The First Ascent of the Bukit Nekek Semekut, aka the Dragon's Horns, Tioman Island, Malaysia
FA Scotty Nelson, Nick Tomlin
August, 2000
WAKING DREAM (V 5.9 A2)
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NEWS FLASH! On August 31, 2002 a Malaysian team made the second ascent of the Dragon's Horns! 
Further resources at
SummitPost.org and Rockclimbing.com.
The famous Dragon's Horns, as seen from Mukut Village.  Bukit Nekek Semekut is the prominent spire in the foreground.  Waking Dream starts below the prominent roof in the middle of the obvious white buttress.  My first attempt on the Dragon's Horns was in 1996, my second was with Nick in 1998.  In 2000 we returned and succeeded.
Nick scopes the line and enjoys a tasty plate of mee goreng at The Seaside Cafe, our favorite hangout.
Humping loads through the jungle is sweaty work.
Nice sloping ledge on top of pitch 2, below the Great Roof.
Nick cleans pitch 4 (A2), a beautiful thin crack.
Bivy on top of pitch 4.  Smiles turned to frowns as when we were hit by a lightning storm that night--a truly frightening and awesome experience.
The morning after the storm, fully intact and happy to be alive.
Nick drills the key rivet ladder, where we were shut down in 1998.  5 rivets, hooking, thin nutting and a sketchy tricam yielded access to the upper reaches of the mountain.
Bags hang free.  You can tell the angle of the wall from this shot.  The big bag is "the pig".  Below it hangs the portaledge, belay seat, and the "piglet".
We reach the Garden Terrace Bivy, enshrouded in mist.
We decide on a bare-bones summit push for the next day.  The threat of another storm hangs menacingly over us.  We talk little, wondering what tomorrow will bring.
The next day dawns gorgeous, and we make good progress.  Our portaledge slowly recedes into the distance as we gain height.
Nick leads the final obstacle: a difficult and runnout pitch up a smooth water groove.  The summit is close.
Below us, the Dragon's Horns cast a long shadow onto the village below.
Pitcher plants near the summit.
Some vine-grappling and jungleneering lead to the summit, an awesome bonzai garden with stupendous views of the coast and the dense interior of the island.
The summit, a feature we had nicknamed "the Wart".  From this you can look over the edge and straight down 1200 feet.  The whole time we were on the summit, Nick and I both couldn't stop grinning.
Sunset and portaledge camp on the Garden Terrace, top of pitch 6, before descending the next day.
Down, finally!  Now to just get all this crap down to the village...
And not a minute too soon, as another lightning storm soon moves in.  Nick watches it clear from the safety of the village.
After a hero's reception from the villagers, we spend the night on the jetty and are treated the next morning to an immaculate sunrise.
Some of the villagers came to see us off.  I felt both satisfied and sad to be leaving.  My four year long dream had finally been fulfilled...
Our last view of the Dragon's Horns.
Now that the climb is over, fatigue sets in...
Another impressive unclimbed wall on the western coast.
My mom and dad pick us up upon our arrival back in Singapore.
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