I didn't summit Pisang Peak 2nd time. Shocking. Weather is good, nothing was against us. I left 200m to summit and made the decision to U-turn. I completely lost my energy. Right from the start at high camp 5,400m, we've to start using fixed ropes. It was dark, we started at 1230am. I forgot I needed to pace myself and use up so much energy by 7am, I lost it. I can hardly move my legs up an inch of each step. I was going so slow I know I'll need 2 hours to get to summit even if it was so close. My thoughts are my partner is with me, I'll endanger all of us, including our guides.
Climbing to a summit is not just about reaching the top, is about to get down safely too. There are too many technical portion and I know I'll slip so easily if my energy is unable to get back in time. True enough after several parts of navigating down the technical bits, I hardly have any left in the tank. I slipped on a rock and dislocated my arm. I fell so many times in the mountains, never once have I really injured myself. I couldn't move after the fall, lying on the ground, I was like "how on earth am I going to get back to high camp?" Luckily my partner is a trained doctor and click my shoulder back. Though my shoulder is not dangling, I lost complete strength of my right arm. I use my left arm to go through the remaining snow and rocks. Fell a lot of times along the way and I try to fall on my left using my backpack as a shield. I rested 2 hours at high camp and continue to head down to Upper Pisang to 3,600m. Finally reached at 6pm. I remembered I was in so much pain, but I know I've no choice but to head down as fast as I can to 3,600m before it gets too dark.
I've to trekked another 4 days going through a pass of 5,400m before I can reach a village where we can finally take the jeep. There was no time to feel sorry for yourself, suck it up and stay positive. Once I was back to Singapore, I did MRI and had a complete tear on my rotator cuff and damaged labrium. Had the surgery over the weekend. Been a week now. I was surprised by the progress of my right arm. I can lift it up to 40 degrees now and finally no chronic pain last night. I managed to walk 9km today and yesterday. I know I'm going to get there soon. I'll also need to train my strength to be even stronger than I use to be. I realise how poor my muscle condition is during the climb, I got to get way better than this.
Never once have I doubt my ability to get well and better. I will always remember cilmbing Kilimanjaro. I was first to the top on that day. There was this light that keeps coming up faster than the rest. When I finally saw him at the summit, he's guy with no legs. He used his crutches to climb to Kilimanjaro faster than all the rest of abled bodies below. It was a humble pie lesson and something I'll remember for life.
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