If anyone told you that Ayer Hitam Forest or more commonly known as Puchong Hill is an easy climb, think again. This interesting hill is nestled away from the not too distant LDP in the Taman Wawasan residential zone. Puchong Hill is in the township of Puchong, and easy to get to. The ample parking spaces (including some drivers that park illegally, yet not obstructing other road users) and nearby amenities will surface other surprises.
We will not dwell in how to get there because the common navigation apps will make that all too easy. Let us instead concentrate in the climb; seasoned vertical hikers will term it as a walk in the park!
For starters, if you are bringing the kids and elderly folks, be readily prepared. And I truly mean it. The trail we started from was at the Wawasan Hill Entrance. This was a steep climb with an array of ridges in the ground. There were four of us, an 11-year old, a 40 something couple and a gentleman of 58. The steep and meandering climb was tough, and resting was the first thing we could think of after scaling 50 metres! And like I said, if anyone tells you this is an easy climb, ask them, “For whom?”
The soil was hard and soft at different parts of the climb with some patches appearing as if sand had been used to fill in parts of the terrain. A question the 11 year old asked, “Why is it hard and soft in different parts of the ground?” Some accompanying adults might struggle with that question. Do you know why? Or try looking up. Oddly, as we were 15 minutes into our journey, we came across a Chinese altar mounted on a stone platform. There were coloured flags and red lanterns hanging among the trees. Who put it all there?
Along the trail we met a few interesting inhabitants – a muscular soldier-like ant scampering about possibly operating as a lone sniper in search of the enemy; a cricket (or was it a grasshopper) that was trailing along at ground zero instead of staying at record heights flapping its wing creating a droning noise (again, the child asked what the dulling sound was coming from every part of the primary and secondary forest; and a nest of ants or termite-looking ants burrowing through dead wood making space for an entourage and their pantry to store their kills. Our imaginations ran wild wondering what these inhabitants were up to. After all, it was about 3:30 pm and an extremely hot part of the day. The peculiar thing was that there were loads of other hikers, walkers, and ‘strugglers’ making their way about the forest. What were they thinking coming at the mid-afternoon period? We realised that despite trying to avoid the Sunday crowd, we found out that the hill is never short of human presence in the day.
In certain areas of the hike, there were very steep and slippery slopes that truly required the walking pole, proper shoes, and a reasonably effective understanding in how to put forward your feet into parts of the soil. The steep ascent and descent is not for one with weak legs and a faint heart. There are different trails and you will come across other walkers informing you one trail is easier than the other, but not all is factually correct. Much depends on an individual’s tenacity and possibly fears in conquering the steep parts.
After clambering from the hill, there are the treats of coconut water sold by vendors. But if you are not in a hurry to hydrate yourself, hop into your car and head 7 mins to the nearby DG Foodcourt (more stalls opened in the evening). What better (or worse for some) way to feed oneself as a reward for having burnt some calories. DG Foodcourt is at Jalan Wawasan 2/23 (GPS N 03°01’41.9”, E 101°37’28.6”).
Finally, there are key things to factor in when one climbs or hurtles down Puchong Hill – bring along enough water (not soft drinks as you will get thirsty), wear long trousers and long shirts (preferably proper hiking clothing) to avoid the shrubs giving you minor cuts (some may suffer allergic reactions to certain shrubs), proper terrain walking shoes (not pumps, cross-trainers, or track/field shoes) that have excellent grip. A trusty walking pole with a wrist strap is helpful. Some might say these are standard items but the many adults and kids walking about the forest without these items are somewhat surprising. I guess the Boleh courage outranks safety.
Jalan Wawasan 5/1, Taman Puchong Jaya. (Google Map location : 3 01 29.86’N, 101 37 46.78’E)
