By Forest Gan, Aug31 to Sep 3 1986
Gunung Batu Puteh: 6993ft (8th highest in Peninsular)
Location : 101 27 E 4 16 N.
This mountain view becomes more imposing from the 9th to 15th mile Cameron Highlands road. The top of this stretch shrouds in cloud most of the time. It looks like a whale-back in sea of cloud. Batu Puteh is where one of the white granite cliff hanged at 5000ft is prominently observed from the towns of Tapah and Bidor. The west flowing Perak river and east flowing Pahang river receive its water souces from here.
In 1884, Father Scortechini, a missionary from Australia ascended the mountain from Kuala Woh (7th mile Cameron H'lands road). A longhouse Church on all bamboo walls was erected and rebuilt till this day at the 3rd mile, K Woh road. He collected plants in Perak till 1886. In the Malayan Flora, more than 10 mountain flowers are named after him. The 20 sen Malaysian stamp, green based, yellow flower portrays Rhododendren scortechinii.
In his "Jungle is Neutral" chapter 12 Map 4, Major FS Chapman descriped British Force 136 hidden camp at BT. Belantan and on the shoulder of G. Batu Puteh in 1943. The British guerilla force was in the jungle alongside the Anti-Japan guerilla(MPAJA). It was here in K. Woh of Batang Padang, he and Major General Lim Bo Seng waited for a meeting with Chen Ping.
In 1953, clinic outposts served by helicopters were established across the mountain pass. Fort Titom and Fort Sheam among the Semai are maintained as longhouse clinics. Pamela Gouldsbury described her role in Batang Padang where Williams- Hunt, an Ethnographer lived and died in an accident.
At the K. Woh water chlorination station, our PMM climbing party consist of 15 members and 2 Semai guides.
The followed and crossed the rocky and crystal-clear Sg Woh. Footpath was well used. Despite yesterday's rain, it was leech free on the trail. Fish traps were found in a section of Sg. Bemban tributaries. We started the climb across a newly slash-and-burn ladang. Dry hill rice and maize were mixed crop. The whole field was covered with black soil and charred woods.
Into the hill forest, bamboo thicket fringed the trail. Pineapples were planted in row. Meranti of the Shorea spp. stood out with 20ft Bertam palm. Rattans, mainly the Calamus, thorny Daemonorops spp. formed the under layer community. Towards the 2000ft contour, we found rattan animal traps. Trail was cleared by Semai rattan harvesters. It was so far easy long slope uphill to 3000ft contour. We crossed path with 4 young Semai coming down, one of them holding a medicinal plant root. This was typical Hill Dipterocarp with oak acorns(Lithocarpus) littered the floor. I would say it was a clean, relatively undisturbed, pristine rain forest.
Cutting through bars and thorns, tree fern fronds, we were up 4,500ft contour. Then a drop down to a valley, we encountered a unique 70ft outcrop. Thw west face where we entered was overhangs forming a trignometric 45 deg. cave-in. Large enough to sleep 80 persons. Light was dim, we prepare to camp. The sedimentary rock is 1 inch long white pebbles in a pink-yellow mudstone matrix. Temperature dropped to 17*c at 11.30pm. The overhang stretched from west to northwest. A spring runs through rock fissure below NW. This was our last drinking water up the summit.
Around camping cave is abundant with flora; herbs, pink flower Phyllagathis, dark blue Didissandra filicina, hairy purplish Begonia decora, painted leaf Argostemma pitctum, palms, small-fan Licula, Iguanura and Pinanga polymorpha. Ginger plants, tall wild banana and thick forest close-up from all sides.
Our guides purposely avouded a direct climb beside the 150ft white cliff, the so called Batu Puteh. While contouring 4800ft, the lower portion of it partly obscured by deep tall trees, could be seen. The vegetation marked a change. Pentaphragma scortechinii, tree ferns epiphytic orchids abundant. An Ipoh creeper(Strychnos genus) was pinpointed by guide. Its poison latex boiled to concentrate can be used like Ipoh tree poison.
We crossed many streams where granite surface outcropped. On checking Map sheet 66, G Batu Puteh psn grip point 825665. It is the source of tributary of Sg. Telom.
It took 1 hour to gain 1000ft to emerge at a long summit ridge running North and South. We trekked a short distance South to look at the true Batu Puteh. According to local Semai , it is a hill on the 6000ft spur. The so called white cliff hanged 1000ft below. For the 1st time we had open view. At eastern edge, precipitated the source of Sg. Sungkai valley. On this narrow ridge, grass and Nepenthes Sanguinea covered the ground. Rhododendren malayanum, Rh. jasminflorum, orchid Dilochia, Malayan wintergreen Gaultheria leucocarpa, Vaccinium scortechinii were found. I sat for 15min intoxicated by this beauty. To the North, a pink cliff below which a giant mountain fish-tail palm (Caryata aequatorialis) stood out in the canopy. The trig station was covered by cloud. We proceed northerly.
The mossy ground was covered with orange-red parasitic Balanophora globosa( genus close to Rafflesia) and its ripen G-shape inflorescene. On branches hanged Dendrobium orchid with long stem, purple flower at node tip. I have not seen such a rich forest at this height in Malayan Moutains( even the Agathis forest saddled between G. Tahan and G. Gedong is no equal).
Lip-stick plant Aeschynenthus put out a show on ground moss lichen, fungi pink Sonerila, white Didymocarpus, dropping of yellowflower Rhododendron robinsoni( it grows high on the tree branches), rattans, white Spathoglottis orchid, Pinanga palms, mountai gingers fringed the trail.
It rained and we took longer than we thought to cover 3 km ridgeway. For the summit is ellusive since we started at 9.50am. Last night he warned us not to do so fearing that" mountain will run firther away." The Semai revered mountain spirit.
We arrived at the Trig Station of Batu Puteh wet and trembling. It was 13deg C at 5;45pm, 1st Sep 1986. I rejouced over the shining orange-yellow Rhododendron scortechinii flowering on the summit.
As early as 1884, plant hunter Father Scortechini and later 1890, R. Wray visited. Rh. scortechinii has its centre of distribution here and extends its range to the north limit at G.Wray(6817'). The yellow coloration on the 20 sen stamp is perhaps based on portrayal of its type spacimen which Father Scortechini first collected at G. Bubu (5437'). This orange-yellow species at Batu Puteh shows up the best form and color.
With the rain, night temperature drops to 10deg C. In the leaking tent, without sleeping bag, I lay a sleepless night. Cross talked with me spiritually were the mountains and flowers.
Most of us were up by 6.30am trying to take a shot at sunrise. One of the last visitor recorded on a fallen tin sheet "Perak Topo Surveyor, 11 june 1924. Ibrahim Bin Sidik.
Thermometer reads 11 deg C at 7;15am. By 9am, the mist clear and we had a spendour view of the Main Range mountains. With a binocular, we saw the white structure of Strawberry Park of Cameron Highlands 20 mile to the north.
It took us only 4 hours to return to the camping cave. Camp fire was lighted, our heart warmer. Next day we set off at 11am. A steep relief well used by Semai people was followed. This shorter route provide a glimpse of this beautiful forest. Sampling of "Tongkat Ali" (Eurycoma longifolia) a traditional Malay medicine were abundant on the trail. We were out at K. Woh water intake by 5pm.
References:
1. Account of an Expedition to the Batu Puteh and Ulu Batang Padang Mountains 1887, Cecil Wray Perak Museum Paper.
2. The Ascent of G. Batu Puteh, D.F. Grant (Malay ForesterV.9 1948 )
3. Jungle is Neutral - Spencer Chapman
4. Jungle Nurse - Pamela Gouldsbury(1960)
5. Malayan Chinese Resistance - Chapter 5 Force 136 Col. Chung Hui Tsuan.
6. An Introduction to the Malayan Aborigines - William Hunt
7. Rain Forest Collectors and Traders - Dr. F.L. Dunn
8. The Semai- Robert Knox Dentan
9. A blueprint for conservation in P. Malaysia - MNS
10. Tropical Rain Forest Ecology - D.J. Mabberley 1983.
Gunung Batu Puteh: 6993ft (8th highest in Peninsular)
Location : 101 27 E 4 16 N.
This mountain view becomes more imposing from the 9th to 15th mile Cameron Highlands road. The top of this stretch shrouds in cloud most of the time. It looks like a whale-back in sea of cloud. Batu Puteh is where one of the white granite cliff hanged at 5000ft is prominently observed from the towns of Tapah and Bidor. The west flowing Perak river and east flowing Pahang river receive its water souces from here.
In 1884, Father Scortechini, a missionary from Australia ascended the mountain from Kuala Woh (7th mile Cameron H'lands road). A longhouse Church on all bamboo walls was erected and rebuilt till this day at the 3rd mile, K Woh road. He collected plants in Perak till 1886. In the Malayan Flora, more than 10 mountain flowers are named after him. The 20 sen Malaysian stamp, green based, yellow flower portrays Rhododendren scortechinii.
In his "Jungle is Neutral" chapter 12 Map 4, Major FS Chapman descriped British Force 136 hidden camp at BT. Belantan and on the shoulder of G. Batu Puteh in 1943. The British guerilla force was in the jungle alongside the Anti-Japan guerilla(MPAJA). It was here in K. Woh of Batang Padang, he and Major General Lim Bo Seng waited for a meeting with Chen Ping.
In 1953, clinic outposts served by helicopters were established across the mountain pass. Fort Titom and Fort Sheam among the Semai are maintained as longhouse clinics. Pamela Gouldsbury described her role in Batang Padang where Williams- Hunt, an Ethnographer lived and died in an accident.
At the K. Woh water chlorination station, our PMM climbing party consist of 15 members and 2 Semai guides.
The followed and crossed the rocky and crystal-clear Sg Woh. Footpath was well used. Despite yesterday's rain, it was leech free on the trail. Fish traps were found in a section of Sg. Bemban tributaries. We started the climb across a newly slash-and-burn ladang. Dry hill rice and maize were mixed crop. The whole field was covered with black soil and charred woods.
Into the hill forest, bamboo thicket fringed the trail. Pineapples were planted in row. Meranti of the Shorea spp. stood out with 20ft Bertam palm. Rattans, mainly the Calamus, thorny Daemonorops spp. formed the under layer community. Towards the 2000ft contour, we found rattan animal traps. Trail was cleared by Semai rattan harvesters. It was so far easy long slope uphill to 3000ft contour. We crossed path with 4 young Semai coming down, one of them holding a medicinal plant root. This was typical Hill Dipterocarp with oak acorns(Lithocarpus) littered the floor. I would say it was a clean, relatively undisturbed, pristine rain forest.
Cutting through bars and thorns, tree fern fronds, we were up 4,500ft contour. Then a drop down to a valley, we encountered a unique 70ft outcrop. Thw west face where we entered was overhangs forming a trignometric 45 deg. cave-in. Large enough to sleep 80 persons. Light was dim, we prepare to camp. The sedimentary rock is 1 inch long white pebbles in a pink-yellow mudstone matrix. Temperature dropped to 17*c at 11.30pm. The overhang stretched from west to northwest. A spring runs through rock fissure below NW. This was our last drinking water up the summit.
Around camping cave is abundant with flora; herbs, pink flower Phyllagathis, dark blue Didissandra filicina, hairy purplish Begonia decora, painted leaf Argostemma pitctum, palms, small-fan Licula, Iguanura and Pinanga polymorpha. Ginger plants, tall wild banana and thick forest close-up from all sides.
Our guides purposely avouded a direct climb beside the 150ft white cliff, the so called Batu Puteh. While contouring 4800ft, the lower portion of it partly obscured by deep tall trees, could be seen. The vegetation marked a change. Pentaphragma scortechinii, tree ferns epiphytic orchids abundant. An Ipoh creeper(Strychnos genus) was pinpointed by guide. Its poison latex boiled to concentrate can be used like Ipoh tree poison.
We crossed many streams where granite surface outcropped. On checking Map sheet 66, G Batu Puteh psn grip point 825665. It is the source of tributary of Sg. Telom.
It took 1 hour to gain 1000ft to emerge at a long summit ridge running North and South. We trekked a short distance South to look at the true Batu Puteh. According to local Semai , it is a hill on the 6000ft spur. The so called white cliff hanged 1000ft below. For the 1st time we had open view. At eastern edge, precipitated the source of Sg. Sungkai valley. On this narrow ridge, grass and Nepenthes Sanguinea covered the ground. Rhododendren malayanum, Rh. jasminflorum, orchid Dilochia, Malayan wintergreen Gaultheria leucocarpa, Vaccinium scortechinii were found. I sat for 15min intoxicated by this beauty. To the North, a pink cliff below which a giant mountain fish-tail palm (Caryata aequatorialis) stood out in the canopy. The trig station was covered by cloud. We proceed northerly.
The mossy ground was covered with orange-red parasitic Balanophora globosa( genus close to Rafflesia) and its ripen G-shape inflorescene. On branches hanged Dendrobium orchid with long stem, purple flower at node tip. I have not seen such a rich forest at this height in Malayan Moutains( even the Agathis forest saddled between G. Tahan and G. Gedong is no equal).
Lip-stick plant Aeschynenthus put out a show on ground moss lichen, fungi pink Sonerila, white Didymocarpus, dropping of yellowflower Rhododendron robinsoni( it grows high on the tree branches), rattans, white Spathoglottis orchid, Pinanga palms, mountai gingers fringed the trail.
It rained and we took longer than we thought to cover 3 km ridgeway. For the summit is ellusive since we started at 9.50am. Last night he warned us not to do so fearing that" mountain will run firther away." The Semai revered mountain spirit.
We arrived at the Trig Station of Batu Puteh wet and trembling. It was 13deg C at 5;45pm, 1st Sep 1986. I rejouced over the shining orange-yellow Rhododendron scortechinii flowering on the summit.
As early as 1884, plant hunter Father Scortechini and later 1890, R. Wray visited. Rh. scortechinii has its centre of distribution here and extends its range to the north limit at G.Wray(6817'). The yellow coloration on the 20 sen stamp is perhaps based on portrayal of its type spacimen which Father Scortechini first collected at G. Bubu (5437'). This orange-yellow species at Batu Puteh shows up the best form and color.
With the rain, night temperature drops to 10deg C. In the leaking tent, without sleeping bag, I lay a sleepless night. Cross talked with me spiritually were the mountains and flowers.
Most of us were up by 6.30am trying to take a shot at sunrise. One of the last visitor recorded on a fallen tin sheet "Perak Topo Surveyor, 11 june 1924. Ibrahim Bin Sidik.
Thermometer reads 11 deg C at 7;15am. By 9am, the mist clear and we had a spendour view of the Main Range mountains. With a binocular, we saw the white structure of Strawberry Park of Cameron Highlands 20 mile to the north.
It took us only 4 hours to return to the camping cave. Camp fire was lighted, our heart warmer. Next day we set off at 11am. A steep relief well used by Semai people was followed. This shorter route provide a glimpse of this beautiful forest. Sampling of "Tongkat Ali" (Eurycoma longifolia) a traditional Malay medicine were abundant on the trail. We were out at K. Woh water intake by 5pm.
References:
1. Account of an Expedition to the Batu Puteh and Ulu Batang Padang Mountains 1887, Cecil Wray Perak Museum Paper.
2. The Ascent of G. Batu Puteh, D.F. Grant (Malay ForesterV.9 1948 )
3. Jungle is Neutral - Spencer Chapman
4. Jungle Nurse - Pamela Gouldsbury(1960)
5. Malayan Chinese Resistance - Chapter 5 Force 136 Col. Chung Hui Tsuan.
6. An Introduction to the Malayan Aborigines - William Hunt
7. Rain Forest Collectors and Traders - Dr. F.L. Dunn
8. The Semai- Robert Knox Dentan
9. A blueprint for conservation in P. Malaysia - MNS
10. Tropical Rain Forest Ecology - D.J. Mabberley 1983.
