Bukit Broga Hill Semenyih Sunrise Hike

It’s been quite some time since I hike. Trekking is not my cup of tea, as you all know. I get bored seeing the same scenery, similar trail, and the views do not lure me enough except for Mt. Pinatubo Crater views, Himalayas snow-capped mountain and South Africa’s Table Mountain.  In short, I will only climb if the views on the top entice me.  Don’t blame me for being so judgmental on the views. Who doesn’t love a good view?

Recently, one of my Lenovo colleagues, Alvin arranged a climb to Broga Hill and I couldn’t believe myself saying I’d like to join! What the efff, right? My IBM colleagues will certainly be shocked seeing that I climbed Broga Hill considering I turned them down like couple of times and couple of years back! Peace out to my hiker friends “Jasper, Rommel & Kyle”. (Hides Face)

Since I heard it’s an easy peasy climb, with a stunner sunset views and I don’t get much time to go out with my colleagues. I mean I don’t know them outside work and it will be great to get to know them. I was shocked that the call time is 4 AM that means I need to literally force myself to wake up at 3 AM and meet them at our meet up place. Ayooo.. This is the real challenge. #wakingupearly. Sure, I’m not a morning person but the sunrise at Broga Hill motivated me.

The trek as they say was easy, however there were some tricky part, too. Lack of signage as to which trail to take to can be confusing which led to getting lost especially if the trail is in total darkness. We were glad that the weather cooperated.  My colleagues were prepared, they got some torchlight and I used my smartphone’s flashlight, which is a pretty bad idea.  My colleagues were there to point their lights on me though when the going gets tough. #Teamwork

There are 3 main peak points at Broga Hill and we only reached the 2^nd peak. For a non-hiker like me it’ll be a little challenging on the 2^nd part wherein a rope trail was provided for better grip! It was somehow slippery especially when descending because I don’t have proper hiking shoes. But like Mustafa, my boss told us, that’s not an excuse and there were some kids climbing and if they can do the trek. I can, too!

We reached the 2^nd peak and it was breezy and chill at top. The sunrise was beautiful, a very remarkable daybreak to start a mundane day. There’s some kind of a healing process when we get to see the sunrise and to watch it makes me feel grateful just to be alive. It truly marks the beginning of a picturesque day. I really couldn’t make a choice between sunrise and sunset, as they’re both beautiful on their own way.

We didn’t make it to the 3^rd peak. Grant, one of our colleagues was not satisfied and wished to reach the top for greater satisfaction. I couldn’t believe he has high agility considering his age. (Peace out, Grant!) And he went hiking barefoot. Unbelievable!

I love the teamwork we had on that hiking tour. It was so much fun and we helped each other to overcome every boulder. It pretty much reminds me of my spelunking memories couple of years back with my Sutherland co-workers.

I expected it to be super commercialised and definitely expected to be disappointed, however our group made the best decision to hike early to not only catch the sunrise but as well as to avoid the crowd. It was getting crowded by the time we left.

I am not a fan of hiking, but I’m kinda lovin’ it now. I think it’s not the climb; it’s not the view either. It’s the crazy, hilarious memories together that make it all worthwhile.

Tips:

• Take a good rest, you need enough energy to reach the top.
• If you want to avoid the crowd. Be early. We started climbing by 5:30 AM
• Bring Torchlight/flashlight when you are trekking early in the morning
• Catch the beautiful sunrise! It looks boring without the sunrise on it.
• There’s a rope trail to support you when ascending. I didn’t expect that rope thing, but be prepared as it is quite devious.
• First Peak is 880ft from the starting point, 2^nd point is 1150ft, and if you wish to proceed, the 3^rd peak is at 1312ft above sea level
• Check the weather forecast before you climb. It could be really slippery when it’s wet and not suitable to climb.
• This is no brainer. Bring water to get yourself hydrated. Don’t underestimate the easy hike.
• Parking fee is 1 RM per person and another 1 RM entrance to Broga Hill
• Get proper hiking shoes!
• After the hike, go to nearby mamak (Nasi Kandar Seminyih) for breakfast.