{"id":1067,"date":"2019-07-03T11:35:39","date_gmt":"2019-07-03T11:35:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ambassadors.ucsiuniversity.edu.my\/?p=1067"},"modified":"2019-07-18T03:10:45","modified_gmt":"2019-07-18T03:10:45","slug":"dare-to-hike-step-out-of-your-comfort-zone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ambassadors.ucsiuniversity.edu.my\/index.php\/2019\/07\/03\/dare-to-hike-step-out-of-your-comfort-zone\/","title":{"rendered":"Dare to Hike – Step Out of Your Comfort Zone"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It was during the semester break that one of my friends, Ryan, suggested that we go hiking. It was scheduled on the 12th<\/sup> of May, the first Sunday after our classes began. As someone who preferred less strenuous activities during my free time, you could guess that I wasn\u2019t very thrilled with the idea. After several rounds of threats<\/del> convincing, I finally relented. After all, it\u2019s good to step out of your comfort zone once in a while, especially when you\u2019re still young and fit with time to spare, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hence, with my reluctant agreement, it was decided that four of us were to go, namely me, Ryan, Xi Wen and Ben. The hiking spot we chose was Apek Hill. Apek Hill is a popular hiking spot of moderate difficulty. Located at Cheras, Selangor, it consists of several starting points, namely at Cheras Awana, Cheras Hartamas, Wangsa Cheras and Taman Saga. There are 6 stations along the trail, as shown in the map below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Map (<\/em>Photo Source<\/em><\/a>)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

As the only person who hiked here before, Xi Wen was chosen as the\nunofficial leader of our little entourage. The night before, we were told to\npack lightly\u2014 our phones, a small towel, water, some sweets or biscuits and a\nchange of clothes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On that day, after having a light breakfast at Gading (the mamak\nstall outside UCSI), we arrived at Cheras Awana at around 7.30am. The entrance\nto the hill is located inside a small neighbourhood. At the foot of the hill\nbefore the trail starts, there is a little vendor selling drinks and fruits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a drink, we officially began our first hiking experience\ntogether. There are many markers on the trees and ground along the path, so we\ndidn\u2019t have to worry about getting lost. The trail towards Station 1 was mostly\ndownhill, leading to the \u201cSmall Bridge Station\u201d, which consist of a small river\nwith a little wooden bridge nearby. We took this opportunity to clean ourselves\nwith the cool water. However, I do not recommend anyone to drink the water here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Station 1<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Then, we started hiking towards Station 2. The path towards Station 2 was mostly uphill. Station 2 is a small station and there was nothing much here except for some wooden stools. It is a place for the hikers to rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Station 2<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

After that, it was another upwards hike towards Station 3. Station 3 consists of an open area built with several voltage towers. Without many trees surrounding us, it was the hottest hike yet, so we went through the area quickly without stopping \u2014 except for a photo!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Station 3<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

After the third station, the difficulty of the trail began to\nincrease. The path onwards was less defined and much steeper. There were also\nsome areas that were almost impossible to climb without some help. We had to\nhold on to the thick ropes provided or in some cases, tree roots and branches. Upper\nbody strength was essential here. As a rookie hiker, it was very daunting\nindeed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order to cheer me up, my friends started singing and cracking\njokes along the way, especially Ben. They were also always willing to lend a\nhelping hand, and in this case, literally. Hence, despite the many times where\nI was tempted to stop and turn back, with my friends\u2019 help and encouragement, I\npersevered. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Look at how steep it is!<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

After a long hike, we finally reached Station 3A.  Station 3A is somewhat similar to a recreational\npark, consisting of many stools, swings, a small \u2018gym\u2019 area and beautiful\ndecoration. This is the place where many hikers were gathered, some of them\nchatting with one another, taking photos or even doing some light exercise. We\ntook a long break here, as we (mostly just me) were both physically and\nmentally exhausted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Station 3A<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

After some much needed rest, we headed towards Station 5 (even though I really did not want to leave). The hike towards Station 5 was a short one, thankfully. It quickly became my new favourite place because there were a drinks vendor and also free water supply, carried up here by volunteers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Station 5<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

From here onwards, we were headed towards unknown territory\nbecause Xi Wen had never hiked to Station 6 before. It felt a little like\nexploring a new land. We followed the markers on the ground carefully. Compared\nto the paths before, there weren\u2019t as many markers and they were also not\nlocated as obviously as before. This is because most people usually stop at\nStation 5 before heading back, so this part of the trail was relatively unused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some time passed and we still have not reached the last station. It\nquickly became obvious that we took the wrong path since Station 6 was supposed\nto be nearby. After encountering a family who gave us some directions, we realised\nthat we had followed the wrong markers. Instead of heading towards Station 6,\nwe were headed towards a waterfall located much further. At that point, we were\nall exhausted, and debated whether we wanted to continue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the end, we decided to continue on to the waterfall. I have\nnever been to a waterfall before, so I was pretty excited. In my opinion, this\npath was the most challenging of all because it was very steep, muddy and\nmostly downhill. However, with a new target in mind, we did not give up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"

\u201cCan I just stay like this and not move?\u201d said Ryan, probably, in his heart. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

After what seemed like ages, we finally heard the sounds of water.\nFinally! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With renewed enthusiasm, we quickened our pace and in no time,\nfinally reached the waterfall. The sight was beautiful. Cool, fresh water\ngushing over the rocks and leading into a tiny lake that shimmered and sparkled\nunder the sunlight. We were overjoyed, and all our exhaustion were forgotten as\nwe quickly took off our shoes to dip our feet into the cold water. We easily\nspent an hour chilling and playing under the cold splashes on the rocks. We\nalso took many photos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Instagram time!<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Of course, all good things had to come to an end,\nand soon enough it was time to leave. We took the same path back, just in\nreverse order. This time, we were motivated by the thought of food when we got\nout. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At around 2pm, we finally made it back to the starting point. Before leaving, we enjoyed some cooling coconut drinks at the drinks vendor at the entrance. At that time, we were the only ones there except for the stall owners. Everyone else had left ages ago!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In total, we spent almost seven hours hiking. Looking back, it does seem crazy! This is because for people who hike often, usually two to three hours is enough. But hey, we preserved through the end, and that was what mattered the most, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only that, the people here were also friendly and helpful, so\nit is safe for new and inexperienced hikers. We learned that it has become a\nweekly routine for the locals to hike together, and hence explains the\ntight-knitted community here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All in all, the hike for me was not easy, but it was\nworth it. Despite the many obstacles faced, with\na strong sprit and great friends, anything is worth the journey. By stepping\nout of my comfort zone, I gained a new amazing experience. If I could do it,\nthen so could you!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It was during the semester break that one of my friends, Ryan, suggested that we go hiking. It was scheduled on the 12th of May,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":96,"featured_media":1807,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"categories":[128,151,1],"tags":[105,168],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ambassadors.ucsiuniversity.edu.my\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1067"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ambassadors.ucsiuniversity.edu.my\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ambassadors.ucsiuniversity.edu.my\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ambassadors.ucsiuniversity.edu.my\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/96"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ambassadors.ucsiuniversity.edu.my\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1067"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/ambassadors.ucsiuniversity.edu.my\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1067\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1808,"href":"https:\/\/ambassadors.ucsiuniversity.edu.my\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1067\/revisions\/1808"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ambassadors.ucsiuniversity.edu.my\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1807"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ambassadors.ucsiuniversity.edu.my\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ambassadors.ucsiuniversity.edu.my\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ambassadors.ucsiuniversity.edu.my\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}