Over the Top
Mountain Climbing in Khao Sok National Park

With the current state of the planet, if you want to see a truly pristine environment, you have to work for it. Untrustworthy travel agents and tourism councils paint misleading pictures of touristy regions and even use the word pristine to describe areas that are actually nothing more than over-developed cash cows. But for those of you who are willing to do a bit of work to see somewhere special, I’ve got wonderful news.

Within Khao Sok National Park there is an area of mountains that are virtually unexplored. In late October, we finally saw the other side of the mountains. This has been a dream of mine for a long time. This is a ring of mountains in Khao Sok that conceals valleys and limestone outcroppings within the ring. It’s sort of like a mountain moat.

We had been up to the edge of the mountain range a couple times. The other side was hypnotic. What is down there? Is there a hidden lake or creek down there?

Our group consisted of two Canadian teachers, Ashley and Vanessa, who work in Bangkok, Aew and me (Dave). After a couple dozen emails volleyed back and forth, Vanessa and Ashley decided that they were up for the challenge. I told them that there could be some hardship and that I had no real idea what we were in for. This seemed to entice them even more. The thought if not knowing what you’re getting into is appealing to some folks. Luckily, they were both mentally and physically ready for whatever happened.

We set off on a morning in late October. We clambered up the mountain where we’ve gone before. It took a bit under three hours to reach the top. The weather was perfect and the view was stunning as usual. Now, where to go from here? There seemed to be a fairly easy route going left, so we journeyed that way.

The feeling was ineffable. This was obviously somewhere where no one had been before. This was primary jungle. This was exactly what we were after.

We worked our way over sharp limestone outcroppings and through the vegetation. One thing that caught our eyes was a huge tree with large buttress roots. A single root from that tree passed through a large rock and out the other side. Rock faces surrounded us. The sun didn’t shine down to the ground in most of the vicinity. This meant that there wasn’t a lot of thick jungle to work through.

The terrain steepened and we came to an impasse. The ground under our feet ended at a cliff. Having just purchased sixty meters of top quality Beal climbing rope, I was eager to rappel over the edge. Unfortunately, this cliff was taller than my rope was long. We back-tracked and returned to the beginning. What did taking the right (direction) path hold for us?

First off, we had to climb down a rather steep bit of sharp rock. As we were carrying enough camping gear to spend the night in the jungle, any climbing was taxing. We each had a good supply of water as well. My new rope wasn’t exactly light either. Everyone was determined to see what the mountain had in store, so down we went.

This would end up being the theme of the rest of the day. We’d walk on somewhat flat terrain, then we’d come upon a steep bit. Big trees covered in epiphytes supplied shade from the tropical sun. I would lead of a while, trying to find a way down. Aew would lead sometimes too. Sometimes we’d split up and see what each other would come up with. Vanessa and Ashley were right on our tracks.

Just like when we went to the left the first time, we came upon a cliff. Looking over the edge, we drooled. There was flat land down there and it was dramatic. But time was not on our side. It was getting dark. Now comes the fun part-- where do we set up camp? There wasn’t a flat bit of terrain anywhere around us. Aew spotted what seemed to be the only area that resembled flat land in the whole region. It was at about a ten degree angle and it was right up against a towering cliff face.

We started digging the high end and transferring the soil to the low end. We had to make an area large enough to accommodate four adults. Our tents weren’t going to cut it as there was simply not enough room to set them up. Luckily, we had brought a large tarp and a large mosquito net. Aew scaled a big palm tree and cut off one large frond. Then he cut the ‘leafs’ off and placed them on the ground. Vanessa and Ashley said something about how cool this was. They had never camped on palm fronds with only a tarp and a mosquito net between them and Mother Nature.

I went over to a lovely stalactite and lightly tapped on it. It made a wonderful ‘bong’ tone. What I didn’t realize was that there was a hornet’s nest on the opposite side of the stalactite. Immediately, I was stung twice on the back of my neck and once on the chin. The one that got me on the chin was nasty. It really hurt. Luckily for all of us, the hornets simply made their point then returned to their nest. They could have made our life very interesting as we had nowhere to run away. I certainly don’t plan on tapping on stalactites again anytime soon.

One of the nicest things about Khao Sok is the lack of mosquitoes. We’ve found that there are a few here and there, but not many. Most of our encounters with mosquitoes are around caves.

We all stood around or sat around for the next few hours chatting about how cool this area was and about our love of the natural world. It's amazing how much many of us share a deep love of Nature. It's sad that government policy-makers and big business don't share this love. I'd like to say that it's their loss, but in fact, it's everyone's loss.

Gradually, we tired and wiggled into our temporary shelter. It was close quarters, but workable and sort of flat. The ‘sort of flat’ bit meant that I had to put my pack under the downhill side of my body to keep from rolling into Aew. I guess I could have used him for a ‘speed bump’ of sort, but I decided to spare him the nuisance. Ain’t I nice? The night was comfortable. There were some sounds in the night as expected, but nothing that really stood out.

Aew was up before the sun. I glanced over and saw him sitting on a rock looking up in the trees and cliffs. We gradually worked our way out from under the tarp. Aew told us that he saw a family of gibbons to the north and a family of Dusky Langurs to the south. Hornbills suddenly flew overhead. The ‘whooshing’ of their wings gave away their position.

What could be better? We were comfortable and we were in a place where no one else, in all likelihood, had ever been before. But there was something missing. We hadn’t reached the bottom. So, after a quick breakfast, we started trying to figure out how to get down further.

Aew and I down-climbed some steep bits to see if it would be possible to reach the very distant bottom. Again, we came to a great cliff that appeared to be taller than the length of my rope.

This was a wonderful experience for all of us. We had accomplished part of our goal. We did climb over, but failed to reach the bottom of the other side. However, now we see what it will take to do this. First of all, it will take longer than a couple days. And, it will take a lot of water. Climbing in the tropics requires a lot of drinking water. There is most likely a source of water once we reach the bottom, but it would be foolish to count on that.

Perhaps there is an easier way into the hidden world. But do we really want to find an easy way? That’s the real question. There’s something special about going after a goal and sticking with it until it’s accomplished. Will we tackle this same route again? You bet ya. But I also want to find an easier way to access this magical area. This particular circuit isn’t suitable for most travelers. If you’re mildly crazy and craving something raw and exciting, then send me an email. I’d be more than glad to embark upon another attempt.

Khao Sok has lots of mountains just waiting to be explored. The normal tourist attractions in the reservoir area are flooded daily by the average Joes of the world looking for an average experience. If you want the real thing; if you want to venture where others have never been, then we’re it. PaddleAsia is all about doing our own thing and we are the only ones who do what we do.

If the thought of walking on trails that no other tourists have walked on before excites you, drop us a line.