This is what it looks like to stand on the top of the world. Mt. Kinabalu is just under 14,000 feet, and the last 2 or so kilometers of hiking is on granite just like this. It was cold at the top, but because it is near the equator it is not nearly as cold as other mountains of the same height. The good weather conditions make it an "easy" mountain to climb compared with others of a similar height. When I typed easy just now I laughed out loud, because it was exactly the opposite of that.
This is a view of Low's Gully, which is on the other side of the mountain. It doesn't look much like a gully to me, more like a vast canyon of death and despair, which is pretty much what Low and his crew found out when they had an expedition there to "see what it was like." During rains the gully fills like a tub, and this happened during Low's expedition, resulting in the deaths of many men. To ensure that the same wouldn't happen to foolish tourists, the park put up a 12,000 volt electric fence, which you can see rather close behind me in the next picture. On one side is the gully, and on the other are endless flat slabs of granite rock that, frankly, after having climbed them in the dark, seem no less dangerous. Just kidding about the fence being electric.
Incidentally, although I am accused of saying this every time I step into less-than-90-degree climes, these pictures capture the coldest day of my life after having left America.
Side effects of altitude include: dizziness, drowsiness, nausea, confusion, and sausage fingers.
