Getting Into Peak of God, Mahameru

It was ten o'clock. Dark. Cold. But there's a lot of noises inside tent. Everybody get prepared. We put water and biscuit into the day-pack  We'll go the journey to the peak of Semeru Mountain, Mahameru.

Me, as the only girl in the group, just only have two choices, to stay at the tent alone with this cold weather and possibility to getting cold, or follow other seven boys to the peak. I choose second choice with all the consequences. I have to get to the peak!!

Thick jacket, windproof jacket, thick sox, shoes, skullcaps, and headlamp became my accessories that night. We eight walking together with three day-pack that carried three liters of water. We promised to walk together around Arcopodo forest. That night, not just eight of us that try to reach Mahameru.

When longweekend coming, many Indonesian that wants to know more about their nature, include Semeru Mountain. So,, the journey through Arcopodo just like carnival. Many people in front and in back of us. The similar between all of us is we walk slowly while arrange our breath so we can get to the peak.

The road is up and up and up between big trees. After around five hours we already past the Arcopodo. In front of usa there's big sand dune color black. We already past the vegetation limit. It's time for us to have the hardest road, climbing the sand dune that always avalanche. I saw many lights. It showed me that so many people try to climb the sand dune. When I lifted my head higher, I saw the star light in the peak. I can't consider where is the star light and where is the headlamp light in the peak. There's so many people.

My friends smiled to me and ask, "Are you ready?". I reinforced my heart and said, "Let's go!". It's time to queue to the peak. Hop. Hop. One by one my feet step. Two steps forward, one step backward. No way back. Hup. Hup. Ah,, I need some rest. I code my friends to take a break. We sit down for a while in the dune that always slide. If we break to long, the cold weather came. So we have to move forward again. Sometimes I need lending hand from my friends, from other climber to. I need to creep to avoid slide. Sometimes I have to stoop to avoid the rocks. Ah, it's very hard. But this is my choice  I'm sure I can do it.

"How far is it?" I asked to my friends with his GPS. "750m more to get to the peak." "Less than a kilometers. Let's go!" "Two steps, take a breathe, and go for another steps." In the middle of my despair my friends always give me support. They just like pom pom boy in the climbing area. Love it.

My energy drained so much. The road still go up and I still saw the peak is far away. The dune always slide. 

"689m more."

Whaaat,,,, so much energy wasted and I just move for 50 meters. Hufft.

"See on your left."

And that's it. I saw beautiful sunrise. The orange color that just came up that morning. The cloud.  The view. Ah God. It's so wonderfull.

"Sit down for a while. We better enjoy this view from here. Then we go up after this."

I got the position. Sit down. Take a breath. No camera. I feel God is really nice.

The sky had the bright color slowly. I saw up,, I have to get to the peak. I crawl slowly again. One,, two,, breath,,. One,, two,, breath. Up and slide and up and slide and up.

God, Why am I here? Should I crawl to always to slide down again and again. I felt so tired.

"Lintang, I wait in the peak." damn, my friend just leave me here. In the dune in the middle of nowhere. What should I do?

There's only one choice, go up. Because I have no courage to get down by myself too. So I up and up and up,, while sometimes I got slide again and again and again. And I got another friends. They are there to help me. Their hands help me to the up. They pull me up and give me more spirit.

"Come on. 2% more to the peak". I got his hand. New friend that I've never met before. Hop.

Here I am. Mahameru. Finally I stepped my feet on Mahameru. The peak of God. Thank God I've made it.

Something special needs extraordinary effort.

*and how I get down? I just follow my friends to just run and slip. And it's fun ;)

@dinilint