BEING just a 45-minute drive from Kuala Lumpur, Janda Baik is popular for countryside hash runs. Set amid a small valley bounded by a thick rainforest, its natural features include picturesque streams and cool rushing brooks of waterfalls.
Though I had helped to recce the site two weeks earlier, I decided to run on the actual day, instead of setting the trail. From past experience, the route can change at the last minute and I was game for a whole new discovery by following the freshly laid paper trail.
From the trailhead it was familiar territory, for all of 10 minutes. The first check led us up the left fork, though I distinctly recalled turning right. It turned out to be a “falsie” (false trail).
Back on track, we followed the paper trail along the five-foot wide dirt road for a short distance, before a detour into the forest on the left. It turned out to be another falsie. The hare had decided to do away with the forest trail.
Picking up the paper trail again on the dirt road, our walk / run pace was in tandem with the ups and downs of the undulating terrain.
A long downhill stretch brought us to the first of two river crossings. In any river crossing, it is always good practice to scout for a good location to cross. The most direct way to the other bank or the place where the trail meets the river is not always the best place to cross. Other considerations include checking for current, water depth and debris.
While not deep, the riverbed was littered with wet and slippery pebbles all the way to the other side. We carefully splashed our way through the mid-calf-high water and continued up the slope to the right.
The next section up a freshly bulldozed track was a squishy walk, as the loose soil clung easily to our wet shoes. We plodded on this way for the next 15 minutes, up two more mega slopes with many twists and turns.
Though going up was hard work, we took satisfaction from testing our limits and coming out a winner after overcoming obstacles. The fresh air and surrounding forest greens added to the enjoyment of a good cardio workout.
Midway down another endless downhill, we cut right into a forested area onto the home trail. The trail took us into a wooded area, past low shrubs and tropical vegetation towards the river.
Being more downstream, the water was deeper and had a discernible current. At the river’s edge beside a tree, the hare had strung a rope across as support and to give extra balance as the water reached mid-thigh.
I was pleasantly surprised to find the caked mud on my shoes had been completely cleaned off, once I got to the other side.
Light-footed once more, we passed through a Malay kampung just off the Jalan Sum Sum Hilir main road.
With few cars on the road, it was a pleasant 1.5k run on a peaceful country road back to where we parked our cars.
Benefits of a Recce
Two weeks earlier, I had joined the hare and consultant hare on a trail recce ahead of the run. When choosing a run site, it is best to enlist the help of one who is familiar with the terrain and already has an idea of a suitable route.
The recce allows the hare to set a trail with a good mix of climb and flats over a distance of six to seven kilometres.
The normal practice is to set a short and long trail, to cater for the various hash groups. Fast runners will do the full course with the ‘walkers’ opting for the short run. This way, everyone can complete the run within one-and-half hours, getting back before dark.
In an estate setting, the challenge is to lay an interesting but not too difficult run, with some variant in terrain. Thinking to add a forest trail into the mix, we decided to explore a trail on the left.
What started out as a clear trail got increasingly overgrown with fallen branches and bamboo trunks littering the way.
A cluster of bamboo trunks obstruct the forest trail
We marked the trail by tying bright coloured tape on tree trunks at eye level, every three metres to four-and-half metres apart, with a bit more at intersections to prevent hashers from going off tangent.
The mostly hike-walk recce typically takes three to four hours as it includes removing obstacles and ensuring the trail is free of sharp thorny rattans.
The leisurely pace of a recce allows more time to sightsee and ‘smell the roses’. In this case, it was the aroma of dung fertiliser. We came across patches of freshly turned earth, a tell-tale sign of rooting activity by wild boars.
Being in wild boar territory, we chanced upon a shelter made of palm leaves, big enough to fit a person or a wild boar.
After multiple forays into impenetrable dead-end trails, we finally managed to punch our way through to the river and out onto the dirt track again.
We carried on uphill to the next feature, crossing the Sum Sum river, stopping for a cooling dip before continuing our way.
Just as we were about to leave, a butterfly with white-tipped long tails stopped by for a drink.
We ended the recce by identifying a suitable parking spot and GPS location to be shared with the hashers.
More importantly, the recce helps to confirm the starting and ending points with the option to shorten or simplify the route on the actual day.
Getting there Trailhead at Jalan Sum Sum Hilir
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