About Me and My Love for Mount Kinabalu

Hello! I am Jackz Lee, a Mount Kinabalu climber. Did you know that my passion is mountain climbing? And that my favorite mountain is Mount Kinabalu?

Are you still wondering why? Let me tell you a story about myself.

I was born in Hospital Kangar Besar of Kangar (a very small town), Perlis, Malaysia, to very beautiful parents. I have five brothers and sisters who grew up in a healthy and simple family because of my parent’s hard work planting vegetables on a farm. My love and thanks to them for their sacrifice to me and my siblings all these years.

Early Days

During my early days, I had been very active in school, scouting, camping, and taking up some sports, and you might’ve guessed that one of my hobbies was hiking. (Hahaha…)

Besides Mt. Kinabalu, I’ve also hiked Gunung Jerai, Gunung Tahan, Gunung Trusmadi, and Gunung Tambuyukon (the second and third highest mountains in Malaysia, which are also located in SABAH), and of course, the tallest mountain in the world: Mount Everest. (Just kidding! (I probably might do that in real life someday.)

Secondary School Years

My secondary school years were spent at SMJK Sin Min, and later on I flew across the ocean to the University of Sabah to obtain my Degree in Forestry.

In August 2008, Jackz obtained his degree in forestry from the University of Sabah, Malaysia. After that, he immediately pursued a localized nature guide course from the Asian Tourism International College.

Well, guess what happened back then…

During my studies, I decided to explore Sabah as well as climb the tallest mountain in Malaysia! So with the help of another friend, I then got to see one of the greatest shows of flora and fauna on Earth: Mt. Kinabalu and Sabah, the Land Below the Wind!

What could be more interesting to me than being surrounded by more than 4500+ species of plants, 350+ species of birds, and 100+ species of mammals—some of which you might have never imagined existed? You’ve probably heard about the Nepenthes pitcher plants and rare earthworms around Mt. Kinabalu, but there are a lot more interesting creatures and plants on the way up!

Climbing Mount Kinabalu

So back in those days, I climbed Mt. Kinabalu a total of 11 times and helped more than 1000+ students from all over Malaysia (UM, UPM, UKM, MMU, UNIMAP, UTM, IMU, Han Chiang College, TAR College, etc.) up Mt. Kinabalu.

With each climb, I learned new things about the mountain, so I continued sharing with others what Mount Kinabalu was all about. To me, the most interesting of all is the beauty of nature on every trip and the challenge of bringing my team to the very top.

Since I had some experience with Mt. Kinabalu and its flora and fauna, I have been giving talks to students at the university and preaching to young people about mountain climbing, forestry, the ecology of Mt. Kinabalu, and other nature-related topics. Until today, it has simply been my love and passion to share with all hikers, tourists, and young people about my travel abroad and hiking experiences in the wild.

Before I obtained my Degree in Forestry, my final year project was focused on the Mesilau Trail (one of the trails up), and eventually, I completed a thesis titled “The Environmental Factors on Tree Distribution and Community Formation along the Mesilau Trail, Kinabalu Park, SABAH.” From this effort alone, I learned a great deal from the senior park researchers, university lecturers, seniors, mountain guides, and, not forgetting, the university library. Again, my thanks to these people and places. The road was not easy, and I have to admit that I did stop to play online casino games on the way.

Until today, to keep my mind as sharp as before, I still flip through giant books to provide the best and most accurate information to all tourists and travellers.

My Achievements

To date (November 2013), I have climbed Mount Kinabalu a total of 80 times and received more than 100 certificates as a record of my achievements (I am not joking this time!), I’m simply amazed by the number of climbers that join me every week as I humble myself to keep climbing and aim to continue helping others achieve something that they may not have experienced before. I’m sure that many of us want to experience something extraordinary too, especially something as beautiful as Mount Kinabalu!

So until now, I’ve guided more than 2000+ climbers up Mt. Kinabalu to date and still enjoy every trip up. The climbers I guided up Mount Kinabalu are from Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Indonesia, Korea, China, the UK, the USA, Canada, Portugal, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Germany, Finland, Denmark, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand!

This achievement I have today must be shared with all the climbers who have climbed with me. I truly appreciate the journey we had together. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all my fellow climbers.

Jack Lee’s Mt Kinabalu certificates:

While I enjoy every trip up, there is something I have yet to experience, which is a clean hiking trail. In fact, on all of my trips, I am sad to see a lot of trash and litter along the trail. So I’ve decided to create an Eco-Climber Certificate for those who collect enough rubbish on their way up and down!

I feel this is one of the ways we can continue to keep Mount Kinabalu and its environment clean and more enjoyable for all hikers. If Mount Kinabalu has shown you its natural beauty and miracles, we should also find ways to take care of it. I’m sure every climber will agree to this!

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Anyone can climb and reach the peak of Mount Kinabalu as long as they have the perseverance, patience, and willpower to challenge the impossible! If I have done it so many times, so can you!

Today, my personal goal and mission as a Mt Kinabalu climber is to help anyone willing to put one foot on Mt. Kinabalu reach its peak!

Jackz Lee

Jackz Lee’s Personal Affiliations: