Negative Stage: Totally unknown or forgotten. Nobody know about it, example secret tree, waterfall, caves, plane crash site, forgotten historical land mark (KKB train to Bukit Kutu) yet to be discovered. (for mount peak:- It can be easily detected and seen from below). In this case, the target is unknown.
Stage 0: Target GPS location is known but then no known
trail to reach the destination. There are plenty of them. Just use google map terrain, find an un-named peak you want to go and start exploring. For waterfall, it is much harder, you need to go to a slightly bigger forest with at least 500m peaks. Then, you have to look for valley in the terrain and just hike there hopefully you hit a jackpot.
Stage 1: Someone has reached the peak/destination. But the
trail is still not properly marked and not clear properly. Remain a
trade-secret for those who “cari makan”. E.g Trans Batu!
Stage 2: GPX is recorded and distributed. Experience hiker
can reach the destination following the GPX. However if there is a landslides
along the GPX then big detour, If massive tree fall then a slight detour. If
there are massive brushes overgrown such as paku-pakis and bamboo tree. Then,
extensively cutting is required. Hikers seldom goes to these mountain as there
are generally not so popular. (E.g Trans Meranti, Bah Gading)
Stage 3: Trail is properly marked with ribbon cable and
90-95% of the trail is clear, almost no cutting is required. Most popular mountain are like that. E.g Trans
Naning
Stage 4: Super highway (Nuang, Gunung Hitam, ANSI, Datuk, Bukit
kutu Etc)
Stage 5: Community hill. (SACF, APEX Hill, Wawasan, Sg Long.)
The problem in Stage 4-5 are
a) Most hikers would like to create short cuts + connecting route here and there. It may be confusing for hikers who are new to the hill.
b) Soil erosion on the trail due to excessive number of hikers. The trail should not be created on the steepest one (water tends to flow here) but it should be created on the 2nd steepest one.
c) Cannot throw paper marker or kena curse, if U 1 2 contribute, make some sign board at each junction to remove hiker confusion.
For most mountain, it will go back and forth between Stage 2
and 3, during monsoon session or puasa month, some mountains are deserted.
Thus, some part of the trails will be overgrown with bushes. There is a need to
bring hikers to hike in periodically. During hiking paper marking
may be needed so that hiker won’t get lost. The trail can be done on the
steepest terrain as the water flow maybe helpful in preserving the trail. The
trail should be made on shaded route as bushes tend not to grow on shaded
route. On an unshaded route, be prepared to cut again every month if there is
less hiker.
For Serdang Hill (beside MEX highway), Putrajaya, Bukit 527, the trail look like Stage 2.
