The mist begins to fall in that late afternoon. It starts to get cold, even though the sun is still shining brightly on the horizon, still an hour or more before sunset, illuminating part of the mountain slope and the peak of Mount Rinjani on the East side of Lake Segara Anak. While his hand chiming a small bell, a pedanda (Hindunese priest) leads the worship rituals and chants prayers. Suddenly, mystical atmosphere is on the air, with the mist falls and the cold wind breezing. I put on my jacket, before continue taking pictures of the worship ceremony, held by the lakeside..
Trekking
It was nearly midnight when we reached Senaru. Tonight we stay at our porter’s home. Suma and his little brother will come with us exploring Mount Rinjani for the next four days. Bale-bale in a Beruga – a traditional gazebo in Lombok people houses – in the front yard is our place to rest tonight. A short break, and should be utilized as well as possible, because in the morning we had to be ready to set off on foot up the hill through the Torean trail path..
The wind blows hard, making a loud noise when it hit the tent wall. The temperature drops to below zero degrees Celsius. We are all safe and warm inside our sleeping bags in the tent. But our thoughts are out there, thinking about our friends who are still out there trekking from Bali Dump heading to the basecamp at an altitude of 4,330m above sea level, where we set up our camp. Walking through Meren Valley (Lembah Danau-danau) and Pintu Angin during the night amid strong winds and low temperatures like this, our physical condition would be easily and quickly dropped. The falling rain would also further hamper their trip and make it more difficult..
Heavy snow restricts us from being able to move freely. Moreover, we must be careful not to step and fall in between sharp stones covered with snow. Slowly, we slip through the gap down the steep ridge. “The lake is in sight ..!”, one of the trip member at the front yells. Yes, that is the Idenburg lake, our destination of this trip. Located at a steep valley on the side slopes of the snow-covered Ngga Pilimsit peak, the beauty of the lake and its surrounding scene made all of our effort trekking down the snowy slopes of Sudirman range since dawn paid off..