Stuif's Adventures

All albums

Waterfall adventure 8-7-2012
Climbing Gunung Nuang, starting from Pangsun, is a popular hike and a good preparation for Gunung Tahan. Many people will camp overnight at Lolo camp, near the Lolo waterfall.
The start of the hike is an easy walk from the Pangsun Ranger station and after a few km you will hear the sound of the Pansom river. This river has a few more waterfalls, besides Lolo. Access is not so easy, as this river has eroded deep gorges.
In January 2012, my waterfall friends Siang Hui and Teoh guided me to one of these waterfalls. We followed the yellow track in the GE screenshot.
Quite a scary scramble down precariously steep slopes to reach the impressive fall.

So, when I went again, this time guiding my friend Rani, we were well prepared with parang and ropes. A few hundred meter before reaching the trail used by SH, we noticed a trail going down to the river and decided to follow it. It brought us to two small attractive waterfalls (green track) after which we came near the main fall. However, there was a deep pool we had to cross, with steep walls on both sides.

Rani tried if it was possible to scramble along the steep wall. Impossible. So the only option was to swim. Luckily I had brought a wetbag in which we could put our cameras. Climbing the slippery boulders at the end was a bit difficult, but we managed, so we reached the main fall. Mission accomplished!

We sat down to admire the waterfall and take pictures. Then disaster struck.
While opening my wetbag to get out the cameras, I was suddenly hit with a big sound on my head. Then I felt something warm on my shoulders. I looked and saw a stream of blood flowing down. Jan, shouted Rani, what happened?
Apparently a piece of rock had fallen down from the top of the gorge (20 m high?), and hit my head. Luckily the back of my head and not the frontal part!
According to Rani it had broken in three parts and one of the parts had also caused a deep gash in my thumb, almost until the bone.

So there was blood everywhere and later Rani told me that he can easily faint when seeing blood. But not this time, he managed to improvise a bandage for my head using my sarong, which at least diminished the bleeding.

I was a bit worried about a concussion, so we decided that we would go back immediately. The first part was not easy, swimming back to our backpacks, then climbing up the steep slope until we reached the main trail. Wow, we were really relieved, so we took some time to have our lunch. Rani crushed some leaves of the plant with the blue berries, to stop the bleeding of my thumb. And he rearranged my sarong in a handsome way...:-)

After that we had to walk the long way back to the car, but fortunately I had no dizzy spells and no vomiting.

Of course we had to go to a clinic, but it was a Sunday afternoon. Friendly locals told Rani that there was a government clinic in Ulu Langat, which would open in case of emergency. We went there, there was a signboard with emergency numbers, Rani called the paramedic on duty, who arrived within ten minutes!

The next hour(!) this friendly and competent guy cleaned the wounds and started stitching, nine for my head, six for my thumb. He gave me antibiotics and other medication and told me to go to my GP to remove the stitches one week later.
When everything was over, I asked him how much I had to pay.
He smiled, looked at the second paramedic who had arrived a bit later, shrugged his shoulders, and said, nothing, it is free.
Malaysia Boleh!

The first 24 hours I have been looking for signs of concussion, it seems that everything is fine.

This was a freak accident, so it will not keep me back from future adventures...:-)

The GE map of the region
4 comments

My first visit with SH and Teoh
 

The first fall
 

The second one
 

We have to reach the other side!
 

Climbing? Too dangerous
 

So we have to swim
 

Mission accomplished, the main fall
 

Same fall last year
 

Removing the blood from my body
3 comments

Relief. Back on the main trail.
 

In the clinic
2 comments

My head
1 comment

I can still laugh
1 comment

Working on my thumb
 

Very professional
1 comment

The result
 

A job well done
4 comments

wrote on Jul 9, 2012:
Rani reliable friend, sarong look good on you head and neck, thank god all are well.

wrote on Jul 9, 2012:
Where is the Fall that is at the end to the Pinic area and could be seen at the main trail? I presume that the green one is the trail, and the detour on the right used by waterfall hunters!

Kwai Loh wrote on Jul 9, 2012:
You can not see these falls from the main trail. The Lolo fall is still about 1 km further.

Dan wrote on Jul 9, 2012:
oh boy.... careful careful my friend. .

Dan wrote on Jul 9, 2012:
is he a doctor?

Kwai Loh wrote on Jul 9, 2012:
He is a paramedic. The clinic was closed (Sunday afternoon), but there was an emergency number. I felt very safe in his hands, very professional.

Dan wrote on Jul 9, 2012:
he seems calm

chengwc wrote on Jul 10, 2012:
Omg.. you were lucky. Hope the wound would heal faster. Take good care, Jan

wrote on Jul 10, 2012:
They have set up signboard on the left, last year. But still not yet visit.

wrote on Jul 10, 2012:
sorry on the right

wrote on Jul 10, 2012:
salute Jan u got injured still continued ur journey to the main fall

Kwai Loh wrote on Jul 10, 2012:
Actually we had just reached the main fall when it happened...:-)

Liz wrote on Jul 10, 2012:
Oh poor you Jan. Hope the wounds heal fast. But the doctor looks soooooo young...........

Kwai Loh wrote on Jul 10, 2012:
Very handsome too...:-) He is not a doctor but a paramedic.

wrote on Jul 10, 2012:
He's an Assistant Medical Officer or in Bahasa M'sia - Penolong Pegawai Perubatan (PPP).
I know your wound will heal fast, Jan. Cheerio! ;-)

Kwai Loh wrote on Jul 11, 2012:
Thanks, May. You are the expert in this field...:-)

wrote on Jul 12, 2012:
I have to say Jan, you are one lucky guy, looking at the bright colour of your blood, you seem to be in very good health, best to take a little more care Jan, after all you are like me a ex mountain man and should understand that rocks arrive from the sky at anytime...LOL

lightlingmk2 wrote on Jul 12, 2012:
So happy to see you are up and smiling.

You are welcome to comment, but you must register and/or login first.