The Prettiest Rinjani Mountain

Helloooooooooooooooooo again, this will be my first post about hiking the mountain. I'm so excited writing this post because it's just very recent. I guess this will be a very long post with lot of pictures, I want to make this one post with all the memories I can remember from the trip, all the good, the bad and the funny of course. Pardon my English and maybe I'll mix with bahasa Indonesia later haha, because I have to write it now so I can still remember all the details.

But first I'll write down the summary, so for some of you who might want to know how many days, how many hours walk, you can get all the information in the beginning. We spent six days in Lombok, 29 May - 3 June 2018, four days on the mountain.

Pra - Hiking (May 29)

Jakarta - Lombok - Sembalun

Packing

Sleep

Day 1 (May 30)

06:20 Start

08:20 Pos 1 - rest

08:40 Walk

09:15 Pos 2  - rest

09:40 Walk

10:40 Pos Extra - rest - lunch

12:10 Walk

13:20 Pos 4 - Rest

14:00 Walk

15:35 Pelawangan Sembalun - Camp

Day 2 (May 31)

01:30 Start

08:00 Summit - rest

09:00 Leaving Summit

12:00 Pelawangan - rest - lunch - nap

15:00 Start to Segara Anak Lake

21:30 Segara Anak camp

Day 3 (June 1)

10:00 Start

12:00 Pos Jembatan Cemara - rest - lunch

13:30 Walk

16:30 Pelawangan - rest

17:00 Walk

19:30 Pos 4 - rest

21:00 Walk

22:15 Pos 3 - camp

Day 4 (June 2)

10:00 Start

11:00 Pos 2

11:30 Pos 1

12:00 Lunch

14:15 House, starting point :)

Post - Hiking (June 3)

Flight Lombok - Jakarta 

Yaps that’s the summary, some of you may see weird timeline on that hahahaha, if you want to know what make that timeline that weird so keep reading.

First of all, I would like to mention all the name who went with me on this trip ie Sheran, Friska, Mathhew, Yoseph, and Enico. For me personally, this is my first time go hiking with new friends, I only met three of them once before the trip and one on the trip. I was worry in the beginning, but at the end, I would say it was a great trip. Thank you to all of you guys, and also to our amazing Guide Bang Locker and four of his porter.

Ok let’s start to the pra – hiking day, May 29 2018, I took morning flight with Enico from Halim to Lombok and then meet with all the team in Lombok airport because Sheran, Friska, Matthew and Yoseph took Jakarta(CGK) – Lombok flight. Driver and our guide pick us up at the airport, and then we drive to Sembalun, it took around 3 hour drive from airport to Sembalun area. Because we arrived early, the guide take us to the hill (Bukit Selong Sembalun) as a warming up and took a pretty pictures of course hehe.

After that the guide took us to Lembah Rinjani restaurant to eat lunch and then we drive to our homestay.

Bukit Selong Sembalun

Lunch at Lembah Rinjani Restaurant

We pack our things, separate which on for porter to bring, which one we will bring with us on trekking. And also the homestay owner, Denny, brief us about the track that we will walk the next day.

As you can see on the picture below, it will take 6 hour from Pos 1 to Pelawangan, just after I saw the image I say “let’s double it, those number are the number for active hikers” hahaha, I have bad experience following other people's timeline when I hike Mount Agung Bali, people said it took 6 hours to get to the summit and what happen? It take me 2 hour to get to the summit hahaha. So I learn my lesson, better buffer it so we can get better estimation. Because our target for camping on Day 1 is Pelawangan Sembalun, so to get there latest at 6 pm (if we double the number) we plan to go at 6 am the next day.

And they also cook for our dinner, very delicious food but very spicy, and we ask our guide to tell the porter not to cook spicy food for the trip, hehe.

Day 1 trip, we wake up at 5 am, getting ready and we start our trip at 6:10. It’s a good time for starting the trekking I guess, because the starting point until pos 1 and pos 2 all savanna, morning time the sun not too hot yet. On the track, we saw many cows and also their poo on the track hahaha.

Matthew, Friska, Bang Locker, Enico, Linda, Sheran, Yoseph

horse :)

Our amazing guide, Bang Locker

yes my backpack so small :)

At 10:40 we all rest on pos extra, the pos after pos 2 and just before pos 3. It was a good location for our porter to cook for lunch. We quite surprise when we saw they provide fishing chair for us, so we can sit there while waiting for food and when we ate our lunch. If you think you can only eat simple and instant food on the mountain, not with our porter man hahha, they cook delicious and a bit fancy food for us. The lunch are rice, fried chicken, egg, vegetables and crackers, and also fruits, pineapple.

our comfortable chair

we have guest here haha

After lunch we continue our trekking to pos 3 and pos 4. Pos 4 got funny name “Bukit Penyesalan” in English “Hill of Regret” they name it like that because it’s the hardest part between pos 4 to Pelawangan. It’s all uphill track, with some flat area, they said it was 9 hill, but I don’t count it. I just feel it’s all uphill hahaha. Many people feel regret when they pass this part, it’s tough but it’s already far if they want to give up. So my suggestion when you in this part, just remember climb the mountain is just like life, or maybe life just like climb the mountain, if you are in tough situation just keep going, focus on your goal, you almost there, hard time will pass. I keep that on my mind and it works.

our smile before we face the hill of regret

Me and Yosef got to Sembalun crater rim around 15:45, Friska and Matthew around 16:30 and Sheran and Enico arounf 17:00. See? It’s just about right to my prediction, 12 hour, around 11 hour we all arrived to our camp in Sembalun crater rim. This is the place where everyone is camping, to get to the summit or maybe track downhill to get to the Segara Anak Lake.

our choco banana fried rice

We rest, eat our snacks, drink our tea or coffee. This time the snack is choco fried banana, it’s so delicious hehe. After that, we take a lot of pictures, it’s very beautiful view when the sun goes down.

And then we rest again, around 8pm we eat our dinner and then continue sleep. We sleep early because we want to prepare ourselves for summit the next day.

If we see the route picture again, it written 3 hours to get to the summit from Pelawangan, but again we have to double it. So we wake up at 00:00 the next day, get ready and leave the camp at 01:30. Only five of us, Friska decided not to go to summit because she got problem with her shoes.

All I remember to get to the summit is tough, the toughest part of all the journey. Half way we all five stick together with our guide, after that we separate me, Yosephand Matther walk first. Enico and Sheran walk behind us with the guide.

sunrise on the track

my buddy to the summit

Our hope is that we can see the sunrise from the summit, but it never happen hahaha. I’m the weakest, so Matther walk first, I walk with Yoseph. In the sunrise time around 06:30 we still on the track, we take some pictures and continue to walk again.

I tell you what, it’s really really tough, the wind are so strong even I wear 4 layer I still feel freezing. When the wind blowing hard I have to stop because I feel like the wind will carried me away if I move hahaha. The track was so steep and sandy mix with gravel, I feel my foot very heavy to keep walking.

I was very tired, sleepy, stomachache, want to poo, everything all at once when you are exhausted. It’s been a long time I never feel such a feeling, very tired. When I was in that situation my mind think “what I’m doing here? This is so much pain”, “this is will be my last time climb a mountain”, “I wonder how it feels climb Mount Everest, I would probably die if I was there in my condition like this” hahaha, If I remember I just smiling how my mind can think such a thing when I was exhausted. 

Even when Yoseph keep encourage me “come on Linda, keep walking” I was like “I don’t want! I want to rest! I’m tired!” hahahaa so sorry man.

And it getting worse when I saw some people just give up and just sit or sleep behind the rock, it really make me want to give up. We keep walking, the sun comes up, and the shine make me feel warm but if the wind blow it’s still freezing. And when all the people who got there on sunrise and then they start coming down, OMG it worst, when all the dust they made from walking just coming to my face. I really want to cry, it will hard I know but I want to get to the summit.

Finally at 8 am I got to the summit, yeaaahhhhhhh. I’m so happyyyy.

When I got to the summit, I just sat there, my leg feel so much pain, I’m exhausted.

yeaaaah summit, I'm too lazy to stand

After resting for awhile I got back my energy to stand up and taking a lot of pictures, and you know what, all the bad feelings sleepy, stomachache, want to poo, all gone hahaha. 

Matthew already there for an hour, he waiting for us.

The view was amazing and it’s clear, no clouds, very beautiful view.

this is the hardest part to climb

After about an hour on the summit, at 9am we start walking down back to Pelawangan. On our way, we met Sheran and our Guide, Bang Locker. They were just before the last steepest slope before the summit, but they decided to walk back to Pelawangan no to reach the summit. Thank God I met the guide, so I gave my two layer of clothes and jacket to him.

Walking down with sandy track is easier for me, hehe. I met so many monkey, I was afraid at the beginning, but they okay lah, the monkey won’t hurt us. If you afraid, you can just throw them with sand, they will run away from you.

Matthew and Yoseph already go first, Sheran and Bang Locker behid me, so I walk alone. And then funny thing happen, I just follow one person in front of me, and then he lead me to the wrong way hahaha. He shout “wrong way miss” haha, thanks God it’s not far, I just move to the next ridge on my left and I safe and get to Pelawangan at 12 midday.

When I get to the camp, porter already provide us pudding, I eat the snack and after that having lunch with all the team.

At the beginning we all confuse, are we continue our trip to the Lake or continue tomorrow early morning because many of us very tired. But we decided to take an hour nap, maybe we can call it power nap haha, because after that we decide to continue our trip to Lake, so the target was camp on the Segara Anak Lake.

So we pack our thing and start walk down at 15:00, we know it already late that we have to walk at night, so we prepare our headlamp on our backpack.

At the track was amazing, it rocks and it steep hahaha. It feel like we do walk climbing.

Friska, Matthew and Yoseph walk in the front, me and Sheran in the middle, Enico and Bang Locker behind because Enico got injured on his knees.

When it start getting dark, we already finish the steep rocky track. I and Sheran keep walking, we pass the pine and bridges, the only thing I remember when the guide explain to me about the track, so I was sure that we took a right way. And then funny thing happen again, imagine, dark night, two girls, never been there just walking and hope they take a right way to take them to the Lake. So we reached the intersection, right is down and left is up, we just thinking that Lake is on low area, so we take the right track. I walk first, Sheran walk behind me, the more we walk the more we are suspicious because the bush is getting taller, and it looks like the path is never passed. Sheran keep warn me to be very careful if there any cliff ahead. Maybe around fifteen or twenty minutes’ walk we decided to back to the intersection, there’s no way it was a track. I feel a bit scared that time, we got lost! Sheran said “at least we are together, not alone” yeah that’s true. So we walk back to the way we came, and then we saw two flashlight, we’re so happy at least there’s other people there hahaha. I shout “Paaaaaaaaaaaaaaaakkk”(“siiiiiiirrrr”) and then they panic and warn us “stop miss, you take a wrong way, it cliff ahead! Come back come back!” thank God we already on our way back to the intersection. When I saw it was our two porter, I feel very very happy, I feel like they are our savior, you know the feeling when you feel safe because of someone else hahaha. God is Good, I was pray hard when I know we got lost, and then he send us two porter at the right time to found us.

The two porter gave us water and snacks, and then they ask us to waiting because they want to get to Enico and the guide to help them. We wait about half an hour, we just lay down on the track adore how beautiful the sky was, so many stars and then we saw shooting star  hahahaha.

And then they coming, one of the porter carry Enico on his back, I was surprise, how strong the porter!

And then we continue again and then finally got to the camp at 21:30, yeaaahhhh!

I remember my leg was hurt like hell, total 17 hour on track, crazy hahaha. But still after I eat dinner, I can sleep like a baby.

Day 3, I woke up around 7:30 and then eat our pancakes for breakfast.

After breakfast, five of us except Enico walk to the Hot Spring water, yes the lake got natural hot spring water.

Walk around 10 minutes, that was amazing, it’s quite and hot water that time very relaxing for us.

Natural Hot spring water :)))

We all so happy just relaxing there may be about 40 minutes and then we walk back to our camp.

We getting ready and then we leave the lake at 10:00am.

FYI, the lake was fresh water and got so many fish hahaha, but we don’t have time to do fishing, maybe next time.

We continue walking, because we walk the same track like yesterday, nothing make us surprise now hahaha. Only the sun feels very hot.

We got to the Pelawangan at 16:30, and the continue walking to Pos 3, we want to camp there.

Remember the “hill of regret” from day 1? Walking down from Pelawangan to the pos 4 it also hard man, at the beginning it was okay, hard but okay I mean. It was steep, most of them sand, dust and rock sometimes. When it starting dark, oh man it’s very hard, we walk very slow. Thank God again there’s a guide and porter who want to walk down to pos 4, we just said “can we walk together with you? It’s hard for us to see the track in the darkness” they are very nice, I follow one porter and Sheran holding hands with another porter to walk to pos 4.

We’re rest on pos 4, we don’t want to continue without our guide or porter, and it’s really hard to see the track.  We just join the group who want to camp there, talk, eat our snack until our savior a.k.a our porter coming again to help Enico just like yesterday, they gave us more snacks and then walk again to pick up Enico.

And then they come and we continue walk to Pos 3, maybe total we rest on post 4 around 1,5 hour. After walk around and hour plus, we got to the pos 3 at 22:15. We eat dinner, talks and then sleep.

Day 4, I woke up maybe around 8 and eat fried rice for breakfast.

And then we getting ready and leave around 10:00.

We walk very slowly, it just like we don’t want to leave Rinjani hehe.

The savanna was very beautiful, we stop many times to take pictures.

Around 12 we stop for our last lunch at the mountain, there’s so many horses coming to us because we sat near water. But don’t worry they are very nice.

horse

horse again

After lunch we continue and got to mas Denny’s house at 14:15

And our Rinjani trip was finally done, yeaaaah!!!

Thank you so much to all my buddies on this trip, I was never imagine having mountain trip with new friends will be this fun, I’m so happy. I hope we can go somewhere else again together.

Thank you to our guide and all the porter, you guys very nice, I hope I will see you all again on my next Rinjani trip.

full team :)

cheeeerrrsss

Last but not least, I want to write down some suggestion for you who want to come to Rinjani or maybe as a reminder for me if I come here again someday :) ,

1. Use local guide and porter, they are very helpful and multitasking. Fyi, porter bring your stuff and cook for you, hold your hand if you tired, take care of you if you got injured(massage, even carry you), wait for you when you walk very slowly, cheer you up when you want to give up. I love local guide and porter so much.
2. Trained yourself before hiking, even you have porter bring your stuff, you still have to train your body. The most important thing is your thigh and leg, because that parts are the part you use most of the time to walk, climb and everything. Yes you can still do it without any training, but you might got injured, got tired quickly and the worst part from my experience is when you back to the city, OMG the pain after hiking will last longer, maybe four days. So training yourself before climbing the mountain is important, because it will make your journey more enjoyable.
3. Don't bring too much stuff, especially clothes. Just prepare one set for tracking, one set for sleep and one set for backup. You don't have to change clothes everyday, don't be afraid to get stinky. Use dry fit clothes for tracking, it won't make you smelly hehe. Because remember maximum load for one porter is 20 kg, so keep everything simple, you'll make porter's life easier.
4. Bring crucial stuff, for Rinjani Mountain you need Tracking Pole to help you walk on the sandy, rocky, dusty area. Mask to cover your mouth and nose when you walk on the sandy and dusty area. Gaiter to prevent dust and sand from getting into your shoes. Wind breaker to protect your body from strong wind, especially when you get to summit brrrrr the wind very strong. Headlamp and back up batteries, this is so important because you will never know if you will get to the camp before dark or not, and make sure your headlamp is made for outdoor activity(hiking).
5. Keep Hydrated, drink enough water and keep your lip balm with you haha. If you go in the dry season, the sun so hot and will hurt your lips if you don't use lip balm hehe.

Thank you for everyone who read this post until the end haha, love you hahahahaha.

xoxo,
lindoyy