At 1am sharp, my alarm clock rang. I jumped out of my sleeping bag, unzipped the tent and rushed to the toilet. I haven't gotten even a second of sleep, having spent the last 3.5 hours awake. "I'm screwed!" is all I can think of. But I've come this far... I can't just give up not trying.
"The mountain is calling.. and I must go"
As I managed to defecate (I've been constipated for several days prior to this trip), I heaved a sigh of relief. "At least I've unload some weight of my body," I comforted myself. As I stepped out of the toilet tent, Wendy and Yee Lu is finally up and they took turn using the toilet. Around 1.30am, Lee brought us breakfast - toasts. I couldn't bring myself to finish the toast, so I gave one of mine to Lee instead. We downed some hot tea and I made hot ginseng tea and filled them into my flask, hoping the to keep myself warm during the ascent.
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| Breakfast |
With our windbreaker, hiking sticks and headlights on, we started our ascent sharp at 2am. Lee led the way being the head of the pack, followed by me, Yee Lu and Wendy while Hajar watched over us from the back. We passed by tents after tents where other hikers are only just waking up and preparing for their ascent.
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| First stage trail looks like in broad daylight, taken during the descent |
The trail up to the summit proved to be more challenging than the first day. Not only that it was steeper, the sky was dark that we could only rely on our head lights to shine the way and damn, it was freezing. We didn't measure the weather but I think it was around 5 degree (or lower). The first stage was a moderate climb for about 2 hours and I was able to keep up to Lee's pace albeit being a little out of breathe.
"And then... the little drama started"
We then enter the second stage which is said to be a fairly easy but long trek. The terrain wasn't very steep at this point and it's a long straight trail all the way. But it was at this stage that I started slowing down. It was getting colder and colder for me as my body temperature started decreasing, my nose started getting runny and my muscles started feeling lazy. I have been drinking too much of the ginseng tea that I was in desperate need to pee! I'm too embarrassed to go at this point as there were no trees or bushes in sight. I held it in and continue walking hoping that my body could generate heat by itself and I would perspire. It didn't work! Slowly, my bladder starts to hurt with every step I took. This forced me to slow down even more and eventually I had to stop and the girls overtake me. I'd reached my limit and I couldn't hold it any longer. As Yee Lu and Wendy passed through me, I turned to Hajar and told him that I need to pee. He smiled and promised to help me spot a suitable place while we continued walking slowly.
After some time, we notice that Yee Lu had gone missing (Apparently as she overtook me earlier she had thought that we were in front so she went full force to try chasing us), so Lee went off to find her, while Wendy continue to walk ahead of me. Then, we spotted some bushes where I could finally do my business. It was right next to the trail where there're some bushes so I step aside, turned off my headlights and pee in the dark. People passed by me as I struggled not to fall (it was very steep and one step backward I would fall down the cliff) and at the same time trying not to be seen. Once done, I joined Wendy and Hajar to continue our journey to the peak. After some time, I started feeling tired and sleepy and once again, I slowed down, this time too much for Wendy to bear. At this rate, she will miss the sunrise if she were to wait for me, so I asked her to go ahead without me. So off she went by herself in order to reach the summit before the sun rises while Lee caught up to Yee Lu in front and Hajar stayed with me behind. Poor Wendy was on her own.
At some point, Hajar left me alone as he rested (turned out he took a nap) for 30minutes or so before catching up with me. Well, I don't blame him, 'cos trust me, I was extremely slow. I started to wonder whether it was the sleep deprivation, altitude sickness, the boring straight long track or the flu that I had yet to fully recovered from. Or, all of them? I regret not taking the altitude sickness pill which Wendy brought. I had to constantly remind myself that I can do it and I must keep moving.
It was when I reached the final stage that I finally felt refreshed and motivated. "This it is..." I told myself, "the final incline, the toughest part." It was about 70 degree (or perhaps more) incline and it will take approximately one hour to reach the summit from here on. So I tighten my grip, and held my hiking sticks tight, and climbed with all my might.
At some point, Hajar left me alone as he rested (turned out he took a nap) for 30minutes or so before catching up with me. Well, I don't blame him, 'cos trust me, I was extremely slow. I started to wonder whether it was the sleep deprivation, altitude sickness, the boring straight long track or the flu that I had yet to fully recovered from. Or, all of them? I regret not taking the altitude sickness pill which Wendy brought. I had to constantly remind myself that I can do it and I must keep moving.
It was when I reached the final stage that I finally felt refreshed and motivated. "This it is..." I told myself, "the final incline, the toughest part." It was about 70 degree (or perhaps more) incline and it will take approximately one hour to reach the summit from here on. So I tighten my grip, and held my hiking sticks tight, and climbed with all my might.
Half way through the climb, Hajar, reappeared behind me. The sky is slowly turning bright. I knew the sun is rising, but I kept hynotising myself that I could still make it before it fully rises.
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| Mesmerising sunrise photo by Wendy (which I shamelessly stole from her Facebook) |
Suddenly, he tapped my shoulder and pointed towards the sky... The sun has risen. I gazed at the sunrise briefly then looked at him. Reality hit me: I've missed the sunrise, and I'm still 20mins away to the summit. "It's okay," I told myself. "As long as I reach the summit... As long as I reach the summit... You can do it Catherine, you can do it!". I took a deep breath, stared intensely at the summit, and chanted softly: "A bit more, a bit more."
20mins later, I'm greeted by my two friends, our porter and a pot of hot tea...
Lee offered me a cup of hot tea which I declined immediately. It was indeed cold, but all i can think of at that particular moment, is to sit down next to Yee Lu and Wendy and gather my thoughts. I looked down at the slope I just climbed up and heaved a sigh of relief.
I made it! I almost thought I couldn't.
Lee offered me a cup of hot tea which I declined immediately. It was indeed cold, but all i can think of at that particular moment, is to sit down next to Yee Lu and Wendy and gather my thoughts. I looked down at the slope I just climbed up and heaved a sigh of relief.
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| At the summit |
I made it! I almost thought I couldn't.
"In life we compete not with others but with ourselves"
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| Back photo is a must |
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| With our guide, Hajar |
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| Group photo to commemorate our successful ascent to the summit |
After much camwhoring, we descended back to the campsite, so that we could leave for Segara Anak Lake, Hotspring, and then to our campsite, Senaru Crater Rim. And we had to move fast if we would want to reach the campsite before the sun sets. If you think the way down is easier than the way up, you are absolutely wrong! Okay... maybe it's easy for some but it was such a struggle for me. Imagine having to slide down this....
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| Photo doesn't do it justice. It was steeper than it looks |
Hajar and Lee had taught us to slide down as if we were skiing. Wendy and Yee Lu picked up on this advice rather quickly, but for me who is afraid of heights (yes dear, I am), I was scared of falling. Thank god Lee and Hajar were always there looking after us while we slide down.
After sliding down that steep incline, I tried to run as fast as I can in order to reach the campsite soonest possible. I knew we were behind schedule and we needed to hurry. However, the girls were tired and they were basically walking leisurely. I sped up, hoping they would keep up to my pace but to no avail. Eventually, I ended up walking slowly as well, as my toe started to hurt, as I had slide down wrongly earlier.
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| Second breakfast to replenished the energy we lost scaling the summit |
We finally arrived at Sembalun Crater Rim at 10.30am, took a quick second breakfast while packing our loads. Noticing how exhausted we are after scaling the summit, Hajar suggested that we camp another night here and only make our way down early the next morning. He was concerned that the descent will be too strenuous for our condition. However, we all disagree having to spend another night at the same place and would prefer to stick to the original itinerary. We finished our breakfast and made our move at 11am.
So down we went, passing through rocks and stairs. It was a pretty beautiful trail, which is much more interesting than the boring trail we gone through on the first day. Unfortunately, we were too tired to enjoy the hike at this moment and we were moving at a rather slow pace. The rocky terrain was my cup of tea, so i slowly gained my momentum although my legs were feeling like jelly. After about 2 hours of trekking, we stopped for lunch.
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| Mie Goreng for lunch |
Hajar approached us again, this time proposing that we camp at the lake instead of Senaru Crater Rim. He didn't think that we could make it to Senaru Crater Rim before dusk and it would be dangerous to be climbing in the dark. He reckoned that we shall sleep early that night and start our journey as early as 5am the next day and we would still be able to reach Senaru Village on time. It sounded like a great idea to us, so we agreed to the change in plan.
"If the Plan doesn't work, change the Plan. But never the Goal"
We reached Segara Anak Lake at approximately 4pm that day and after putting down our belongings, we head towards the hotspring for a good dip. This is the only place (apart from the lake), where climbers will get to wash up, but we decided to just dip our legs. The girls weren't feeling comfortable washing up in public and I wasn't comfortable doing it all by myself. But after a good 30min to one hour dip into the hotspring, our muscles soothed and we feel more energized. So, if you are not shy, go ahead and jump in.
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| Fried rice for dinner |
We had our dinner in our tent that night, as it was raining cats and dogs outside and we were too cold to want to step out. We finished the deliciously cooked fried rice at 8pm, passed the plates to the porters and went to bed. My body finally gave in to exhaustion and I fell into deep sleep as soon as I lied down.
"Rest when you're weary. Refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. Then, get back to work"
We were supposed to start off our 3rd day at 8am in the morning descending from Senaru Crater Rim campsite to Senary Village. Since we had a change in plan the night before to camp at the lake, we had to wake up much earlier in the morning --- 4am. After packing and having our early breakfast, we started our hike at 5am. The route from Segara Anak Lake to Senaru Crater Rim is probably my favourite one throughout the entire 3D2N as it involves some rock climbing which is oddly the type of terrain I enjoy and am good at. I know... I'm one odd person.
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| Breakfast - Omelette with shredded cheese which I find too salty for my liking |
The hike to Senaru Crater Rim was supposed to be a 2 hours hike but we were kinda slow that we took 4 hours to reach. As we reach Senaru Crater Rim at 9.30pm, we were greeted with the astonishing view of the entire Segara Anak Lake with Gunung Barujari and Rinjani summit in the background.
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| Panorama shot taken with my iphone |
No wonder this place was set as the second night campsite for our original itinerary (those who did a 4D3N Sembalun-Senaru package will also be camping here on the third night) and the first night campsite for those who do Senaru-Sembalun route. I'm glad that we change our plan, otherwise we will be climbing to Senaru Crater Rim in the dark, which is dangerous and not being able to see this beautiful scenery. Okay, we'll still be able to see this in the morning but avoiding dangerous night hike is of the utmost importance here, right? And who is to guarantee that it's not misty when we wake up in the morning and miss this beautiful sight?
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| With Hajar and Lee |
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| With the t-shirt gifted by Hajar. Yee Lu and I wearing L size while Wendy is in XL, which were rather oversized for us |
So we took a short break to take some photos before continuing our journey to Senaru Village. The terrain here is rather different from the Sembalun-Sembalun Crater Rim route. The first part of Sembalun trail is a open field where the sun shines directly upon you, followed by the second part after the 3rd Pos which was all steep, loose volcanic soil. Senaru trail on the other hand is basically a densed jungle trail, so you are covered by tree sheds and with the tree roots, being your natural staircase, strategically path the way down for you.
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| Lunch - spaghetti |
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| Another photo shamelessly stolen from Facebook (Yee Lu's this time) |
We reached Senaru Gate at 4.30pm and from there it's another 20min walk to Senaru Village. The descent from Senaru Crater Rim to Senaru Village is scheduled to be 5 hours but we practically took 7 hours to reach Senaru Village. So, perhaps for those who normally take more time descending than you are ascending, you might want to consider taking the 4D3N package instead which allow you more time at the Lake and Hotspring and an extra night's stay at Senaru Crater Rim. It's more relax and if you have more time, you can even do some cave sight seeing.
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| From left: Hajar, Wendy, me, Yee Lu, Lee, and our porters - Pak Ju and his team |
Right after the hike, Wendy declared that this will be her final hike. She had enough of hiking. Yee Lu on the other hand, has only just got started and she's in for more adventure to come. And what about me, you wonder?
Well, I'm always a mountain person, always and forever will be. Given a choice between the mountain and sea, I'll choose mountain, anytime. It's not just about the view from the top you see, it's about the climb, about how perfectly it mirror our life - sometimes the weather is good and sunny, sometimes there's rain and storm, sometimes we are ahead of schedules, sometimes we are behind, along the way we might encounter some unforeseen circumstances that deviate from our initial plan and we were forced to make a change in our plan, sometimes we fall, sometimes we slip, sometimes we just want to give up, but if we persevere someday we will reach the peak. Others can climb the mountain with us, but no one can climb it for us.
Will I be climbing more mountains? Absolutely...
"Because in the end, you won't remember the time in you spent working in the office or mowing your lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain!"
I impressed with your article. Tq for sharing amazing place. Keep on updating
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