Summer 2012 – The song Delirious was humming in my head like
a broken record.
Stuck in a web of
monotony and Indian summer lethargy, I was growing restless with each passing
day. This was until I met a group of
friends one evening. As we grunted our grudges about shirking girlfriends and irking
bosses, I exclaimed “Guys, we need to plan an outing but something more adventurous
this time!”
“Let’s trek up one of the volcanoes on the Java belt – I have heard its a knockout!” said my friend. The sound of it was enough to throw
thrill down my spine! Soon we all agreed even as our pulses raced; and as a
result, 10 days later 5 tickets were booked to Indonesia alongwith a guide to
assist us in exploring the volcanic terrain.
Around Mid August, with our backpacks on, we all landed at
Bali – the starting point of our trip. This pearl island of Indonesia and is a highly
popular holiday destination for its long coastlines, sizzling beaches and hot
.... temperature!
However our Bali stay was a short one; we had to travel that same night to the adjoining island of Lombok – the island which houses one of the three big volcanoes of Indonesia - Mount Rinjani.
However our Bali stay was a short one; we had to travel that same night to the adjoining island of Lombok – the island which houses one of the three big volcanoes of Indonesia - Mount Rinjani.
Even before starting the climb, we got the first hiccup. A fast food joint in Indonesia is about as time efficient as an A la carte in an Indian restaurant! The half-an-hour chicken burger gave us run for our time and we missed our 3 star Ferry to Lombok The only other alternative was the last local ferry which was quite a multi-star experience in itself - with a night sky and no roof on our heads! Sleeping on a plastic chair above a rock-a-loud boat deck, and facing the chilly sea breeze – we had lost half of our stamina already!
Soon we met Wayan – our local guide to the island took us straight to the point of climb. Our ordeal was cut out - we had 3 days and 2 nights to climb Mt Rinjani, reach the mouth of the volcano and hike back to the village at the other end of the volcano. Altitude climb: 3726 meters.
Wayan told us not to consume much water before the climb. Reason being, the high water consumption during exertion starts relaxing the body makes you feel thirstier more frequently.Soon we started climbing one step at a time. And thus started an adventure of a lifetime..
We started off on grasslands with slight slope. The weather
was moderate, and so was the climb.
Two hours on we started to enter more rocky and sloping
terrain. We all started the group chant from the FIFA '10 theme song ..
“Give me freedom, give me fire, give me reason, take me
higher”
Two more hours went by and by this time we started feeling a
touch of stress. I asked Wayan “How much further for today?” He said that it
should take an hour max to reach the closest base camp. This news cheered us
all up. Going back to the chant:
“Give me freedom ... give me fire ... give me reason ...
take me higher ... ”
One hill went by and then another, and then another...
The chant was dropping: “Give me... freedom ......
take me higher.....”
Two more hours and our knees had given up... Each step more
painful than the earlier...
Wayan again said “Almost there – the camping peaks are right
across this hill!” <<#£!!>>
Finally after a total climb of 9 straight hours we reached
the base camp where few other camp fires were lit.
When I looked back I realized that the distance we
covered was not possible without fooling ourselves! However, this was just a trailer
to what was about to come next. The scale from base camp to the actual volcano crater
was supposed to be the hardest bit of the entire climb. It was already dark and
we crashed on our tents' floors soon after having a Noodle soup.
“Wake up mister! Time to move!”
We were rudely awakened at 1:30 am barely after three hours of sleep! It was Wayan. We had to start climbing up to the summit now so that we can make in time for the sunrise.
 |
| What the .... |
I crawled out of tent into pitch black darkness. The winds
were chilly and my body protested to be back in the tent. But this was what we
came here for – the ultimate survival test!
With flashlights on the head and wooden sticks for support,
we started the arduous climb. The last leg was surely a climb to hell! The
atmospheric pressure was reducing which got us puffing and panting. Soon we
realized that for every 2 steps forward we were going one step backwards! The
volcanic terrain was getting slippery with each step. There were no shrubs to
hold onto - only rocks and gravel.
Battling the chilly winds, reduced oxygen, wearing stamina and
with painting ears - we climbed, we slipped and we climbed some more.
Suddenly, a gush of wind displaced my feet and I saw myself staring
at the edge of the cliff barely few millimeters from where I stood. It was the most thrilling moment of my life!
Finally after diligently carving out my steps I could
finally see the real peak of the volcano mountain. Few of friends reached
before me and were waving at me with their flashlights. Soon enough I took
those last few steps to ultimate glory. And what a glorious moment it was!
6 am; with peace in our souls and pride in our hearts, we
stood atop 3700 ft conquering the summit of the Mt. Rinjani. Slowly the sky turned red, then to a pale shade
of orange and finally to a bright yellow. The winds calmed down and the golden sun
spread its rays on all of us! This was it – the moment of triumph!
I felt fresh; I felt alive!
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In last two days I had not given a thought to any personal troubles,
nor had I complained about anything. The only goal was to survive. And just doing that was an achievement!
Mission Accomplished
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| VICTORY |
