Trekking Mount Rinjani: Lombok, Indonesia

I knew the morning would come too soon as I tossed and turned in my damp sleeping bag. It was only 9pm but when you are up in the clouds of the mountains, 9pm feels like the middle of the night. I went over in my head that everything was prepared for when we woke… head lamps: check… gloves and extra sweater: check… camera with extra battery: check. I hoped that my shoes would stay dry from the dew or moisture in the air. I was already sick of those gross wafer chocolate bars that we stocked up on before we left, but I stocked my jacket pockets anyways. It had only been one day of hiking so far and I was eating those as if they were going out of style (I guess you could say I'm a bit paranoid on hikes like this after what happened in Norway.). I continued to toss and turn, trying to get comfortable between the lumps in the ground that seemed to be so inconveniently placed. It wasn't before long, that I heard some stirring outside our tent. It was our Indonesian porters, who were in charge of setting up/tearing down camp as well as cooking our meals. 2am ...it was time to hit the trail.

So, who in their right mind would start hiking at 2am? I know, it seems extreme. The Rinjani Trek is set up so that either the first or the second morning, you get up super early so that you can reach the summit to see the sun rise. So that's what we did. After a full day of hiking up 1500 metres, we set up camp, hit the hay and were up again in the wee hours of the morning. From 2:15am-5am we hiked up to the top of the inactive volcano, slowly feeling the incline taking effect on our sore muscles. The last 200 meters was probably the worst as we trudged through what seemed to be deep, gritty sand. Not only were the sand and rocks pouring in through every available crevice in my shoes, it was extremely tiring to keep putting one foot in front of the other. But alas, under three hours later, we reached the top. And it was bloody COLD! 5 degrees Celsius does not feel the best when you are now drenched in a cold sweat, have only thin layers on, and have been living in a tropical climate for the past 8 months. So you ask, was it worth it? To be completely honest, I wouldn't say I'd do that part again. In fact I'd probably skip out on the sunrise part- the hike only started getting better once I could actually SEE the beauty that surrounded me. My opinion, though.

The hike overall however, was totally worth it. The reality of sleeping way up on top of a mountain ridge, beauty surrounding us, was absolutely unreal. To unzip the tent and see the clouds rolling over the green hills… to know how far you've come and that the only people who see this place are the people who decide to take the trek out here is completely worth all the discomforts of the journey. Suddenly, eating fried rice for every meal and awful wafer cookies didn't seem to matter anymore (we went through a very “budget friendly” company… I'm sure there are other trekking companies that offer better food and services). The hike itself was also quite challenging at times, not offering much in terms of flat ground, but it felt good to get out there and push ourselves. My legs were feeling quite weak by the end of the second day, and by the last day, my legs just about gave out on me a couple of times on our way down. Zack even was feeling the repercussions by the end.

As far as we understood, the only way to do this trek is through an organized trekking company. You can do either three day or four day treks depending on the level of intensity you are looking for, and there are a wide range of companies, that vary in price. We decided to go for the cheaper route, but that was because we weren't too picky when it came to the amenities…. It was the hike itself that we were there for. Being the “cheaper route”, that meant we also ended up with a younger group but also double the amount of people than other groups (and that we were told). Though there were twelve of us instead of the promised “group of six” we thoroughly enjoyed the dynamics in our group of trekkers which consisted of a group of uni students from Holland, a girl from Switzerland, and two girls and one guy from British Columbia. Our porters were a group of about 7 Indonesian men who carried all the camping equipment and food upon their shoulders while wearing flip flops or sometimes even nothing on their feet- all while smoking a cigarette. I still can't believe it. The song “Buffalo Soldier” became the song of choice and I feel now that song will always bring back memories of this trek. It was harder than I imagined it being, and with that added a huge sense of accomplishment by the end. It says something when Zack is struggling by the end ;)

I would definitely recommend this trek to anyone who is physically fit but I'd probably steer clear if you have any joint issues or don't feel confident in your cardio endurance. Everyone though, should look through the rest of these photos. They don't even do it justice.

view from where we were camping

Pretty cold at this point but happy to have made it to the top.

That volcano in the distance is Bali

You can see the Gili Islands just off the coast (just to the left of the beam of light coming down)

Those specks on the ridge is where we camped the first night!

These monkeys found their jackpot!  One reason to make sure all your food is put away securely...

A foggy morning on our last day.

The "banana pancakes" that the porters made for us in the morning. 

Group photo at the end.  We all made it out alive!