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Day 3: Plawangan II Base Camp - Summit - Danau Segara Anak |
| 0215 | We woke up at about 0215. The night was cold and although I woke up several time, I managed to catch some sleep. I packed my daypack before going to sleep, so I was ready to go once taken our breakfast. I forgot to bring my gloves and balaclava, and Fiona was kind enough to lend me her extra pair of gloves and scarf. We left the camp at about 0315 after waiting for the girls to get ready. |
| 0315 | Right after the camp was the slope up to the crater rim. The trail was tougher then yesterday as it was steeper and covered with loose volcanic soil. Fiona started to grumble along the way. We were happy when we reached the rim, but the mood was somewhat dampen when Macih told us the toughest part was yet to come. Under the moon light we could see the summit, and it seemed so far away. The weather started ok but soon turned cold when the wind started blowing. I wasn't wearing gloves initially and part of my fingers on my right hand had gotten some minor frost bite. I tried keeping my ears warm by wrapping my head with the scarf. |
| 0600 |
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| 0645 |
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| 0800 |
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| 1015 |
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| 1300 | We departed the base camp and headed down for the lake. I couldn't wait to go down as my whole body was covered with dust from the summit trail and was dying for a shower. The tail leading down was steep and rocky, and according to Macih it would take about 4 hours to reach our destination. On the way down, Fiona was having trouble with her knees and we moved slowly. At 1540 we were about 30 minutes from the destination, we stopped and rested for about half an hour while waiting for Lahu and Said to collect firewoods, as Macih said it is not allowed to collect firewoods around the campsite. |
| 1610 |
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Fiona couldn't get use to the loose screes and we were moving at a slow pace.
At about 0600 we saw the first light of daybreak and realized we would not
make it to the summit for sunrise. We decided instead to watch the sunrise
along the way, and Macih asked me to move ahead while he waited for the
girls. On the way up, I stopped and took some pictures of the sunrise.
The last and toughest part of the trail was finally in sight. Not far ahead
I saw the British couple we met yesterday, but I couldn't recognize them
until much later. And the trail was really tough, the loose gravels were
quite deep, and I kept sinking and sliding down while struggling to go up.
It was extremely frustrating. The girls were doing much better with Macih
leading the way and making the steps, and soon Venetia overtook me while I
was resting at the side.
On the way up we met many other trekkers who came back from the summit and
were running their way down, leaving a trail of dust along their way. When
the loose scree trail finally came to an end, Venetia was slightly ahead
of me while Fiona was at the back with Macih.
Venetia and I reached the summit (3726m). We rested and took some oranges,
biscuits and chocolates to regain some energy before started taking pictures
at the summit. The sky was clear and we were able to see the entire crater,
Gunung Baru and most part of the lake. We left the summit at about 0840.
At 0945 we were at the part of the rim with the slope leading down to the
base camp. Here we stopped to have a final look at the summit and took some
pictures which we didn't have a chance to take this morning when it was dark.
We were backed at the base camp. All four of us including Macih were extremely
tired and we took some rest inside the tents while Lahublair and Said prepared
our breakfast and lunch. We were visited by a group of grey monkeys when we
had our meals.
The campsite at Danau Segara Anak ("Child of the Sea" lake, 2000m) is just
beside the crater lake. The British couple already set up their tents here.
We dumped our backpacks beside the hut and went to the hotspring which is
about 5 minutes walk from the campsite. There were a lot of locals camping
beside the lake and the hotspring. Macih brought us to a lower pool beside
a hotspring waterfall that is further away from the crowd, and he and I
proceeded to wash up while the girls decided to do it the next morning.
Copyright © David Wong. All rights reserved. No part of this publication can be reproduced without prior permission from the author. To email me, remove the "_spamaway" from the following address: kalohimal_spamaway@yahoo.com.sg