B L O G P A S T O R

off to Kinabalu sacrificers and second timers and others

remarkable families

March 15th, 2007

Sam and Timothy, especially ten year old Timothy, is remarkable in being able to trek up to Laban Rata and back despite having a fever and feeling ill along the way. Tim, like most Singaporeans are used to an easy and comfortable life and this makes this feat an achievement he can be proud of. Sam the father said he came on the trip to spend more time with his son, and he really did, in all the practice climbs and in the kinabalu climb, it was a pleasure to see the bond deepen between them. For sure the son will always treasure these moments even into his adult life. When they both entered the canteen at Laban Rata, everyone applauded, including strangers who passed by them along the way.

The other remarkable family unearthed during the climb was the Corrie-Kellig family, comprising Australian Anthony, Singaporean Erika, and their children Sita and Michaela. Anthony had some training in mountaineering with the Australian engineers corp, and carried a heavy burden to the resthouse up the mountains in Laban Rata, and despite being thoroughly tired he made it the Low’s Peak, a remarkable achievement given the circumstances. His wife, Erika, is equally remarkable: she reached Low’s Peak by sheer determination as she was feeling ill all the way up and down to Timpohon Gate the starting point. It was only in city hospital after everything that what we had thought was altitude sickness and tiredness, was actually food poisoning. Sheer determination - my wife called her “iron woman”. Sita, the girl with Bollywood looks, is also a tough nut, and is now our youngest church member to have reached Low’s Peak. Amazing. And Michaela, the adorable darling of the adventure trip, caught lots of glances and inpired many others, when she acually climbed about 3km up and 2.5 km down before being carried by father and a porter the rest of the way. When the whole family entered the canteen everyone applauded because very few of that age have gone that high and far.