Gunung Agung - June 26th

Gunung Agung is the highest and most sacred of Bali's mountains. Prior to the 1963 eruption, which left over a thousand dead, it stood over 3100 meters tall. The summit is currently estimated to be slightly over 2900 meters. The climb begins at Pura Agung where offerings and payers are given before the ascent. I say ascent as this shouldn't be described as a hike. We didn't use climbing picks, ropes or harnesses, but if we were in North America we probably would have been provided the last two. In order to reach the summit by sunrise we began the climb around midnight. Six hours up and three down with some sandwiches and coffe at the top. Sean, a friend from home who came to Bali to visit and surf, Marco from Milano who wouldn't shut up, Jacqueline, and I began our climb. The beginning was just steps but enough of them to get a burn started in your legs and made you question how you're going to feel after six hours not to mention the thinning air.

While planning the trip back at the homestay, Marco from Milano, asked if he could join us to which we made the error in judgement of agreeing. I made the error, to be honest, but it felt rude saying no and it made the trip cheaper. In any case there were four of us and three guides. The local guide, Made, who does the climb 3-4 times a week. Punk, who is a cycling guide from the outfit we arranged the trip with, and another, who we didn't spend much time with as he stayed with Marco, the slowest of the group.

The first half of the climb was without incident or worry. Strenuous - yes, unnerving - no. Accompanying our trip was the ever present howl of wind above us, moving the trees and making known how high and exposed the mountain was. After a bit, by looking back, you could begin to see the lights of Southern Bali below. Grouped together with nothing but blackness in between, not even roads as you'd expect at home, the towns looked like islands of light surrounded by endless sea. While still physically taxing we were making jokes and learning much from Punk, at 21 years of age, he was soon to be married and was probably used to explaining the culture of Bali to travellers such as ourselves.

Like I said, that was the easy part. Once the halfway point was reached, just shy of the tree line, we stopped for a snack and to put some more layers on. I had only a t-shirt and thin cotton sweater for warmth. I did not come to the tropics expecting to be in 5 degree weather on top of a mountain. The first part of the climb, due to the trees and effort, was such that you didn't need any layers. The second part, exposed on the lava flows from the 1963 eruption, wind blowing at 50 knots or more and now, ascending through the clouds, meant that despite the exertion I was cold. This was where the climb became more vertical, the ground became a companion infront of you rather than beneath you and the wind, a foul tempered trickster, was always attempting to pull you from the rock all the while howling incessantly about you. At one point the guide took us the wrong way. To correct the mistake and we didn't know a mistake had been made till after, we had to scale 10 feet of vertical rockface, not almost vertical but actually vertical. I've done some rock climbing and to be on a vertical face, 10 feet up without rope is not that big of a deal. Yet, when the "ground" beneath the 10 feet of vert is a 50-60 degree slope of ragged lava flow and there are no safety measures, nor even a radio to call for help, there is a real danger there. When we found the correct way again Punk exclaimed, while laying spread eagled on the rock, that he was "so scared".

By 5am we were just shy of the summit but still had an hour till sunrise. Made heard some voices coming from a crevasse and found his brother with a hiker from Germany hiding from the cold and crouched around a small fire. We sat down to join them and wait for the light to continue. The first photo was of this. Sean in the foreground. Jacqueline and the German waiting out the cold and the guides stoically sitting behind, closer to the fire than us. We were promised warm clothes but operations in Bali are fly-by-night affairs and what you read is not what you necessarily get.

Once you reached the top you realize that it is the most dangerous place on the mountain. You have an absolutely vertical drop of 200 feet or more into the crater on one side. On the other there's 20 feet of steeply sloping rock between you and what looks like the end of the earth.

Below is our guide, Made, praying on the edge of the crater.

The opposing side of the crater.

The beginning of the day, Mount Rinjani in Lombok on the horizon.

Yours truly, comfortable yet cold.

Jacqueline, happy regardless of what's beneath or what's not.

The sense of space was breath taking.

Punk on the left and Made on the right, this was after our descent.

The path up and down takes us around the walls of the temple. It was raining a bit by then.

Our offerings from the night before, including one added by Sean on his descent in penance for his cursing of god during the night.

The main entrance to the temple.

While we went down, many faithful went to the temple for a ceremony.

Leaving the homestay at 9:45 pm we didn't get down the mountain till 10:00 am the next day. All of which was completed without sleep. If you try this, take a Gravol or something and get some shuteye before you go. Also, expect to have trouble walking up or down stairs for at least 2 days after. But if you do come to Bali, are fit and not afraid of heights, you would never regret having climbed Gunung Agung.