It’s been a month since I returned from Rinjani, and yet the view from the crater rim remains crystal clear in my head. For those not in the know, Rinjani is this popular volcano in Lombok, Indonesia which rises up to 3726m. It is rated similarly to Mount Kinabalu in Sabah in terms of climbing difficulty. I would recommend anyone with a pair of legs they can move to climb this mountain, because the view you get for the price and (lack of) difficulty is unrivalled.
Mount Rinjani, you look scarily huge
It was with this mentality that I sought to summit Rinjani. After returning from my India Technical Mountaineering Course, I was thinking to myself, “Haha, what is 3726 metres? I can probably reach the summit with my eyes closed!” Well, that was partially true. It was then I learnt the hard way that no one ever looks down on a mountain. Technically, the climb is just a trek up a well-worn path, which, although not paved, is obvious enough for people without a map to follow. We reached our campsite at 2700m in good spirits. I was pumped to go, and nearly didn’t catch enough sleep for our summit bid at 2am.
Breathtaking clouds
Enjoying some tea and biscuits after reaching camp
I realized something was wrong when we woke at 2, for the wind was howling and totally unlike a quiet night up in the mountains. Dismissing it as just some phenomenon common to that area, we proceeded with our trek up the summit ridge in the darkness. It was the first time I climbed in the night and realized my eyes were rather useless. The headlamp could only shine a rock distance in front of me and I had to trust my footing with my life. One wrong step and I would be sent rolling down a grave I wouldn’t even have the chance to see.
Ascending in the dark is like walking blindfolded, except you get some handicap at the handicap. I could make out the faint glow of headlamps, but nothing more. My spectacles fogged up every few minutes with water droplets and they were totally useless. We were walking up a ridge which was exposed on both sides to the insane wind. At times I felt it was the mountain saying “Get off me, you’re not wanted here”, because I surely didn’t feel welcome with 5 deg winds blowing in my face.
It was 5am when we reached a site with many rocks, which we quickly scurried behind, to protect ourselves from the wind. The guides told us it was an hour up to the summit, and it would be all loose volcanic soil much worse than what we had done. While the way up wasn’t as tough as I had expected, it was still irritating. For every step you took, you would slide half a step back because the soil was so loose. It was then, sitting down and eating some Khong Guan biscuits, that I realized the summit was near but separated by an impossible distance: the distance of futility.
“There won’t be anything up there to see. It’ll just be the same as here.” “It’ll be dangerous. The path is narrow and visibility is zero because of the clouds.” Just some of the things I heard from the guides as I was busy trying to stay warm. It was here that the summit fever set in. We didn’t summit anything in India due to bad weather, and I was banking on Rinjani for some good views from a peak. I am disappoint
Hiding in the cold
Needless to say, I was very sore about turning back. The sun rose surreptitiously behind the liquid clouds, hiding its warmth for a good one hour after dawn. As I skid down the soft volcanic soil, I couldn’t help but think to myself, “No matter how physically easy a mountain is, Mother Nature will have ways of kicking you off the mountain if you do not respect it.” A third peak missed, but at least I had my life with me.
The hiding rocks, post-sunrise
At the end of the day, it’s all about staying alive. Mountains won’t run away. Being risk-averse and missing summits is just part and parcel of mountaineering. So the next time you are disappointed by anything, remember how things work in this world, and realize that you win some and you lose some. For me, I’m sure no bad weather can affect my summit of Bukit Timah Hill (except if the floods reach up there)…
Some hot water always gets rid of summit fever
