God saves my life<\/p>\n
I am writing this as I recover from serious injuries sustained
\nwhile climbing Mt. Agung, Bali. Foolishly I chose to climb solo
\nwithout the aid of a guide. This mistake nearly cost me my life.
\nThough the trail is unmarked, it is easy to follow until you
\nreach the treacherous summit cone.<\/p>\n
While descending I fell and lacerated my hand on a bottle some
\nuncaring person had discarded. The subsequent loss of blood
\ncoupled with a cold driving rain caused me to lose the trail.<\/p>\n
I spent the night in a makeshift grass shelter nearly expiring
\ndue to hypothermia. The following day I stumbled down through the
\nthick jungle bivouacking one more night under a tree. I hadn't
\neaten in two days and was severely cut up (traumatized) when I
\nstumbled into the farming village of Temukus near Besakih. I was
\nthen taken to a doctor who dressed my wounds.<\/p>\n
As a warning to all hikers, don't attempt these mountains
\nwithout a guide, proper rain gear, food, wool clothing, a torch,
\nboots and a first-aid kit.<\/p>\n
To the park service I advise creating affordable, licensed
\nguide services including marking all trails clearly and cleaning
\nup harmful debris.<\/p>\n
Finally, organized search parties don't apparently start till
\na person has been missing one week. If I hadn't had extensive
\nsurvival experience, I'd have been dead after just two days on
\nMt. Agung. The God of Besakih has been merciful this time.<\/p>\n
THOMAS R. BURNS<\/p>\n
Ubud, Bali<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/god-saves-my-life-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }