Hey all, How is everyone?!!!! I am so amazingly good. We climbed a mountain - a 11,000 footer in less than 20 hours. This is how it all went down: started from a restaurant in a small mountian village and had breakfast in the shadow of Mount Rinjani. Jumped in a motor bus or "bemo" with our three porters holding onto the roof - all at 5 am. Got to the base of the volcano and begin climbing at 8:30ish. Hiked until 5:30pm to make base camp on this ridge, a long way from the summit stopping once for a lunch and a few short breaks. Had dinner, fell asleep right after sunset at around 7pm. Slept in completely freezing conditions and woke up at 2am. Hiked the hardest hike of our lives up a 45 degree slope (it seemed) and in four inches of gravel - every step was only a 1/4 th of a step as our feet slid down making our efforts seem fruitless... all in darkness on the ridge of a mountain. I was ill-prepared to say the least. I was not informed or smart enough for some reason to figure out that the top of the mountain would be cold. And it was REALLY cold!!!!! I climbed on my hands and knees in a sweatshirt long pants and a sleeping bag. Actually, Dani took the sleeping bag for the last pull to the top and we all crawled to the summit to make the sunrise with 1 min to spare. It was beautiful, yet awful and definately the hardest thing I have ever done. We then began our decent of the mountain and were slowly sliding awkwardly down the mountain when our guide came wizzing past us litterally flying down the mountain. Scotty and I took one look at each other and furiously began literally running down the mountain of rocky ash. While the parents in the reading audience may cringe, it was amazing. There's a video...we were flying!!!!!!!! It made the whole trip worth it. Got back to Base camp and ate breakfast 8 hours later and rested for a couple of hours. Then we, oh yes, hiked more. So with 16hours of hiking and 6hours of sleeping in the last 22 hours we began again to the bottom of the mountain to the lake. 6 hours later we arrived at the lake and hot springs 11,000 feet of altitude lower than we were just 8 hours earlier. At 5pm we jumped into a hot spring and relaxed. Had dinner that night under the most glorious blanket of stars I have ever been witness to and got up in the moring to hike another 11 hours out of the other side of the crater. Arriving at our hostel at 9pm three days after we started, exausted, craving a Bintang (indo beer), and smelling like we just climbed a mountain...because we did!!!!! It was glorious.
Much Love, Benj.
The van ride to the base of the mountain (with Andre, our guide hanging out the back and our 3 porters on top!):
Benjy (with Bintang, our mascot chicken) and Andre at the start of our climb:
One of our amazing porters making tea and coffee on a break:
Crackers and dirty faces:
So tired...and a bit cold, at base camp - sleep #1:
Scott and Benjy part way up and above the clouds:
Our tents at base camp (thanks to our porters!):
Our favorite photo so far - at the top:
Benjy and Laura (Dutch friend) at the top - they look peaceful but they were freezing and past their physical limits:
Running down from the peak - the best part!:
p.s. Off to the Gili islands for some much needed rest and relaxation in a hamock between two palm trees. More to come...
5 comments:
Welcome back! It is GREAT to read and view your post this morning.
You did this!!!!
Rest well and enjoy sharing your varied experiences with one another.
From your notes I am gaining a respect for the value of not giving up!
Dani and friends - I can not express to you how happy I am that you are there and experiencing the amazing world and life that is Bali! I actually started to tear up reading your posts because this place and it's people are such a part of my heart and I love that you are seeing it for what it is (far beyond what most tourists venture to see) and meeting the people that make the island beautiful. One of my students kept wanting me to take her photo and I asked her why and her response was simply and honestly - "so you won't forget me." Many locals want you to take their photo to go home and remember them and their country that they are so very proud of. I can tell from your writings that they have already touched your heart. Have an AMAZING rest of your trip!!! I can't wait to hear the rest of your adventures! Congrats on climbing Rinjani!!!
Becky:)
(dani- I am so sorry I didn't get a chance to catch up with you before you left and I left for my cross country trip)
OMGZZZZZ I wish I was there with you getting tan, dirty and surftastic with you guys/Dani! I miss you and love this blog. It really helps me cope through my days in a cubicle!
Traveling: How Far Can You Journey in a 20-Minute Oil Change at Bob's Fast Lube?
I help myself to a styrofoam cup and pour from the Bunn carafe parked on the warmer. From the television next to the magazine rack, Regis Philbin is interviewing a guy that looks a lot like Neil Diamond. I take in more of the room. To my left on the far wall is a map. It is big and colorful, and a bit unusual for a customer waiting area. I check it out. There it is, the entire world, framed before me. I focus on the southern hemisphere. These days I can find Bali about as fast as I can find Minnesota. And just this past Tuesday I additionally claimed Lombok, the island east of Bali in Indonesia’s archipelago.
You see, this summer our youngest son, Scott, is traveling that far away country with friends. Each day, from our computer on Grove Street, we check their blog and follow along. First Bali, now Lombok.
With my glasses off, more focused, I see marks indicating a sharp change in Lombok’'s elevation. It is the only noted feature in that small irregularly outlined shape. Could it be Mt. Rinjani? As the country'’s second highest point, it must be! I want it to be. According to the most recent post, Scott is right there, right now. I move closer, and for a moment, squinting, believe I will see - making their way toward the summit - the guide and group that includes him and his friends. Does he know I am looking down at them?
A door opens.
Bob comes through from the shop.
I return from Lombok.
“It’s done,” he says to me.
I pay him, thank him, and drive away . . . good for another 3,000 miles.
Hi big sister and brothers! Congrats on the climb! You made it! I'm curious how much harder your climb was than my Machu Pichu Inca trail one - yours definitely sounds A LOT colder! Also, the part about running down the slope and making it worth the whole climb reminded me of the mountain biking I did in Northern Chile. It took us a couple hours to bike up hill (in one of the driest deserts in the world) and only about 10 minutes to ride all the way back down. But those 10 speedy cool-wind-in-your-face minutes were the best part of the trip and totally worth it! :) I'm glad you're having such a great time, miss you and love you all!
-the Middle Sis (I'm apparently slow and can't sign in properly)
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