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Breathing deeply in the thin air, two days of uphill hiking behind
me, I crested a rise and descended into Mount Rinjani's
six-mile-wide (ten-kilometer-wide) crater towering walls, hot
springs, waterfalls, a turquoise lake, rare waterfowl,
and a perfect volcanic cone.
Famed for its beauty and isolation, Gunung Rinjani Indonesia's
second highest volcano just east of its more famous and developed
neighbor, Bali.
Years have passed since I made the climb, but it remains a great
experience
thanks to a winning stewardship program. When the national park
named for
the volcano came into being in 1997, local communities, businesses,
and park officials joined to form the Rinjani Trek Management Board.
The board linked the trek to the cultures of the Muslim Sasak and
Hindu Balinese, Lombok's two main ethnic groups.
Revenue from tourism and entry fees support conservation, training,
and
management programs. Trekking and information centers educate
tourists and villagers alike. The program also nurtures cultural
shows, village tours,
and repositories of oral history and mountain lore, all of which
promote
local pride and enrich the visitor experience. More than 20
community
cooperatives offer village walks and tours that highlight local
farming
techniques and religious rites, as well as food, crafts, and
postcards for
sale.
Many of the leather-skinned Sasak mountaineer guides have made over
a
hundred ascents. Trained in mountain rescue lighten your pack,
provide companionship, and do the cooking. The classic trek of two
nights and three days aims not for the steep summit, but for
jade-colored Segara Anak (child of the sea), a crescent-shaped lake
amid volcanic debris 2,000 feet (600 meters) below the rim. More
adventurous climbers tackle the summit on the edge of the caldera,
which affords amazing views of the Java Sea.
Local villagers know their economy depends on keeping the mountain
pristine: Communities regularly dispatch cleanup patrols to clear
rubbish, rebuild shelters, and maintain trails.
But the people of Rinjani also know there's more to their mountain
than
profit. Twice a year thousands of Sasak and Balinese pilgrims offer
rice,
fish, and betel nuts to the deities of the lake and mountain. They
regard
the ascent of Rinjani as a spiritual adventure as much as a physical
one.
Rinjani Expedition of 48 Young Trekker from Kranji Secondary School Singapore (06/14/2004)
*****
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