Gunung Rinjani

It’s a sacred beast. A monster of a volcano, the second highest in Indonesia, and comprising the beating heart of Lombok. Sacred to the millions of Balinese across the Lombok Strait as the seat of the gods and a beast to anyone aiming for the summit.

At 3726m, the summit is a volcanic rock pyramid marking the highest part of the crater rim left behind when the 6 km high volcano exploded a million years ago. Hiking it is a 52 hour knee grinder if you are quick and the upper elevations a heart stopper for sea level dwellers.

For those who enjoy this sort of thing [you know who you are], below is the hike by the numbers. For those who don’t here is a short summary:

Short summary

Sembalun village, a guide named ‘Full,’ two men in flop flops with bamboo baskets carrying food and tents, 7 relentless hours up through savannah, heavy rain, cold wind, camp on black sand, eat, sleep, 2:30 am wake, contact lenses like glass shards in eyes, dark, still air, black sand and pumice treadmill to the summit, lava flowing in crater, glorious sunrise, Bali to west, shadow of Rinjani on the sea, elation, high fives, rapid plunge step decent, rest, eat, knee buster down to lake called Danau Segara Anak [Child of the Sea], hot sulphurous shower in hotsprings waterfall, rain, grunt up to crater rim, volcano belching ash on tents and food, full rainbow above, spectacular sunset lighting up the mountains, thunderheads over Bali, ‘Happy New Year’ at 8:30 pm and eyes closed, wake, eat, rainforest decent, temperature rising, 2 vertical km down over 8 km, relentless 25% grade, tree roots, weird fungi, park gate, coffee and banana plantation, Senaru village and a chair to sit in.

By the numbers for the hiking nerds

Day 1, 30 Dec 2009
Start: 9 am Sembalun village elevation 1000m
Camp: Crater rim at 2639m
Time: 7:06
Elevation gain: 1639 m
Elevation loss: nil

Day 2, 31 Dec 2009
Start: 3 am [up at 2:30 am - ouch]
Summit: 3726 m
Time: 4:58 [3 up 2 down]
Elevation gain: 1087
Elevation loss: 1087
Hike down to lake in crater: 2:20
Elevation loss: approx 600m
Hike up to crater rim to camp at 2641m: 2:36
Elevation gain: approx 600m
Total time: 9:55
Total elevation gain: 1687 m
Total elevation loss: 1687 m

Day 3, 1 Jan 2010
Start: Crater rim at 2641
Finish: Rinjani Park HQ, Senaru village at 600m elevation at 1 pm
Time: 5:23
Elevation gain: nil
Elevation loss: 2041m

Total trip time 52 hours, total hiking time 22:24
Total trip elevation gain: 3326 m
Total trip elevation loss: 3726 m
Total hours of rain: 5
Temp high: 29C
Temp low: 5C
Number of full rainbows: 1
Number of spewing volcanoes: 1