Assault on Mt. Rinjani is not for weak-kneed

Assault on Mt. Rinjani is not for weak-kneed

By Steve Rhodes

LOMBOK, West Nusa Tenggara (JP): It must be said right from
the word go that the four-day assault on Mount Rinjani is not for
the weak-kneed or the fainthearted. At 3,726 metres, it is the
highest mountain on Lombok and the second-highest in Indonesia.

Day 1 starts easily enough at the small village of Senaru,
known to the trekking fraternity as Base Camp 1. From there it's
a short and pleasant amble through coffee and bean plantations
before plunging into Lamington National Park type rain forest in
Australia. Unlike Lamington, though, with its gentle graded
tracks, the pathway here simply goes straight up, and by the time
you stagger into Base Camp 2 in time for lunch, you're drenched
with sweat and starting to question your sanity in undertaking
such a venture. But after a hearty bowl of "Mountain Soup"
prepared by the porters, you're raring to go again.

The stamina of the porters has to be seen to be believed. Some
people have attempted this trip without guides or porters but I'd
advise against it unless you have the physique of Arnold
Schwarzenegger and the agility of a mountain goat. As I watched
the porters load the 40 to 50 kilograms of water, fruit, noodles,
and cooking and sleeping gear onto each end of their bamboo
poles, I knew I'd made the right decision when I hired them.

They took off like rockets and we didn't see them again until
we reached Base Camp 3.

Over dinner our guide Justinus told us a few hair-raising
tales of various people who'd tried the trip without guides or
porters, including the ultimate act of penny-pinching and false-
economizing on the part of a young New South Welshman who slipped
while making the descent from the crater rim to the lake and
plummeted 70 meters, snapping his ankle in the process.

He lay in agony for a while until Justinus and his party
discovered him by chance. The porters had to construct a
makeshift stretcher and carry him out. As an additional bit of
cost-cutting, he hadn't bothered to take out travel insurance
either.

Day 2 saw us on the crater rim looking down at a stunning view
of Lake Segara Anak, about to make the descent we'd heard about
last night. The lake's icy-cold waters are the home of the ikan
mas or Copper Fish, which local fishermen catch with bait
consisting of tapioca and coconut baked in banana leaves. We
bought one for Rp 20,000 (about US$4) and it was a delicious
dinner, marinated and fried in the wok over an open fire.

About 10 minutes' walk from the shores of the lake are some
hot springs known as Kokok Putih, which are said to have
remarkable healing powers and local people walk for miles to
"take the waters", especially during the full moon, when they are
at the height of their powers. Be that as it may, the water
worked wonders on the aches and pains acquired over the last two
days when we immersed ourselves in the hot sulfurous water, the
result of the still volcanically active Rinjani.

But all good things come to an end and on day 3 we started the
long, hard climb to the opposite rim of the volcano and our
ultimate destination, the summit, where it was our intention to
rise the next morning at 3 a.m. to watch the sun come up. Along
the way we passed large groups of local people making their way
to the hot springs, including one old fellow who was 61 years of
age. His fortitude was astounding but I couldn't help thinking
that he was certainly going to need every drop of therapeutic
miracle spring water to see him back to his village, many miles
away.

Day 4 and we staggered from the tent at 3 a.m. for the final
assault on the summit of Mount Rinjani. Someone had calculated
that it took three hours to reach the top in order to catch the
sun rise at 6. The trip was a nightmare. An icy wind howled
across the exposed slopes of the summit, which consisted of small
round balls of volcanic ash resembling bean bag filling, making
the climb exceedingly difficult to say the least. There was very
little to hold on to and for every two or three feet gained, we'd
slip back about a foot.

We made it to the top in the nick of time. Even in our frozen-
stiff and exhausted states, the stark beauty of our surroundings
was awe-inspiring.

Behind us the full moon was setting over Lake Segara Anak just
as the sun burst over the horizon. The spectacle made all the
aches and pains worth the effort.