After a long and intense day of hiking on mt. Sumbing and only five hours of sleep, it was time for the second round. Based on the upload of this story, it might seem the first hike happened one week ago. In reality we hiked the second mountain the very next day. We get up at 4.30am and make ourselves ready to climb its twin brother, called mount Sindoro. Sindoro is a little over 3100 meter high, making it a bit shorter than mt. Sumbing. We are told it’s an easier and more gradual hike through large fields of tea plantations. We expect to be back in the early afternoon.

At first Ayu was doubting to go on this second hike because she wasn’t sure if she could do it again after such an intense day. I am glad she decided to come along after all, I do not want to do this without her. She was sold on the promise we would have beautiful scenery on the tea plantations and given the fact the hike would be little less strenuous. We arrived at the basecamp of Sindoro and we enjoyed the beautiful sight of the sun rising above the horizon. We have a quick, simple but full breakfast from a lady that was selling rice and Tempe on the street.

We saved a bit of time in the morning by jumping on the back of a bike that brought us from the basecamp to the first post of the hike. Not only do we save time, but it is also a gorgeous and very fun (and bumpy!) ride. The driver takes us through the village, then through beautiful different kinds of plantations with mt. Sindoro in the background. The bumpy coble stone path turns into a small dirt path but the bike doesn’t stop just yet. For another five minutes we follow this dirt path through the woods. This path is not bumpy… it is a true rollercoaster. It is a rough path but exciting! I wish I had brought my GoPro, but fortunately I was able to do a little bit of recording with my phone, see video below.

It is only 6.30 am when we start the hike. The sun is up and we are full of energy for a second hike. It feels good to be up so early and start the day in the fresh and crips mountain air. Just before 7 am we reach the second post and 1,5 hour later we touch base with the third post. We are on fire today; it is a good and steady pace and if we keep this up, we will be back down in no time. There might even be extra time to visit and enjoy a nearby hot spring in the afternoon. The only thing we are wondering about, is where the tea plantations and the beautiful views are? So far, the hike has taken us through the woods and the only view we have is on trees up close. There are no clear views whatsoever. Moreover, it wasn’t exactly an easy hike either. So far it is rather steep and very rocky. Only now, Opik, our guide, explains that the route we are taking is not the easier path with the nice views. This is the longer and more challenging route because Opik assumed that we wanted to have a more challenging climb. Maybe under different circumstances I would have wanted a more challenging hike but not today, especially given the events that happened yesterday, where Ayu was struggling to climb up and down under very challenging circumstances. Besides our guide misjudged the total time of the hike and we finished when it was already dark.

I was under the impression we made it clear that we wanted the easier route, and that we also wanted to be back down early in the afternoon. It would have been helpful if the guide had given us better information and clearer options BEFORE the start of the hike and not during. Instead, he assumed this is what we wanted. Turning back is not an option and the only way is forward. At the third post we had a short break with some “nice” (instant) cappuccino and some food. The hike from the third until the fourth post will be the most difficult part. Despite the setback and demotivating news, we still manage to make the best of it, after all we are here to achieve another great climb and that is exactly what we will do.

As we make our way to the up, we see quite a lot people and small groups coming down from the top. They have already been at the top to enjoy the sunrise; that must have been a wonderful sight! We seem to be the only ones going up at this time of the day and we still have a few hours to go. One of the guides, coming down from the top, tells us that mountain rangers will not allow anybody at the top anymore after 10 am, perhaps for safety reasons and the Sulfur gasses coming out of the volcano. The actual reason was not very clear. But this is about the day before, today might be different. We will not make it before 10, but we are going to try anyway, hoping it will still be safe to visit the summit. We are so close and it is worth to try. We make several short stops along the way for a well-deserved coffee break and a second breakfast for energy. The last few hundred meters are the toughest, it is steep with a lot of loose gravel. It is almost noon and the sun is now scorching hot and there aren’t any shades to hide in. We can see and smell the strong sulfur gasses. The closer we got to the summit, it looked like it was eluding us and the is path never ending. Climb such volcanoes is as much as a mental challenge as it is a physical challenge.

We are thrilled when we finally make it. It took us about six hours to reach the top, but all our hard work and tiring out our legs finally paid off. The views are pretty amazing, and the coolest thing is to look down into the crater, where it shows some activity. The Sulfur gasses and smoke, coming out of the volcano, are very noticeable, even quite strong, but still bearable. The wind is in our favor and blows the smoke away from us. We are able to spend a decent amount of time on the summit to enjoy the beauty of nature. We made a whole bunch of photos and videos as we walk around the crater (see video compilation below). It is cool to see the boiling hot water and the Sulphur smoking pots from within. There are signs of people that actually have been inside the crater. Opik tells us that this used to be a campground (at the time when there was no volcano activity at all), but today it is no longer allowed to camp here at the top. It is simply too dangerous and toxic to stay for a longer period of time.

At 12.45 we start to hike back down. We agreed to take a different route down. The one that is a bit shorter and easier. We are hoping for a bit more ease and better scenery during the hike. The only problem is that our driver is still waiting on starting point, as he is unaware that we changed our plans. I suggested to take a taxi once we are down. Despite needing to pay extra cost for the taxi, we just really wanted to take another route down. Making it a bit easier on ourselves, or at least for as much as we can when walking down from a tall mountain. I am still confident we will be back down well on time, but when we noticed it takes us one and a half hour to reach post 4, at an altitude of 2700 meters, we are not so sure anymore. Ayu is feeling a lot the pain in her knees and her headache is back, we need to slow down quite significantly. I re-assured her that it is OK to take her time and that we shall not rush, even if it means we will finish in the dark one more time. I want us to make it back down safely without injuries or accidents.

It is 15.30, time keeps ticking slow but steady and we still have a long way to go. Ayu is getting demotivated by the pain in her knees and because it is taking us such a long time. I can see in her eyes that she is doubtful she could keep doing this. But stopping is simply not an option, so it is time for a different strategy. I discussed with Opik that he will carry my bag, and I will help Ayu going doing. At every high step (and there were many), I would literally lift up Ayu and put her down again. This is a big relieve on her knees and legs. I still had plenty of energy left to do this and the pain in her legs was going down. Ayu starts to feel better and we turned it into something fun. It is a great way to connect and strengthen our bond. On parts of the road that where not so steep, I would even carry Ayu on my back. This is a great workout for me and it improved our speed a lot. After about an hour, Opik and I switched forces, I carry the bags and Ayu hopped on the back of Opik.

I was impressed by the speed and strength of Opik with Ayu on his back. Although the path is sometimes steep and slippery at certain parts, Opik never slowed down and had excellent grip with his simple sneakers. I am able to keep up with him, but not with great ease. Just before sunset we finally reach the tea plantations that we talked about earlier. We are almost at our destination point. We manage to make a few beautiful and funny photos at the tea plantations. Ayu hopped on the back of Opik again and thirty minutes later we finally reached the end of the track.

It is six pm and it is dark. Opik had arranged a taxi for us to bring us back to the starting point. Thank God the taxi is already waiting for us. Forty minutes later we are back at basecamp. It is a bit of an expensive taxi ride, but that didn’t matter to us anymore. We are happy and relieved to be back. It is safe to say the hike we did yesterday on Sumbing is much more beautiful regarding the views and scenery. But for Sindoro it was really cool to be able to look down into the crater. It is a completely different experience.

Despite the fact that the guide failed on a few preparations’ points; did not provide adequate food as promised; greatly misjudged the times of the hike, it was still a wonderful and unique experience. An experience I would not have want to missed and Ayu shares this feeling. The views are amazing and looking back on this trip it is very rewarding and memorable. The absolute best part of the hike is that I did not have to do this by myself (as I have done already many times on different tracks), but I was able to share this experience with Ayu!

Once again, I will close this story with a short video compilation of the trip. Enjoy! (turn on HD!)

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