THERE IS SOMETHING deeply satisfying about crossing off an item that has lingered far too long on your to-do list. For us, that “item” was Bukit Bakar Kapur—known in colonial times as Mount Palmer. Eugene had written about this long-forgotten East India Company watering place and flagstaff before, but standing on its summit felt like the final piece of a puzzle clicking into place (See Penang Monthly February 2023 issue).

It took three tries. Our first two summit attempts in 2022 were halted by impregnable jungle and bad weather. On our third, with experienced hikers Heng Aik Sin (Heng) and Anthony Chan, we finally made it up. But it was on the way down, following the ridge toward Pulau Betong village, that we made a chance discovery.

Anthony spotted it first—a weathered rectangular stone, toppled over and half-buried beneath leaves. Once we cleared the debris, to our surprise, Heng intentionally poured some coffee on top of the survey marker. The beverage pooled into the etched letters and numbers that read: TS 11. We had found a long-lost trigonometric station (henceforth known as TS stone for brevity).

These granite markers, once essential to colonial-era surveying, have become obscure—unremarkable to most hikers. But for enthusiasts like Heng, they are part of a quiet cartographic legacy.

We re-erected the stone to its upright position. A quick photo captured the moment—four tired, smiling explorers, and a marker restored to its place.

This article is about finds like these—not antiques or heirlooms, but TS stones, rain gauges and GPS trail strings that form animal shapes. These aren’t just hikes—they’re stories in the hills, waiting to be revealed.

Land Marks

Historically, a trigonometric station was a precisely placed “granite stone with centre mark”, used as a key reference point in surveying. These markers—also called trig stations—served as mounts for theodolites, an instrument used for land surveying. However, advancements in modern surveying technology have rendered the TS stone obsolete.

The “primary and secondary triangulation of Penang and Province Wellesley was completed in 1887”. According to the Straits Settlements Departmental Report in 1914, “One hundred and seven and a half miles of traverses along roads, streams, paths, seacoast and boundaries of lots were done in connection with surveys and connected to the permanent traverse stations, previously fixed. In order to facilitate future survey operations, 105 other stations were fixed.” The lower numbered TS stones—assuming they were numbered chronologically—appeared to have started from the west coast of Penang. [See Triangulation Chart of Penang Island and Province Wellesley from 1908 annotated by Heng].

For hiking enthusiast Heng Aik Sin, who hikes and explores the hills of Penang extensively, TS stones hold a special fascination. Heng has spent countless hours geolocating and photographing TS stones across Penang. Like many, he was initially drawn to hiking for the pure joy of immersing himself in nature and breathing fresh air.

As his expeditions grew longer and more adventurous, he began utilising GPS applications on his smartphone. This sparked a renewed interest in geography and led him to seek out old maps of Penang which show the locations of TS stones. Unfortunately, some of these maps are no longer accessible—these were once hosted by the Visions of Penang site managed by the George Town World Heritage Incorporated (GTWHI). We hope that they may be made available again. Conveniently, the TS stones were primarily located on peaks throughout the state—ideal for Heng, who had already set a goal to scale every peak in Penang.

Heng and other trig hunters—as Eugene calls them—can thank Frederick William Kelly, former Deputy Surveyor of India, for this detailed set of maps of Penang. In the 1890s, legislative councillor William Edward Maxwell (later acting governor of the Straits Settlements) saw an urgent need for an accurate survey of the territories of Penang, as without it, land revenue could not be collected efficiently (or at all), and land disputes could not be resolved. Maxwell envisioned that when the ambitious survey was completed, Penang would be “far ahead of the other Settlements, and would have maps that would compare favourably with those of any other Crown Colony”.

“On 1st January 1891 survey operations were in full swing in Penang and the Province with a fully equipped and well organised party composed partly of the old Straits staff but mainly of surveyors drawn from India.” This ambitious project was led by none other than Frederick William Kelly (c. 1834-1901). He had been seconded from the survey department of India. The re-survey was completed in 1893 and Kelly left Penang on 1 May 1894. The resulting maps—the Kelly Maps—were the most detailed and accurate ever made in the 19th century. It was often assumed that the TS stones were placed by Kelly, though some may have been from earlier times, placed there by surveyors Peters and Laseron prior to 1891.

Rain Gauge Hunters

While trig hunters combed the hills for TS stones, another kind of marker catches the attention of a different kind of collector—the rain gauge hunters. Rexy is one himself.

The significance of Penang’s hills as vital water catchments for the state cannot be overstated. The water authority, Perbadanan Bekalan Air Pulau Pinang (PBAPP), maintains a network of rain gauges (abbreviated as RG) throughout the hills to monitor rainfall patterns, which serve as key indicators for forecasting water levels in the state’s dams and reservoirs. A total of 35 numbered rain gauges are scattered across the hills on the island, and their sequential numbering has turned the act of locating them into a fun “catch-’em-all” challenge for hikers.

One of the earliest enthusiasts to embark on this trend of locating and photographing rain gauges was Rob Dickinson, a retired British science educator who came to teach at the then-newly established Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in 1972. Rob, now in his late 70s, visits Penang with his wife each year, exploring the hills during his trips here. He began systematically “collecting” RGs in 2016, locating almost all the accessible ones by 2019. Rob was drawn to the endeavour by its finite nature—there are only a limited number of RGs, making the pursuit both worthwhile and achievable.

At the time Rob started, GPS applications for hiking were not as widely used as they are today, and RG locations were certainly not indicated on these applications. His approach in locating RGs was primarily through trial-and-error, occasionally relying on tips from fellow hikers who happened to chance upon an RG he had yet to find.

Over time, as Rob found more RGs, he began to understand the underlying pattern. They were sequentially numbered around the catchments, and typically placed along ridge paths within gazette water catchment areas. This then helped him narrow his search zones for ones he had not located. Rob’s RG expeditions took him through some of Penang’s best-preserved catchment forests, enriching his appreciation of the hills’ topography and deepening his understanding of the critical role these forests play in safeguarding water resources.

GPS Artistry

One of the most unusual and creative hobbies to emerge in recent years is GPS drawing—and in Penang, it is turning the island’s hills into a giant open air canvas (albeit virtually). Here, hikers are using GPS technology to transform their treks into works of art, with the island’s terrain as their medium.

As they walk, these “artists on foot” collect waypoints—digital location markers that trace their journey, a bit like the breadcrumb trail in Hansel and Gretel. GPS software then connects these way-points into coloured lines on a digital map, revealing shapes and patterns that only become clear once the hike is done. In Penang, these creations often take the form of animals and mythical creatures—birds, mice, even unicorns—meticulously drawn out by hiking pre-planned routes that can be both intricate and physically demanding.

Who would have imagined that something as simple as a walk in the hills could become a modern form of storytelling and artistic expression? Yet GPS drawing is quickly becoming one of the quirkiest and most delightful ways to explore—and “collect”—Penang’s landscape, one step at a time.

Krystal Khaw, a seasoned trail runner, is no stranger to the outdoor community. She regularly participates in competitive races and has won numerous events, both locally and internationally. Krystal’s love for the hills began in her childhood, when she hiked with her parents. About a decade ago, she transitioned from hiking to trail running—she enjoys the adrenaline.

One of the trails which has become popular during Krystal’s journey as a trail runner is the 26km-long Unicorn Trail, which rewards hikers with the “line art” of a unicorn. Krystal attests to how this trail began, first in the shape of a horse, before hikers got creative and decided to add a horn to it, transforming it into a unicorn. Soon, more “animal” GPS drawings emerged in the hills, including the Rabbit, Snake, Puppy and Squid trails. These creative shapes were crafted by adding small diversions or deliberate turns along existing paths to achieve the desired outlines.

It was when friends began sharing GPS recordings of these animal-shaped “line art” on social media that Krystal became interested in “collecting” them. The challenge, after all, was to “draw” the best-looking map. It might sound easy, but a single wrong turn along the track could completely mess up the “drawing”. For Krystal, who is also a certified mountain guide (Malim Gunung Perhutanan), collecting animal-shaped GPS drawings brings a sense of accomplishment; these are usually lengthy trails which take hours to complete, and therefore come with bragging rights! Moreover, since most of these trails feature considerable distance and elevation gain, they also serve as excellent training grounds—an essential component of her journey as a trail runner.

The hills of Penang have always held treasures for those willing to seek them. What began with colonial surveyors hammering granite markers into ridgelines has evolved into trail runners sketching unicorns across valleys—armed with nothing more than their footsteps and GPS signals. These collections—whether carved stones, numbered rain gauges or digital tracings—reveal a curious truth: our relationship with these sublime slopes keeps changing, yet somehow it stays the same.

Like Heng pouring coffee into the etched numbers of a forgotten TS stone to bring its identity to light, each collector reveals something different in these hills. Some uncover history, others chase scientific meaning, and a few turn the landscape into a canvas for creativity. Perhaps, in the end, it’s the hills themselves that are the true collectors—gathering our stories, our footsteps, our markers and our maps, layer by layer, generation after generation.

So, the next time you venture into Penang’s highlands, look a little closer. That weathered stone, that quiet metal gauge, or that odd curve in the trail might be part of someone’s story—or the beginning of your own. What will you find? What will you leave behind? The hills of Penang await the answers.

REFERENCES

[1] Pinang Gazette and Straits Chronicle (1894), “Revenue Survey Department”, 11 May 1894, Page 2

[2] The Straits Independent and Penang Chronicle(1891), “Revenue Survey Department”, 18 April 1891, Page 2

[3] Pinang Gazette and Straits Chronicle (1891), “Survey Department Report 1890”, 18 April 1891, Page 5

[4] The Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser (Weekly), “The Surveys of the Colony. A Rectification”, 3 October 1901, Page 7

[5] Pension Department (1901), “Proceedings of Government of Fort Saint George in the Pension Department for the Year 1901”

[6] Straits Settlements(1912), “Annual Departmental Reports of the Straits Settlements for the Year 1912”