I'm glad I'm writing this a couple days after I got back when I've calmed down a little bit, because I've been really excited about this trip. Gede is definitely the most exotic hike I've ever done. It has almost 6000 feet of vertical, passing through several climate zones. Ever since Gito showed me some pictures of the last time he was up here, I've been on a mission to get this trip done. About 6 in the morning, Gito, Sisi, Andrea and I met at CCROM to head out. Gito and I had rented the gear we needed the night before so it was waiting for us in the office. We climbed into one of these Angkot minibus thingys that was supposed to take us over puncak pass to where we would begin the hike. I thought it was a bit crowded with 8 or so people, but we squeezed in. I will never call 8 people in a minivan a "squeeze" ever again. The driver added another 9 people to that for a grand total of 17 people in this minibus/minivan. Terrible. Here is andrea sticking her thumb up from the scrum. The guy wanted to tie my bag to the roof with some suspicious looking rope, but I nixed that.
Upon arriving at the park, we couldn't get our permit because all of the employees of the building were out in front doing some kind of aerobic exercise with the base pumping on the tunes. So we hung around for an hour or so and waited for them to finish. After that, we had to fill out a couple of hours of paper work and us being foreigners and all seemed to cause a hullabaloo. The park was full, then it wasn't, then we needed a guide because we are foreigners, then we had to show our passports and write down every single thing we had with us down to the granola bar. By 11am or so we finally got a move on with our guide who only packed a fanny pack of food, a shell and a thin sleeping bag. He doesn't sweat and seemed to run on cigarette smoke. Could be a prototype model for the T-1000.
The sun was beginning to get lower in the sky so we figured we had better get moving on a summit push. But it was hard to leave the meadow even though the wind was coming up and it was getting cooler. A number of people were camping in sheltered areas here.
With light fading and racing to reach the summit before sunset, I forged ahead to catch the end of the show. I got there just in time to see the latter part of a wonderful sunset with a cloud capped Pangrango in the foreground. I was situated on a narrow rim of the crater with the wind howling over the edge. Every few minutes I heard a zzzzzzzzzziiiioooooo over my head that sounded like toy rocket. After a few of these, I realized they were bats riding the air currents and zipping at what seemed like a few feet overhead at maybe 40mph.
When everyone had arrived we set up camp. It was kind of a strange site with quite a bit of trash and a fallen radio tower about forehead high hanging across the site but we managed to get 2 tents up and light up some paraffin bricks to cook dinner. By this time I had my sweatshirt on as it was getting quite cold. Our guide was freezing. By morning he was shivering hard. I thought I would have no problems until I went outside to relieve myself before bed. It was COLD. I guess it frequently gets down into the low 40's at night at this elevation and I came back in with quite the chill. I quickly put on my rain coat and crawled into my sleeping bag. I think this sleeping bag would be good for temperatures around 70 degrees not 40. It was extremely thin and was sized for someone around 5'6". Thus began a tough, cold night on a wafer thin sleeping pad. I eventually got to sleep but not before hearing some animals rustling around. I have never zipped my bag up to the top, used the hoodie and slept in every piece of clothing I had, and I was still cold. I think that is both a testament to how adjusted I have become to the hot weather and to how cold it can get at elevation.
Upon waking up in the morning I heard the familiar call of "Nasi Uduk". Somewhat puzzled about who could be selling seasoned rice at 9000 feet, I asked Gito and he said some guy had hiked all the way up last night, cooked some rice and was now trying to sell it to the 25 or so campsites set up around the summit. Surreal. He was selling rice for 50 cents. These rice sellers will go to any lengths to sell you a palm leaf wrapped bundle of rice including hiking all night.
The locals weren't worried about too much, mostly milling about this sleeply little mountain town. The primary business in town appeared to be flower growing for sale, so the place was quite pretty.
This was the trailhead, we took an angkot to get up here, which thankfully cut off 1000 vertical feet or we would have been well over 6k vert on the day.
Here is me, being pretty stoked and ready to get moving. I'm currently unfazed by the heat, but that wouldn't last. The good thing about hiking in tropical countries is that you are exhausted by the heat at the bottom, but as you get higher, I just felt stronger and stronger as the air got colder. Its like a shot in the arm.
These guys will drive their motorcycles ANYWHERE. Hiking trail to pick up a bag of rice? No problem.
We continued walking through beautiful terraced fields as Gede rounded into view.
The trip really started off well as the fields were incredibly lush and full. Children were running around the paths and adults were in the fields weeding. We got a lot of waves as we went past.
Couple of women working the terrace.
The fields were quite extensive up here and with a steady source of irrigation water off the mountain, probably quite productive too. The scenery was breathtaking.
A little higher it started to get steeper and patches of jungle started to appear. This cliff here is completely obscured by vine and tree growth.
A couple women were working way up on the high terraces. As usual a wave and a smile got a pose for the camera.
Exiting the fields here and entering the forest. So far the trip was just stunning and we hadn't even really gotten anywhere yet. Gito smirking in the foreground.
The trail was easy to follow, but heavily eroded. The soil is deep, rich and soft so anywhere without vegetation erodes quickly. The landscape on java is extremely active, changing constantly with the heavy rains, volcanic activity and winds.
I sure was glad I brought the tank top at this point.
Our guide is beside the tree for scale. Some of the trees were quite impressive and the growth was thick, although no thicker than a sugarloaf spruce thicket.
We kept leapfrogging these guys for most of the day. They were heading to camp at a similar area. I snapped a few pics with them while waiting for the rest of the crew.
We continued uphill in this jungle terrain for a number of hours. They have 5 checkpoints set up, usually with some stone to sit on and a roof to wait out a t-storm under. Those were good places for snacks. Eventually the trees started to get smaller and the weather started to get cooler. This is a pic of the higher elevation forest before I break out. Thankfully this part was flat as we had just finished about 2-3 hours of steep uphill.
Our first chance at a view since the farm. These flowers are called Edelweiss and were scattered all over the alpine meadow. This is probably about 8000 feet.
At the edge of the meadow where it drops into the abyss, the view was amazing. We were above the clouds and neighboring peaks dotted the landscape.
The mountain is massive with huge steeply walled ridges extending in many directions. It looks and feels like the active volcano it is.
Gito in the distance grabbing some pics.
By this time the Indonesians had broken out the hats, gloves and parkers. I was having none of it. It was a perfect summer day. Warm in the sun and a little cool in the shade. By this time I was fired up by both the scenery and the temperature.
The meadow extended around the summit cone out of view on the right. Neighboring peaks are on the left.
Here is me, being pretty stoked and ready to get moving. I'm currently unfazed by the heat, but that wouldn't last. The good thing about hiking in tropical countries is that you are exhausted by the heat at the bottom, but as you get higher, I just felt stronger and stronger as the air got colder. Its like a shot in the arm.
These guys will drive their motorcycles ANYWHERE. Hiking trail to pick up a bag of rice? No problem.
We continued walking through beautiful terraced fields as Gede rounded into view.
The trip really started off well as the fields were incredibly lush and full. Children were running around the paths and adults were in the fields weeding. We got a lot of waves as we went past.
Couple of women working the terrace.
The fields were quite extensive up here and with a steady source of irrigation water off the mountain, probably quite productive too. The scenery was breathtaking.
A little higher it started to get steeper and patches of jungle started to appear. This cliff here is completely obscured by vine and tree growth.
A couple women were working way up on the high terraces. As usual a wave and a smile got a pose for the camera.
Exiting the fields here and entering the forest. So far the trip was just stunning and we hadn't even really gotten anywhere yet. Gito smirking in the foreground.
The trail was easy to follow, but heavily eroded. The soil is deep, rich and soft so anywhere without vegetation erodes quickly. The landscape on java is extremely active, changing constantly with the heavy rains, volcanic activity and winds.
I sure was glad I brought the tank top at this point.
Our guide is beside the tree for scale. Some of the trees were quite impressive and the growth was thick, although no thicker than a sugarloaf spruce thicket.
We kept leapfrogging these guys for most of the day. They were heading to camp at a similar area. I snapped a few pics with them while waiting for the rest of the crew.
We continued uphill in this jungle terrain for a number of hours. They have 5 checkpoints set up, usually with some stone to sit on and a roof to wait out a t-storm under. Those were good places for snacks. Eventually the trees started to get smaller and the weather started to get cooler. This is a pic of the higher elevation forest before I break out. Thankfully this part was flat as we had just finished about 2-3 hours of steep uphill.
Our first chance at a view since the farm. These flowers are called Edelweiss and were scattered all over the alpine meadow. This is probably about 8000 feet.
At the edge of the meadow where it drops into the abyss, the view was amazing. We were above the clouds and neighboring peaks dotted the landscape.
The mountain is massive with huge steeply walled ridges extending in many directions. It looks and feels like the active volcano it is.
Gito in the distance grabbing some pics.
By this time the Indonesians had broken out the hats, gloves and parkers. I was having none of it. It was a perfect summer day. Warm in the sun and a little cool in the shade. By this time I was fired up by both the scenery and the temperature.
The meadow extended around the summit cone out of view on the right. Neighboring peaks are on the left.
The sun was beginning to get lower in the sky so we figured we had better get moving on a summit push. But it was hard to leave the meadow even though the wind was coming up and it was getting cooler. A number of people were camping in sheltered areas here.
With light fading and racing to reach the summit before sunset, I forged ahead to catch the end of the show. I got there just in time to see the latter part of a wonderful sunset with a cloud capped Pangrango in the foreground. I was situated on a narrow rim of the crater with the wind howling over the edge. Every few minutes I heard a zzzzzzzzzziiiioooooo over my head that sounded like toy rocket. After a few of these, I realized they were bats riding the air currents and zipping at what seemed like a few feet overhead at maybe 40mph.
When everyone had arrived we set up camp. It was kind of a strange site with quite a bit of trash and a fallen radio tower about forehead high hanging across the site but we managed to get 2 tents up and light up some paraffin bricks to cook dinner. By this time I had my sweatshirt on as it was getting quite cold. Our guide was freezing. By morning he was shivering hard. I thought I would have no problems until I went outside to relieve myself before bed. It was COLD. I guess it frequently gets down into the low 40's at night at this elevation and I came back in with quite the chill. I quickly put on my rain coat and crawled into my sleeping bag. I think this sleeping bag would be good for temperatures around 70 degrees not 40. It was extremely thin and was sized for someone around 5'6". Thus began a tough, cold night on a wafer thin sleeping pad. I eventually got to sleep but not before hearing some animals rustling around. I have never zipped my bag up to the top, used the hoodie and slept in every piece of clothing I had, and I was still cold. I think that is both a testament to how adjusted I have become to the hot weather and to how cold it can get at elevation.
Upon waking up in the morning I heard the familiar call of "Nasi Uduk". Somewhat puzzled about who could be selling seasoned rice at 9000 feet, I asked Gito and he said some guy had hiked all the way up last night, cooked some rice and was now trying to sell it to the 25 or so campsites set up around the summit. Surreal. He was selling rice for 50 cents. These rice sellers will go to any lengths to sell you a palm leaf wrapped bundle of rice including hiking all night.The morning view was amazing. The clouds were socked in for sunrise but about 30 min after they cleared out intermittently. This is the wall of the crater.
This is neighboring Pangrango shrouded in fog. You could see the fog rolling over the peak.
A little later the peak had cleared and poked its head up.
The clouds were starting to clear lower now, exposing some of the steam vents on the north wall of the crater. Notice the shockwave berms on the right of the picture from a previous volcanic explosion.
Soon after, almost all the clouds cleared and the moon came out on the horizon. The cliffs on this edge of the crater were huge. The trail down leads along the rim, around the crater in this picture.
Another view of the crater with the larger steam vent visible.
This is taken while hiking from the edge of the crater rim. The town below is at about 1500 feet making this a huge 7500 vertical rise right here. Massive. The meadow below drops off the edge of the mountain.
Up here the trees were pretty stunted from the winds and harsh conditions.
Looking back along the crater rim trail.
Another steam vent was visible from this lookout point. This may have been the hot spring waterfall we saw later, hard to say.
Looking back at the crater and route travelled.
After descending for a little while through the usual elevation cold forest, we entered a dense, steaming tropical jungle. The vegetation was extremely thick here and every time we broke out of the forest, the views were spectacular of all the growth. Vines hanging down everywhere, mist in the distance. Steep walled canyons thick with growth. Tough travelling if not for the trail.
A bit later the air started to get heavier and hotter and we approached a cloud of steam emanating from the forest.
It was like being in a steam room. I couldn't wear my glasses and I just started sweating like crazy as we walked into the cloud. Hot water was pouring out of the rocks to the right of the trail, and just inches to the left of the trail the water was pouring over a huge waterfall. Its not just a waterfall. Its a hot spring waterfall. The hot water had encouraged the growth of all kinds of mucky algae.
This is a view over the falls. It didn't seem dangerous at the time, although maybe it was.
I mostly couldn't see anything from in the steam room, but periodically a gust of wind would come up and clear a bit of a view.
The last falls to traverse.
This is neighboring Pangrango shrouded in fog. You could see the fog rolling over the peak.
A little later the peak had cleared and poked its head up.
The clouds were starting to clear lower now, exposing some of the steam vents on the north wall of the crater. Notice the shockwave berms on the right of the picture from a previous volcanic explosion.
Soon after, almost all the clouds cleared and the moon came out on the horizon. The cliffs on this edge of the crater were huge. The trail down leads along the rim, around the crater in this picture.
Another view of the crater with the larger steam vent visible.
This is taken while hiking from the edge of the crater rim. The town below is at about 1500 feet making this a huge 7500 vertical rise right here. Massive. The meadow below drops off the edge of the mountain.
Up here the trees were pretty stunted from the winds and harsh conditions.
Looking back along the crater rim trail.
Another steam vent was visible from this lookout point. This may have been the hot spring waterfall we saw later, hard to say.
Looking back at the crater and route travelled.
After descending for a little while through the usual elevation cold forest, we entered a dense, steaming tropical jungle. The vegetation was extremely thick here and every time we broke out of the forest, the views were spectacular of all the growth. Vines hanging down everywhere, mist in the distance. Steep walled canyons thick with growth. Tough travelling if not for the trail.
A bit later the air started to get heavier and hotter and we approached a cloud of steam emanating from the forest.
It was like being in a steam room. I couldn't wear my glasses and I just started sweating like crazy as we walked into the cloud. Hot water was pouring out of the rocks to the right of the trail, and just inches to the left of the trail the water was pouring over a huge waterfall. Its not just a waterfall. Its a hot spring waterfall. The hot water had encouraged the growth of all kinds of mucky algae.
This is a view over the falls. It didn't seem dangerous at the time, although maybe it was.
I mostly couldn't see anything from in the steam room, but periodically a gust of wind would come up and clear a bit of a view.
The last falls to traverse.
Hot Spring waterfall video. It wasn't that hot.
It continued like this for awhile, periodically getting nice views. I've never really been IN the jungle, so this was a neat experience. Its cooler than you think. The humidity is high but you are always in the shade and cool running water is everywhere. Quite pleasant as long as you dont exert yourself.
Down towards the bottom there were 4 waterfalls to see. As this is close to the trailhead, it is quite the attraction for people. The waterfalls were great, just pouring off these huge cliffs onto moss covered slopes. Very lush and full.
Another falls. There are no barricades or anything so you can walk right under and behind the falls if you want to. I didn't feel like getting soaked before the ride home.
These are the last 2 falls far back in the canyon. This dude was super stoked to see me there and he really wanted to be in my pic. I was quite popular in this area and I had pictures taken with scores of Indonesians. Several clearly well off youngsters were trying to get me to give them money. Nice try. Punks.
Right before the end, there was this pond that had a deep blue color. Very cool. There were also some monster catfish swimming around too.
Down towards the bottom there were 4 waterfalls to see. As this is close to the trailhead, it is quite the attraction for people. The waterfalls were great, just pouring off these huge cliffs onto moss covered slopes. Very lush and full.
Another falls. There are no barricades or anything so you can walk right under and behind the falls if you want to. I didn't feel like getting soaked before the ride home.
These are the last 2 falls far back in the canyon. This dude was super stoked to see me there and he really wanted to be in my pic. I was quite popular in this area and I had pictures taken with scores of Indonesians. Several clearly well off youngsters were trying to get me to give them money. Nice try. Punks.
Right before the end, there was this pond that had a deep blue color. Very cool. There were also some monster catfish swimming around too.
We were exhausted and a little banged up when we got back but very happy with the trip. Both Gito and Sisi had turned their ankles on the way down. We finished at about 3pm and got back to bogor at about 7:30. The distance was about 35 miles. Yes, you saw that right, 4 hours of traffic to go 35 miles. That is traffic in Puncak. Huddled in the back of an Angkot with a bunch of other people. I'm currently in a traffic jam right now to pick up Daniela. Ah well, traffic. That's Indonesia.
Amazing hike and experience, except for the bat story. :-P
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