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.