cents for the whole thing!

Snorkeling and Palau Sapi

After leaving Kinarut, I headed back to Kota Kinabalu and booked a snorkeling day trip to the nearby island of Palau Sapi in the marine national park. At first, the snorkeling was a bit awful, since the boat dropped us in the middle of a bunch of jellyfish and we were getting stung every 30 seconds.



Everyone got back on the boat complaining, so they took us to a different spot, where the snorkeling was much more comfortable.
We ate lunch on the island. This monitor tried to sneak some BBQ!
After lunch, we had another hour in the water, and then a thunderstorm rolled in so we gunned it back to shore just as it started pouring.

Last Stop at Kota Kinabalu

On my last day, I finished exploring Kota Kinabalu. I wandered around the downtown.
Viewed some of the government buildings.
Visited Addison Watch Tower.
Wandered around the malls (and got a couple massages there).
And went to the various markets to get my last pieces of rambutans and mangosteens.




And then it was time to head back home.

Kendrick Mountain, Flagstaff

On Saturday, I hiked the Kendrick Mountain Trail (#22) just outside of Flagstaff.

The trail ends at the fire tower (see arrow above)

After climbing for about 3 hours, we were treated with this gorgeous view.

Just steps away from the fire tower now.

I finally made it. (Humphrey's peak - last week's hike - is in the far background)

Trail Stats:

	Distance Round Trip	9 miles
	Trailhead Elevation	7700 feet
	Elevation Gain	2639 feet
	Avg Time Round Trip	4.5 hours

Humphrey's Peak - Flagstaff, AZ

As the ultimate test to see whether I would survive the Borneo hike, I decided to do a training hike to Arizona's highest point, the summit of Humphrey's Peak. We met at the trail at 8 am, so it was a very early start from Phoenix.

Let's get going!

The trail started by crossing a meadow under Snowbowl's ski lift, and then entering a nice forested area.

The were several avalanche areas on the trails.

For the most part, the trail was well maintained and easy to find (although muddy in spots).

When we finally cleared the treeline, we could see this gorgeous view.

The last push through the forest was quite steep and I could really feel the elevation change. The group decided to take a break just above the tree line. From here, there's only about a mile left to go before reaching the summit.

The landscape changes dramatically above the tree line. It also got really cold and windy at this point.

The approach to the summit started with scrambling over boulders and rocks.

But then it gave way to smaller, looser lava rocks.

I had to cross several false summits before reaching the actual summit.

So close, yet so far away.

Finally arrived at the summit!!!

What a view.

I couldn't resist the urge to hold a metal pole in the air while standing on AZ's highest peak, with ominous storm clouds approaching.

Trail Stats:

• Length: 4.8 miles (one way)
• Rating: Strenuous
• Hiking Time: 3 hours (one way)
• Elevation: 9,300' to 12,633'