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The last place you want to be when a storm rolls in is probably on a mountain. And being out there, at the mercy of nature, not being prepared for whatever’s thrown at you is the last thing you want to do.

Apparently, I am an all-or-nothing kind of person. It’s either we go all in or go home.

So here is yet another adventure-turned-misadventure!

27 October 2016. I decided to celebrate my 22nd birthday by trekking the highest and holiest mountain in Bali – Mt. Agung. 13 hours of a near-death trekking experience (no biggie) to catch the birthday sunrise.

First off, Mt. Agung was, by far, the craziest thing (and most technical hike) I’ve done in my life. And, to be honest, I thought I was gonna nail the hike despite the difficulty but I guess shit happens and things just really don’t always go our way. Looking back, the shit-scared face is all I see. One wrong step could send you to death in just a blink.

Why Mt. Agung

With a handful number of things to do, hiking in Bali remains to be one of the best excursions when visiting Indonesia. Although it presents risks, connecting with nature is still the best one there is and taking a hike up Bali’s highest mountain, Mt. Agung, gives you that opportunity.

Now you could be asking me why not Mt. Batur instead. My answer to that is simple — it’s the HIGHEST mountain and the MOST CHALLENGING trek. So how can someone so hungry for adventure say no to that? Also, Mt. Batur is very touristy.

Plus, women should always go for the best! *pun intended*

Know before you go

By any chance, would I go and hike Mt. Agung again? 80-NO, 20-YES. It really is an arduous task, a serious adventure, not for the faint-hearted, and definitely not recommended for unfit people. In fact, not everyone who hikes up makes it to the summit. Not even 50%! Am I kidding? NO. Says who? Our guide and locals around.

So, to help you make up your mind, here’s a list of things you need to know before you decide to hike Mt. Agung.

• Mt. Agung stands 3142 above sea level.
• Trekking the mountain is FREE and no permits are required. But please don’t hike without a guide! There are guided tours available but I highly suggest taking a local one instead.
• It’s an overnight hike — you are bound to start the hike at 10 PM to reach the peak between 4-6 AM. Descent starts around 7-8 AM.
• Best time to go: April to September
• Make sure you’ve slept enough to help you get through a long hike.

The routes

• Short trek: 8h (up and down) in normal speed
• • The peak of Mt. Rinjani in Lombok island can be seen from this point
  • Most popular one
  • Highly recommended for mountain beginners
• The new alternative route to the summit: Starting from Pasar Agung Temple
• • Duration hike: 12h (up and down)
• Via Besakih Temple: The longest trek to the summit
• • Duration hike will take around 14hrs in normal speed (more if you’re unfit)
  • Not recommended for inexperienced hikers

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Our guide was Wayan Darha and he was awesome!

Phone: +62 85 237 008 513

Whatsapp: +62 85 237 008 513

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What to bring

• Camera (you can’t miss the incredible view)
• Solid trekking shoes (not running, please! and solid enough to save you from falling)
• Windproof jacket
• Warm clothes/layered clothing (it gets really freaking cold)
• Drinking water (min. 2 liters)
• Chocolate (endorphins!)
• Gloves (YES!)
• Torch
• A STRONG WILL TO FINISH!!!

The hike

From Besakih Temple

As mentioned above, there are other options but if you aim to experience the real hike and you want to reach the actual summit with flying colors, then this is the route you need to take.

The first 4-5 hours is a steady uphill climb in pitch black. If you are unfit, then expect a much longer time. Everything was just as hard three times. Mostly we were climbing on all fours, without ropes, and struggling not to slide back down. It’s not enough to be physically fit, one has to show serious pure mental strength to keep moving on.

Then the sight of reaching the end of the tree line will show up and you have bigger rocks and giant boulders waiting for you to climb over.

Unfortunately, the storm started to rush in just after we got out of the tree line. This was when I began to freak out. I used to believe it was rather a shower of blessing as it was my birthday, but I was clearly told otherwise by the wind blowing me off.

We couldn’t sight other hikers, it was pretty much empty around. Perhaps we didn’t get the memo, perhaps just bad luck. The situation has become more serious. The fog was getting really thick. It was freezing cold, and my hands were extremely numb that I could barely hold on to the rocks. We stopped, sat down, and waited for the weather to calm down. Ten minutes later, our guide asked us if we still wanted to get to the summit. He suggested saving the summit for the next time as it was extremely dangerous, but I was adamant enough to say “No, let’s do this!” because we were only 20 minutes away from the summit. Although a big part of me felt I made the worst decision of my life.

As we continue our suicidal hike, the wind got stronger and the rain started to pour down. In my mind, “Yes, I’m definitely making the worst decision of my life. No doubt.” (best birthday indeed)

At the time, we had three options:

1. Carry on, almost is never enough, and most likely die
2. Wait for the weather to calm which seemed unlikely to happen
3. Cry for a moment, savor every minute of it, and start the descent

The descent

I thought it would be nice to celebrate more birthdays, so we started the descent.

The way down is arguably harder than the way up. Even harder as you hike down into the tree line. Having no ropes to help you through the steep slopes and slippery sand, prepare to tumble every couple meters. It was definitely more dangerous and technical than ascending.

Most parts of the descent were basically me rolling over, slipping down, taking deep breaths with my game face on, just making an effort not to stumble. My mood suddenly had a 180-degree turn. It was hard, and I couldn’t help but dwell on how disappointed and miserable I was. Shoutout to our guide who looked after me, giving me a hand nearly all through.

Suddenly, it was nice to walk in a flat range again, but the pain started to kick in. The rain did not ease, and as far as I can remember, it was raining all day. We made the right call, I think.

The experience

No regrets.

Sure, it made me feel bad that I didn’t reach the summit, but no matter how much resilience you have in you, you can’t go against Mother Nature. Despite not having the birthday sunrise, the hike was pretty incredible and the landscape was just insane Oh, and I survived the build-up of a storm on a mountain. The cherry on top, hey?

We can’t control certain situations yet we can control the way we react. My birthday was pretty tight but sure was EPIC!