Captain’s Blog: Climbing Mt Rinjani

Sept 5-7

Hi All,

Wow, Wow, Wow, Wow, Wow, Wow, Wow, Wow, Wow, wow…….yes that is 9.5 Wow’s……the only reason the experience was not a perfect 10 was Kathy was not with me……we do almost everything together so not having her with me was like having a major part missing!!!!

Oh what an incredible experience!!!! Was it hard…..oh most definitely…..I can’t say it was the hardest thing I have ever done although I can’t say what that might have been……but, this climb certainly ranks up there in the top 5….well, maybe top 3. My legs actually did good……yes, Advil was my friend:))) The knees and legs held out until the last part of the downhill on the 2nd day……I was actually quite pleased…..but what hurt was being out of breath…..just constantly sucking air and my heart beat pounding….I get no aerobic exercise on Mystic plus we live at sea level!!!! Abul was really great….his best compliment to me was you maybe slow but you never stop…..these young people race up here but have to stop every 10 minutes for a 2-3 minute break. And, indeed I would stop maybe every 5-10 min for maybe 5-30 sec to catch my breath and then I kept going….never took a break until the designated stops!!!!

OK…..the age thing…..yes, I was the oldest person on the mountain just like I was the oldest person on the dive boat in Komodo……yikes……but really people, 62 is not old…..we can still do these things albeit a little slower!!!! I was so surprised that no one else from the Rally climbed except for 2 twenty somethings who made it all the way to the summit. And yes, most days I’m called Papi or Papa from the locals….yes, it is a term of respect but ouch!!!!

I was picked up about 11am at the marina and driven 1.5 hours to Senaru village where the hotel, Park entrance and Abul’s headquarters are located. The driver did not speak much English so we used Gigi to communicate…he also knew how to use it!! Abul greeted me at the hotel and explained the full itinerary. He told me that in honor of our friends, Phil and Norma on sv Minnie B and Andy and Sue on sv Spruce who had done this trek previously and highly recommended Abul to us, he was going to be my guide…..wow, I was somewhat overwhelmed and so grateful to our friends!!

As a warm up Abul offered to have a guide take me to the Tu Kelep and Sendang Gile waterfalls. Maybe 3 miles and 1.5 hours…..ok, sounded like a good warm up so off we went. It was a very pleasant walk through the forest, lot’s of monkeys and some nice waterfalls. Then it was back to the hotel, a very cold large Bintang, then a nap. Of course, Kathy and I were texting like teenagers again:)))) I then went for a walkabout and ended up buying some local cassava chips…..I was craving crunch and salt. Well, on the way back to my room 3 monkeys said you can not pass go until you give us your chips…..no way……growl, hiss, look meaner, then start aggressive moves……ok, I quickly jump up the stairs and into my room and lock the door and sat on my bed and ate my chips while they all looked in the room from the veranda……looking very pissed. I texted Kathy who just started laughing…..I failed to see the humor:)))) Eventually the monkeys released me and I went up to the restaurant and had a very nice sunset meal and talked with a few other trekkers. Rinjani was clear and looked at peace!!

The next morning I had a delicious banana pancake breakfast looking at a very clear Rinjani……and several cups of coffee:))) Abul picked me up, we went to the Park entrance, paid our entrance fees, met up with our porter Alam and off we went by 7:45am!!! The first day we climbed from 1971′ (601m) to 8664′ (2641m)……that’s 6693’….in ONE DAY…….whoa!!! From the edge of the road the Park gives you KM markers……so it’s about 6700′ climb in 4.7 miles (7.5km)……you do the math….that’s like straight up…..OMG……and gulp when I realized that!! BTW, I did do the math…..that is almost a 30% grade average. Now of course, that’s an average so my guess the grade ranged from 10 deg to something >50 deg. And, the trail was just straight up……so think like doing >6000 steps on a stepper……no switchbacks. I told Abul I’m going to come back and teach Indonesian’s how to build switchbacks…..he just laughed and said keep going:))))
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The Park is closed for 3 months during the rainy season as the trail is impassable. There is no maintenance except to clear large fallen trees. So, the trail is full of tree roots, rocks, gravel, fallen tree limbs, small to large gullies, some parts damp and slippery, and some parts very dry and slippery. In all, I fell 6 times…..3 going up and 3 going down……all from slips and on my butt……not sure my hiking pants will ever come clean!!!! And I wore a blister on each foot the 2nd day…..both on the side of the ball near the big toe…..never, ever have I had blisters there…..all from the toes jammed into the shoe and your foot twisting from the trail being so uneven!!!

You first trek to Position 1…..about 1 mile…..you get to some small covered platforms to rest……I’m saying to myself….not too bad……I can do this….we had some water, Snickers and off we went. The next stop is called Position extra…..the trail had gotten a bit harder……not too steep in parts but then had some very steep, gullies and tree roots and it had gotten progressively more slippery!! But, I’m still ok, not too bad, I can really do this. Well…..the grade probably was average getting to Position 2……yikes, I was really starting to suck air. We got to Position 2 in the clouds…..and it got cold while Abul and Alam cooked lunch…..fried chicken and vegetables over rice with pineapple and melon…..way too much food but I ate a lot as I was hungry!!! Unfortunately they had problems with the gas stove, which they did get fixed but it made what is usually a 1-1.5 hr lunch to almost 2 hours…..by that time I was pretty cold and stiff…..but the half bottle of Bintang helped:))))

So off to Position 3 we went and yikes……I really had to dig deep……I was breathing really, really hard but it was beautiful walking through the forest and clouds…..I was sweating profusely but it was at least cool air!!! We get to Position 3 and it is only 4900′ (1500m) high…..yikes…..that means we still have 2100′ (650m) to go……I’m just 2/3’s of the way there……OMG…gulp, gulp, gulp!!!! So we start out and I look up and see a ridge….like way up there….I ask Abul so is that where we are going……hmmm, that is only the first ridge, there are 2 more behind it……oh crap, why did I ask:((((( I actually did good getting to the first ridge……I just wanted to get it done and the adrenaline kicked in. I looked up at the 2nd ridge and saw this group of 20 somethings I had talked with at Position 3….Abul said look, you are not too far behind those young people….ok, let’s get it done. Well, it got really, really, really steep, loose gravel and very slippery……now I know why I had caught up to the young people as they had slogged it out like I was doing, but I get it done and look up to the 3rd ridge and Abdul says that’s it….from there we traverse over to the crater rim……only 650′ (200m) to go. But, as I look up through some trees all I see are rocks….yep, the trail goes up through a boulder/rock field……this mountain saved it’s best for the last push! But I get it done with no slips or falls and then it is a short traverse to the crater rim!!!

We get there a little before 5pm……maybe an hour later than planned, between me being slow and the late lunch, but it is all good. They had brought me a camp chair and they sat me on the rim looking at the summit, lake and new volcano cone with a large Bintang……oh, did that taste so good! In the meantime Abul and Alam setup camp and started dinner. Once my tent was setup I went and changed into dry clothes…..OMG, did that feel good……put on a fleece jacket and sweatpants as it was getting cold…..and then watched the rest of the sunset and enjoyed the Bintang. Our camp had a view of both the crater rim and looking west towards Bali and Medana Lombok where Kathy and Mystic were located…..you could see Mount Agung in Bali and the Gili Islands (3 islands about 5 miles from Mystic), the summit of Mount Rinjani, Lake Segara Anak and Gunung Baru, the small volcanic cone within the crater.

Abul had not climbed in 5 years as he is generally too busy organizing all the treks. Before he was climbing 7-8 times/month, first as a porter then as a guide, and he is quite well known, especially for his cooking. Many times climbing the passing porters/guides would yell out Abul and start giggling. They all called him boss and some started calling me Boss Boss….well, it’s better that Papi:)))) Soon there were maybe 6-7 other guides/porters hanging around Abul’s tent as he was cooking, kind of like he was giving a cooking class! After sunset, he sat me right in front and every now and then he would translate the conversation. There was a lot of jocularity and the smells were amazing…..he made chicken vegetable curry over rice…..it was like a stew and I just scooped in the rice……OMG, it was one of the best curry dishes I have ever had!!!!

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve camped out…..I had a pad and a good sleeping bag but the ground was still very hard…..but TG no rocks. I think I slept really good as Abul asked the next day if I heard the pig in the camp…..nope, yes, Alam had to get up twice to scare them away…..nope, didn’t hear a thing. I was up before sunrise and watched as the sunlight came up the mountain…..just beautiful. After a breakfast of fried bananas, toast, cheese, and very hot coffee we set off. I was actually a little concerned about going down, especially my right knee, but going down you get the hard part done first and I actually did quite well…..it helps when you are not sucking air so much……we made great time……even kept pace with some of the younger crowd for a while. Every now and then I’d look back and just shake my head……man did that look steep!!!!

We made it to Position 2 in a little over 2.5 hours…..more than half way….Abul says time for lunch…..it was like 10:30 but why not……he made fried rice with fried chicken, vegetables and an omelet…..the flavors were incredible, just a little spicy and savory and I ate every bite!!!! Two Danish woman (20 somethings) who had climbed the summit the day before, which is another 3000′, started walking with us as they told me I had a nice steady pace……hmmm, maybe they meant slow….but at least they didn’t say that out loud. So we all make it down…….still very slippery and we all slipped a few times….we make it to Position 1 and the women tell me…..ok, we are going to go for it…..we just want to get it done…..oh, the power of youth…..me, I was pretty spent….in fact, about 200 yards from the finish I took my worst spill….off the side of a slope and into some bushes…..got a nice scrape on the face….my climber wound:)))))

At the Park entrance the women are there and we all do the high five thing and guzzle lots of very cold water. Then Abul says he has a treat for me……he has ordered 2 motor bikes to take us to his office, maybe 1 mile away……the look on the women’s face was very depressed/sad…..I thought about giving up my spot but then said nope, not this old guy…..so off we go on a very hilly bike ride and we arrive at Abul’s place which is full of people getting geared up for a trek tomorrow. Abul gets my extra bag with some dry clothes, I change, then we sit down and I have a Bintang while we chat away.

I meet Abul’s wife who is expecting their 2nd child in about a week and their 5 year old daughter!!! Abul says he wants to go with me to Medana and see the boat…..great……we get in the car and Abul continues to be a tour guide……telling me all about the various farms and crops, school (they have to pay for each grade), health care (if his wife has a normal childbirth in the local clinic it is free but if she has to go to the hospital they have to pay), government et al. We arrive at the marina and we all greet Kathy and we host them on the boat for a while……good times for sure! They had never been on a boat like a Selene before and were amazed. When we said our goodbyes I actually got a little emotional…..he indeed worked so hard to make this a special experience for me and I will always be soooooo ever grateful!!!!

And, that is the story of climbing Mt Rinjani!!!!! It’s something I’ll always remember because of Abul and the great experience of conquering the beast of a mountain!!

Up next……R&R for John-boy, fuel, get our Visa extension and figure out what we are doing for the 2nd half of our Indonesia tour….the Rally is so far ahead and many people are breaking off…..there are maybe 50% or less still around….but we have done 3 of the 4 “must do’s”…..scuba dive in Komodo, see the Komodo dragons, climb Mt Rinjani and next is to see the orangutans in Kalimantan.

Hope all is well!!

John
Mystic Moon
still resting at Medana Bay, Lombok……all clean and shiny!!!

PS: Pictures on the website: http://mysticmoonvoyages.com/photo-gallery/nggallery/main-album/Rinjani
PSS: For those interested, Dana has gone into the hospital…it won’t be long now until granddaughter #2 is here!!