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Published: August 7th 2007
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On top of Rinjani
Me and the girls after our sunrise climb to the top Hello world -
I am using a rainy afternoon in Ubud (Bali) as an opportunity to write up about my trip to the top of the vocanic giant - known to the Indonesians as 'Rinjani'....
I first saw this monster as I lazed upon the beaches of Kuta (Bali). Although it is on the neighbouring island of Lombok - Rinjani looms large and aggressively for perhaps 100s of miles... I didn't think it would be hard - I mean I have climbed the hills of Exmoor and even ventured into the valleys of Wales - How hard could it be?? Wow, words cannot explain the sweat, emotions and physical exhaustion encounted over this 4 day multi miled trek....
There were 7 of us in total, along with a guide and team of porters - who carried the tents / food etc... Although, they never left the base camps and were happy to let the group do the peaks alone.... The group were David, Me, Victor, Nanci, Karin, Sarah, Kelly and Hannah... I think the other 6 had planned to do this trip in advance - thus they had walking boots, thermal clothes and tales of international treks... I
On top of Indonesia
It's too cold to smile at 4000 metres at 6AM!!! stopped using my 'Exmoor' stories pretty quick as they looked a little lacking when compared to the group talking about Kilamonjarno etc... )
Day 1 was a gruelling 7 hour trek through hills and forests to Base Camp 1 - around 2600M. Muscles were stretched that I think had not been used in many a long month - the weight of my bag was my biggest issue - why hadn't I left more of my belongings at the trekking centre? I don't think I will ever be able to justify why I decided to bring hair wax up a mountain.... We reached our base as the sun set at about 6PM... tents were pitched and the rice and vegetables (as we ate every meal) were prepared and eaten as the freezing weather came in - I didn't leave at all that night... A combination of knowing that I had to get up at 2AM the next morning, that I could hear wild wolves around the campsite and knowing that my tent was 8 metres away from a deadly ledge contributed to my insomnia.... When the 2AM call came my frozen body was not amused....
Day 2 began in
Ridge of Death
The nightmare ridge that we managed not to fall off in the pitch black of night... pitch black - highly sugared tea was the only thing that made me even remotely close to being friendly. We had just over 3 hours to make it to the peak before sunrise. The first mile was almost verticle as we made our way up onto the ridge. A ridge that we did not know was a ridge in the pitch black night - the only help we had were the pound shop type torches provided that struggled to even illuminate a metre or so ahead... That ridge (on one of the pics) turned out to have a drop either side of 100s of metres - yet our guide didn't see fit to mention it and effectively walked on ahead of the group and left us pretty exposed.... I say that quite angrily now, as the next day some person fell near this ridge and, from what news we received, broke their back.... Anyhows, by about 4AM the group were scattered along the ridge slowly making various amounts of progress to the summit... It wasn't the gradient or the climbing that we found hard, but the thousands of slippery pebbles / stones that we had to climb on - each
Pre Trek Energy
Before we set out on our 4 day mission... step often meant slipping on the stones and sliding metres below where you started... Also, when we rose beyond 3000 M oxygen bacme a factor, we simply weren't getting enough oxygen to our muscles to keep going continuously.....
Dusk started to loom just after 5.30AM and I still had a good 100 Metres to go on a perilous 60 degree slope - summoning all my energy, anger through lack of sleep and desire not to miss sunrise I increased the pace and made it to the top just as the red light poured out over the clouds.... The satisfaction and sense of achievement at making it were someting quite unlike what I have experienced before...
I were slightly overwhelmed as I produced a bottle of cider from my pocket (talk about pointless extra weight) - I had wanted to do champagne at the top, but the largely muslim island of Lombok had a very limited supply of alcohol. One by one the other members of the group emerged with tales of wo and emotional torture - the whole group made it in the end.... A happy ending to an epic hike. Coming down was hysterical fun - we
Hot Springs
Volcanic Warmth. Hotter than the hottest bath I have EVER had... turn the evil slope of the ridge around and with the lose stones were literally able to slide and glide down almost as if we were snowboarding.... Later than day from base camp 1 we climbed further down into the volcano rim and lake - this climb was not easy, but compared to what had proceeded it, it was literally a walk in the park. We reached camp 2 by night fall and were greeted with rice suprise - the suprise being that we got a few more vegetables... ) Once at the camp tales of wild pig and boars uprooting tents in previous weeks did not really help my sleeping situation and I perhaps managed an hours sleep as day 3 approached!
Day 3 was a rest day, at least in the morning - There was a warm spring due to the active volcano that supplied a little spring with the hottest natural water I have ever bather in.... Also, what made it so special was that there was a fresh cold water supply into the same spring, so depending on where you sat you could adjust the temperature... It was just heaven lazing in the spring for
Relaxation
Karin, Nanci, David and me on our way down to the lake for some R+R... 5
hours enjoying our treat from the guides - one can of coke each - that literally was a treat after lifeless bland tea!!!! Later in the day we bought some fish from some men at the lake to give our food some substance that evening and proceeded to climb up the other side of the volcanic rim. If we hadn't of done the climb on day 2 this may have seemed quite hard, but in comparisson it was quite an easy 4 hour climb. Even the grade 3 rock climbing didn't seem to unsettle the group - confidence is something that really grows on such trips - at the top we were treated to another 'wow' sunset and rice and fish - the protein was much appreciated.... I actually slept that night pretty well - it must be the power of the warm springs - legend says that they make your hair grow quickly and help you sleep..... Sleep was nice, treking for 2 days on a couplke of hours kip is always a hard combo...
Day 4 was dodgy weather - thus no good sunrise to get up for... In fact there had been a storm in
Perfect Sunset
Looking down upon the world - verging on utopian... ) the night so everyone was quite fed up and tired - the porters, sensing this, gave us breakfast in our tents.... The final walk from Camp 3 out of the national park was a lot flatter and more forestry that anything we had done so far - in fact it was hard to believe we were in Indonesia still - as the landscape and sounds were perhaps more suited to the New Forest... Anyhows, we made it out - all be it dirty, tired and in need of anything but rice...
Nobody said much as the coach took us back to the main town, but there was an obvious sense of pride and achievement - the climb up to the summit in day 2 was widely admitted by the whole group as being the most difficult thing they had ever done in their lives.... What a trip, what a group, what fun....
I can but recommend this trek to anyone who has the opportunity - just perhaps try not to turn up on day 1 in flip flops and a vest like I did - as it really is a serious climb.... )
Hope everyone cool
The end is nigh....
Smiles and happy faces as the trek nears the end... Matt )
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Cromwell
Matthew Cromwell
Sunrise / Sunset
It's a disease - almost impossible for me to use them correctly - I must see a councillor or some description.... )