WEEKEND’S ESCAPING TIME : MOUNT PAPANDAYAN

“The first experience is not always sweet, but surely memorable.”

Well, it refers to my mount climbing trip on last September. Mount Papandayan was chosen as it is a ‘friendly’ one to the first timer like us. Besides, it is easy to reach from Jakarta and doesn’t cost much.

The cold night wind stroke our faces as we went out from the bus. It was around 12 a.m on Saturday at that time. Some stalls were still open though the visitors were only in a few. We went there to rest for a while. A glass of warm and sweet tea would be a good starter, we thought.

More climbers arrived. We joined them for renting a vehicle so it was cheaper. We rode a car named Kolbak. It was overloaded with passengers that I couldn’t even move at all after sitting. Then, we switched to a pick up after reaching the gateway. It was a hell of ride on the damaged road in the midst of dark and freezing 2 a.m air. Our pick-up even went backwards twice! Half an hour later we relieved a deep sigh at Camp David, the climbing starting post. We met a lovely couple, kak Fariz and Ayu, and agreed for being a neighbor tent-mate later at the top camp site. The awful ride was soon forgotten after playing guitar and singing with another group near the campfire.

The Crater of Papandayan

We left at dawn after repacking all the stuffs. Not far from the starting point, we stopped by to enjoy the moment when the early light of the sun was rising. The road was rocky and full of pebble but easy to walk. The trip to the crater was supposed to be short, but we spent lots of time to make pictures and leisuring. Later we smelled the sting smell of sulfur and reached the crater. It was releasing the thin smoke when we passed through. Then, we decided to having the breakfast while enjoying the view.

On the way to the crater 

A climber amongst the rocky path beside the crater. Gosh, looking at this, suddenly a thought came by,
"Who are you, to be such an arrogant fool in this big vast world?"
I am reminded how small the human is compared to the universe, His creation.

Just keep walking!

The sulfur smoke from the crater 

The Second Checkpoint

The track to the second post varies from wide to pathway, rocky to sandy, flat, uphill and sometimes steep. The views are more picturesque too and greener than the crater. The wind was chill on that nice day, but we sweat a lot. We stopped several times when the backpack and tent felt heavier than we could handle. We passed a small stream of river and queued at the steep pathway too. Then, we reached the second post and reported for camping at Pondok Saladah.

We continued our trip to the camp and built our first tent with the help of our neighbor tent-mate! It was fun! We were excited like children. Haha. The camp was so crowded at the weekend. Well, I expected quieter surroundings, actually.

A picture before continuing to second post, hehe

Not a kind of my everyday's view while eating breakfast, how nice it is !

Not far after passing the crater, the view started to look more greener.

An uphill pathway 

A sign at the second post. We camped at Pondok Saladah. 

The Death Forest and Tegal Alun

We took a nap after lunch and then left to The Death Forest. The dark, dry and dead trees made  an enchanting scenery when we strolled amongst them. Continuing our climb, there was a big challenge just before Tegal Alun, called Tanjakan Abang. It's a long steep and the most tiring one as far as we went through. Supporting each other with other fellow climbers, we finally made it and Voila! the wide Edelweiss field welcomed us. It was so beautiful that I hardly resist the temptation to pick them. I could say this place marked our final accomplish as we were too tired to see the sunrise the next day.

The death forest 

The death forest 

Tegal Alun Edelweiss Field 

 Edelweiss, Edelweiss
Bless Our Homeland Forever

A fallen edelweiss on the ground.

It was almost dark when we reached our tent at Pondok Salada. The campfires started to be seen all over the place. We cooked and ate together with our new friends beside the campfire. Then, I just laying down inside my sleeping bag, staying silent and listening to the music from my cell phone. There was no signal so it was like being isolated with the outside world for two days, forgetting the hustle and bustle of Jakarta’s crowd. Unfortunately, the camp was busy until morning and it was freaking cold, so I hardly slept.

Our campfire 

Despite the awful ride, harsh temperature, and noisy atmosphere at the camp, it was so fun. We are looking forward to another climb. Hmm, what mount do you think should be next?

Here is the trip details:

• Jakarta to Garut Terminal by Primajasa from Cililitan Terminal ( one way ) = Rp 42.000
• Garut Terminal to Papandayan Gateway using Kolbak ( one way ) = Rp 15.000/ person
• Gateway to Camp David using pick-up ( one way )  = Rp 20.000/person
• First checkpoint is at Camp David
• You have to reconfirm if you are going to camp at the second post
• When you were back, make sure to bring all your own garbage, or you can’t leave the post
• Bring a masker or towel and make it wet if you can’t hold the sting smell of sulfur when passing the crater
• I was surprised I couldn’t find any insect at all so I think the insect repellent might not be a-must-bring-list
• If you prefer the quiet atmosphere at the camp, come on weekdays.

Mount Papandayan , 2665 m

Kecamatan Cisurupan, Kabupaten Garut, West Java

Indonesia