God saves my life

God saves my life

I am writing this as I recover from serious injuries sustained
while climbing Mt. Agung, Bali. Foolishly I chose to climb solo
without the aid of a guide. This mistake nearly cost me my life.
Though the trail is unmarked, it is easy to follow until you
reach the treacherous summit cone.

While descending I fell and lacerated my hand on a bottle some
uncaring person had discarded. The subsequent loss of blood
coupled with a cold driving rain caused me to lose the trail.

I spent the night in a makeshift grass shelter nearly expiring
due to hypothermia. The following day I stumbled down through the
thick jungle bivouacking one more night under a tree. I hadn't
eaten in two days and was severely cut up (traumatized) when I
stumbled into the farming village of Temukus near Besakih. I was
then taken to a doctor who dressed my wounds.

As a warning to all hikers, don't attempt these mountains
without a guide, proper rain gear, food, wool clothing, a torch,
boots and a first-aid kit.

To the park service I advise creating affordable, licensed
guide services including marking all trails clearly and cleaning
up harmful debris.

Finally, organized search parties don't apparently start till
a person has been missing one week. If I hadn't had extensive
survival experience, I'd have been dead after just two days on
Mt. Agung. The God of Besakih has been merciful this time.

THOMAS R. BURNS

Ubud, Bali