WHO LET THE DOGS OUT?
Phu Kradeung Part 2
Excerpts taken from Naked Farang: Four Weddings and a Coup
Off we set without a care in the world. That lasted for about 3 minutes. The first kilometre is very steep, and you are still in tropical Thailand, so it was hot and sweaty. Pim was doing fine, but I was needing regular breaks and promising to quit smoking. It took almost an hour to complete that first kilometre, and I was seriously questioning whether I was going to be able to complete the trek. I forced myself to keep going and after that torturous first section there is a flat rest area with some drink stalls. We took a 10 minute break (saw a snake, ooohhhhhhh), and then set off again.
Fortunately, the next part of the trail started off quite evenly before gradually getting steeper but still much easier than the first section. I was starting to feel better. We kept on like this with a few breaks until after almost 3 hours we had completed four and a half km. We knew we were only half way, but there was only another kilometre of climbing before the plateau. Great! Finally, we both knew that we were going to do it. We were going to make it!
The last kilometre of the climb is the worst!!!! It is mostly scrambling over steep rocks and climbing with occasional walking. We didn't care. We were tired, but we knew we could do it now. Bring it on mountain. Do your worst. Let's have ya!!!
By 5:30, after three and a half hours of climbing, we hit the top. This was why I used to like trekking. This was what it was all about. We felt so good that we couldn't stop smiling and hugging each other. We were the king and queen of the mountain. I bet the fat guy in the hammock sling didn’t feel like this. There were only another 3 and a half kilometres of flat walking to go to the campsite. “Let’s take a break.”
Strangely, it was starting to get dark earlier than we had expected. I guess that comes from living in Bangkok. There are no streetlights on Phu Kradeung to ease the transition from day to night. At least we’d get a reminder of what a sky full of stars looked like later.
We were all alone and walking along a very clear trail that varied between open plains and wooded areas. By 6pm it was getting hard to see and we had lost track of how far we had walked from the mountain top. We started to hear a calling noise in the distance. It must be people at the campsite. Great, we're nearly there. As we got closer to the noise, it became clearer. It wasn't people; it sounded like… like a wolf. Nobody had said anything about wolves!!!!!
We started to walk faster as the light was fading quickly. It was the night after a full moon (very atmospheric and appropriate!), but the moon wasn't due to appear for some time yet. We both had bamboo walking sticks ready for self defence, but how many wolves were there? Were they hungry? Was it wolf dinner time? What time is it Mr. Wolf? I tried to be the brave man and told Pim that there was nothing to worry about. She had a bag with some sausages and boiled eggs in it, which she had bought from the last set of drink and snack vendors a kilometre down the mountain. I told her calmly, that if the wolves came, she should throw them the sausages and eggs, and they would take those and leave us big scary humans alone. I sounded calm and convincing, but shit man, these were wolves!!!!!!
Then as the light was almost gone, and we were walking through a wooded area, the most amazing thing happened. A wolf ran across the trail about 20 metres in front of us. It was dark, but it was unmistakable. A wild animal the size and shape of a large Alsatian dog had run across the trail in front of us!!! Stay calm. Keep walking.
Sure enough, the wolf’s howls started to come from behind us and to our right now as we passed the spot where it had crossed. As we kept walking I kept trying to look over my shoulder in a matter-of-fact way as if to say, "Hey, wasn't that a lovely tree we just passed?" but I didn't give a toss about the flora. It was the fauna I was worried about.
Slowly the howls faded into the distance behind us. Perhaps the wolf had already eaten a couple of hikers and was full. Perhaps it didn't like sausages (in a spicy sauce) and boiled eggs. Perhaps we stank of sweat so bad it just wanted to get away from us. We didn't know, and we certainly weren’t going to hang around to find out!
When we eventually got to the campsite at almost 6:30pm it was pitch black except for a few lights around the campsite and the light from the visitor's centre. We checked in, got our sleeping bags, mattresses and pillows and were shown to our 2-man dome tent. After a quick change (too cold for a shower) we went to get something to eat at one of the hut restaurants, had a hot coffee, looked around some of the supplies stores, bought a torch and then went for an early night, setting our alarms for 5:30am to see the sunrise.
Paul Snowdon - Excerpts taken from Naked Farang: Four Weddings and a Coup
Related article – Run to the Hills: Phu Kradeung Part 1
Related article – Discovery: Phu Kradeung Part 3
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