On 2 July 2011 an excited group of Maynard Upper 5 and Sixth Form students set off to Borneo on the bi-annual summer expedition. After 18 months of planning, fund-raising and training, the group touched down in the regional capital of Sabah, where they set about sorting out supplies and kit at their base in Kota Kinabalu.
Their first destination was the Sepilok Orang-utan Sanctuary near Sandakan, where they had the opportunity to see the extraordinary work that goes into the rehabilitation and reintroduction back into the wild of these incredibly rare apes. From Sepilok, they travelled deep into the jungle via road and then river boat as they headed up the Kinabatangan River. By night the girls slept in stilted-huts and hammocks and by day they saw crocodiles, gibbons, proboscis monkeys and even pythons as well as witnessing their first glimpse of orang-utans in the wild.
The next ten days were spent completing the main aim of the trip, planting a series of large research areas with hundreds of indigenous saplings as part of a conservation research project – the girls’ incredible hard work and achievements received impressive recognition in the national press. The group then faced another challenge – to spend three days trekking into and being self sufficient in the rain forest. The stifling heat and humidity combined with heavy packs proved an enormous challenge, but the girls’ endurance and stamina was astounding.
When the girls arrived back to their base at Kota Kinabalu, they were told about pro-democracy protests planned against the Government. The group agreed to a ‘lock-down’ at the base at Borneo Backpackers and the day passed without incident. The restful day set the group up for their final big challenge of the expedition, summiting Mount Kinabalu which stands at 4095m. It was here that the group’s close teamwork paid off as they faced the test of climbing at altitude with packs.
Many thanks must go to all those involved in making this trip run so smoothly; especially Katie and the team from Dynamic Adventures, the whole team at Wild Borneo Expeditions and most of all, the fantastic support from the team’s families and friends that enabled them to participate in such an unforgettable experience.
See more photos on our Facebook page and read more in our Winter Maynard News magazine.
