Above The Clouds: Mount Rinjani

Last April a bunch of friends and I went on a hiking trip to Mount Rinjani in Lombok (Indonesia). We made an effort to train for the big climb by practising a few hikes before the trip.

I’ll be honest though; the journey was a lot more challenging than we had anticipated!

All set, ready to blaze the trail! — A Team: Me, Charlie, John, Eva and Adam.

Our porters went right ahead of us, carrying two baskets on stick filled with food and cooking gear. By the time we arrived at the first pit stop, they had already started cooking lunch... The food was pretty good! — Our porters went right ahead of us, carrying two baskets on stick filled with food and cooking gear. By the time we arrived at the first pit stop, they had already started cooking lunch!

The weather started getting temperamental as we continued to climb our way up to base camp. It rained on and off; good thing we brought our jackets and kept most of our stuff in ziplock bags in our backpack. — The weather started getting temperamental as we climbed our way up to base camp. It rained on and off; good thing we brought our waterproof jackets and kept most of the stuff in our backpacks in ziplock bags.

I found out my Marmot backpack was NOT waterproof so I had to use a plastic bag as a cover; I should’ve bought a rain cover for it. Glad that at least it had a front zipper so I had no problem taking out whatever I needed, even if it was at the bottom of the bag. If you’re thinking about buying a hiking backpack, consider getting one with a front zipper instead of a top-loading bag, it’ll save you a lot of hassle.

Finally made it above the clouds to base camp! Day 1 was by the far the toughest, but we pulled through! — Made it to base camp! Day 1 was by the far the toughest…

A soupy dinner was just what I needed. It was freeeeezing cold that night. — A soupy dinner was just what I needed. Freeeeezing cold that night.

Why it's important to practice your squats. — A good reason to practice squats.

Porters preparing lunch the next day. — Porters packing up on the morning of day two.

Steep decline. — Had to be really careful here as some of the rocks were quite slippery. Those walking sticks helped a lot.

Amazing view from here. Not quite up there yet though. — Amazing view from here. Not quite up near the campsite yet though.

Finally made it up to the crater rim. My legs were about to give away!

We were so glad the clouds cleared up for a little bit for this magnificent view.

The journey down was even harder on the knees.

We definitely pushed our bodies to the limits. Our legs felt like jell-o. Our backpacks got heavier as we had to lug our wet clothes. We were soaked in sweat and rain. Badly needed a shower.