I hate to break the news to you like this, of my addiction, if you hadn't known. I didn't mean to keep it a secret. Didn't know I had one.
Yesterday I was as high as I've been my entire life and I don't regret it. I am not ashamed. High; 3805 meters to be exact.
And I hadn't even really considered taking my third hit (you'll remember Mt. Ijen and Mt. Bromo) if it wasn't for my sandman Steve. Steve, whose climbed more than 600 mountains including Everest, arrived a day behind Chris and I as we began preparations to challenge Mt. Kerinci.
There were two big factors which added to my deep sense of accomplishment after the trek: the hike itself and the weather.
The Hike: not difficult yet not easy. Steady at first, thick forest, mosquitos, sloppy patches of mud that made my boot stick to the bottom of the forested ground like fresh glue. As the day moved on, the higher we got. Position one, position two, three; we were making excellent time up this mountain. Often there were large steps along the, what is essentially a traveled creek, path where we had to climb up portions as tall as our own bodies in one step. These were the more grueling steps, made no easier by the rain and the cold.
The Weather: Wet and cold. Normally, the rain here is tolerable because its so humid and warm all over. It's raining? No problem. But when you're climbing the tallest mountain on an island the size of California, rain gets cold. Cold cold. It actually helped that we were climbing and moving about. Which is to say that we practically froze when time came to set up camp. Even in a fresh pair of dry clean clothes, you get cold. To make you feel a little bad for me, I'll tell you that I couldn't fit my sleeping mat into my hiking pack so I, stupidly, slept on the hard wet ground. I'm still hoping my -18° goose down sleeping bag stayed dry that night enough as to not need replacing.
So there you have it. For the morning of May 1st, I was not only the highest I've been in my life, the three of us were - because we were alone atop the summit - the highest people on the entire island. That's right, Mt. Kerinci is the tallest point here, second tallest in the nation. 3805 meters; I'm hooked. And like other things, you just want a bigger and longer high next time. Therefore I won't climb again, I've been joking (seriously), unless the summit is at least 3806 m.
Enough said, enjoy these pictures.
Love,
-A
Ps. Steve and I rode atop of a white Mitsubishi truck hauling potatoes back into town.
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