A captivating phenomenon at Mount Kinabalu
Magical things seem to happen rather frequently at mountain peaks. Take this bizarre weather phenomenon in 2022 for example, when videos showing snow falling on parts of Mount Kinabalu went viral online. It had Malaysians both awestruck and confused, to say the least.
The mountain is once again in the limelight, with another mesmerising shot of it with a ‘golden halo’ making its rounds on social media. Captured by mountain guide Daverond Dolius, the picture shows a spellbinding golden arc encircling one of the peaks of Mount Kinabalu.
‘Golden halo’ at a peak of Mount Kinabalu captured
Sabahan mountain guide, Daverond Dolius, hiked up Mount Kinabalu with his fellow climbers, not expecting the glorious phenomenon they would be witnessing on a typical climb on the morning of 13th June 2023.
Hailing from Kampung Kiau Taburi, Kota Belud, Dolius reached the peak of Panalaban just before sunrise and lingered at the area to bask in the views. At about 6.20am, they started descending the peak when the first rays of sunrise radiated through the rocky pinnacles of Mount Kinabalu, casting stretches of golden flames of lights on the mountain.
Image credit: Daverond Gurading via Facebook
In an interview with The Smart Local Malaysia, Dolius said that he stopped to admire the view when he noticed that several peaks were aglow in a perfect circle. It turns out that the warm rays casted upon Mount Kinabalu had been gorgeously reflected by the circular edges of the peaks, giving off the illusion of a golden halo – as Dolius himself referred to it.
Dolius, who has been a mountain guide for 6 years now, said that there were about 100 climbers around when it happened. Everyone was in awe and taking pictures of the ‘golden halo’. When asked how he felt upon witnessing such an enchanting scene with his own eyes, he told us that he was in complete awe, and both “amazed and fascinated by the very extraordinary scenery“.Â
Netizens marvel over the breathtaking shot & rare sight
The picture of the golden halo shared by Dolius has been mesmerising netizens online, with his Facebook post gaining nearly 1,000 likes and over 400 shares at the time of writing.
While most were exclaiming about how beautiful and rare the shot is, there were a fair bunch of netizens who gave their own interpretation of the scenery and shared how the image of the golden halo reminded them of other things.
Image adapted from: Daverond Gurading via Facebook
Netizen Fim Arsinoe, for starters, likened the image to a Kadazandusun Murut traditional headgear called Sigah, while a few others commented that it looked like a golden dragon or necklace.
Others had more amusing replies – Facebook user Milton Yee admitted that the image reminded him of a cheese ring.
Image adapted from: Daverond Gurading via Facebook
Stunning shot of Mount Kinabalu is a reminder of our natural wonders
There’s nothing like an enchanting nature shot that makes our day better and reminds us of all the marvellous natural phenomena that can be discovered in this vast world.
Kudos to Daverond Dolius and his fellow climbers for sharing such a bewitching shot. We hope that the picture brightens your day a little.
For more stories of bizarre sightings in Malaysia, read about Malaysians sharing stunning sights of iconic sights from miles away during MCO and climbers witnessing ‘snowfall’ on Mount Kinabalu.
Cover image adapted from: Daverond Gurading via Facebook