Flea Hill, Kuala Kubu Baru

Spent the whole Wesak on a whole day trek to Bukit Kutu in Kuala Kubu Baru.

HOLY FUCKING SHIT I swear this is the hardest trek i've ever done, and without training for it at that. It is 3-4 hours of pain to trek up to the peak, and about the same trekking down. Due to the rain yesterday and some light rainfall today, the trail was slippery as well.

It starts off deceptively easy, cross two suspended bridges over some rivers, walk abit through muddy 4WD trails, but the real fun starts at the foot of the hill. From there on in its a steady uphill path, with several areas that are very steep and slippery (expect to have your ass planted on the ground on your trek, especially when coming down).

You will be wishing to see the peak before very long, but it just goes on and on and on and onnnnnn. The summit is 'just' 1100m, but getting up there is a real test of your body and mind thanks to several extremely steep areas. At some parts I was literally going up a few steps at a time. I brought a 1.5 litre of 100 Plus as well as my own 1litre water bottle, and I finished the 100 Plus and 2/3 of my water by the time I reached the peak.

The markers for the trail are not very good, and unless you have someone who knows the way you will go on the wrong path often as there are several forks throughout. It is very easy to get lost so it is crucial to have a handphone with you in case you end up somewhere off the trail.

There's alot to see if you like nature, there are large jungle ants scurrying about the forest floor, and you'll often see smaller ants walking along trails of their own. Wild orchids can also be seen now and then. Roughly halfway up there is a huge rock overhang, which is home to bees, lots of bees. They're not aggressive though, just abit annoying.

At the summit is the remnants of the old British hill station, where stands a tall brick structure of indeterminate utility (some blogs say its a chimney?) and a well which you can use to replenish your bottle, if you don't mind drinking unboiled water.

Going down was naturally not as exhausting, but my feet were aching so bad at that point it felt like they were two whole blisters. And due to the rain and muddy ground, everyone slipped and planted their ass on the ground at least once. Reaching the river and jumping into the cold water felt like the best thing in the world after that experience.

Also, leeches. Did I mention leeches? These bastards are present on the Bukit Kutu trail, and the variety I encountered liked to drop from the leaves overhead, which is how I caught the first one that tried to make a meal out of me as it dropped on my white towel. Alas, two of its brethren managed to find their way to my shins (on both legs) at some point, one apparently got brushed off and left a bleeding circle that kept going hours after.

Still, if you ask me I would do this trek again sometime in the future (when i'm better prepared for it), the view from the peak is quite nice if its not foggy, it would be worth the trek lugging heavy camera equipment up to the large boulders at the top to take a panorama shot. I don't have pictures here as I did not bring my camera, maybe next time.

I went on this trek not knowing what I was in for, as the friend who invited me did not know the exact location nor the difficulty of the trek, and neither did his colleague. The Bukit Kutu trek is not to be taken lightly, nor without proper preparation.

If you're not a seasoned trekker, for your own health and sanity stay away from it. If you still want to try it, just be prepared to be tortured, both in your soul and your soles.