Steven's Peak-bagging Journey

August 12, 2023

3428m

Java, Indonesia

Gunung Slamet, the second highest peak on Java is a massive volcano that boasts over 3000 m prominence, making it one of the Top 100 in the world by prominence. There are 4 peaks on Java that make into this category and that’s unbelievable for an island that’s not even that huge in size. This peak can be ascended from almost all sides, but the most commonly used route starts from the north-east. The peak is currently active. The NE Route brings hikers directly onto the true summit without the need to traverse around the crater rim. This is important because we would like to minimize the exposure to the toxic sulphuric gases. There weren’t a lot of lodging options near the start of the NE approach but Adam found this FlyingCamp right beside the “base camp”. It was not possible to book through Google but I found the owner (Alfian) on Instagram, which directed me to his WhatsApp.

After a few messages back and forth Alfian decided to give us a call. In addition to the lodging issue we also needed to find a private driver (with a vehicle) for about a week after Gn. Slamet, and it seemed like Alfian was interested in. There was some negotiations and we eventually came to an agreement upon seeing each other on Aug. 11th. Adam and I would pay all of the gas and tolls in addition to a fixed daily fee of 550,000 rupiah (~35 USD). Alfian regularly guides Gn. Slamet so he was able to do the paper work for us. This is a mountain that all foreigners were “supposed” to hire a guide and get a health proof but FlyingCamp’s clients had the privilege to bypass those requirements. We also got our ojeks arranged for 5:30 am in the morning, and the plan was to do this peak in one day. I noticed that Deividas and Dave had spent 6 hours just for the ascent so I anticipated a full day outing. I even planned a rest/travel day afterwards, but in retrospect this was just a standard “short hike” and the rest day was probably not needed after all.

There were some Islamic music playing at 4 am so we both woke up earlier than planned. The music in this area was especially loud, or maybe it’s because the room had no sound insulation. In any case we were fully awake at 5 am and witnessed an incredible pre-dawn horizon through the window. The views made the justification of this early wake-up, at last. The ojeks were on time. The ride to Pos 1 was a little bit harder than I thought. The trails weren’t as technical as Argopuro, but were definitely not on the “easy” side. Dave and Deividas had to stop 200 vertical meters under the Pos on their 2022 trip, but we were able to ride all the way to Pos 1 without a problem. This gave us 200 m advantage over their trip, which we greatly appreciated. From Pos 1 we had 1500 m elevation gain to the summit. The distance isn’t huge, so we anticipated the trail to be steep-as-fuck.

There was actually not much worth documenting about the grunt as all we needed was to put one foot in front of another. The trail was in some great conditions and the grade was honestly not that steep. Most folks opted to camp at Pos 5 as that camp was quite a bit larger than any other camp on this mountain. We did not on purposely trying to set a speed record, but we somehow got into a rhythm and just kept plodding on and on. Only two breaks were needed, one at Pos 3 and the other not far below treeline. Everyone we passed was looking at us weirdly. They probably wondered why the heck did we go so fast, but I wasn’t even trying that hard to go fast. I finally started to push the pace after entering the alpine zone because the loose terrain gave me more excitement. I don’t think the usual Indonesian hikers could do very well on Slamet’s upper slopes as it’s quite steep and loose even by Canadian standard. Adam was glad to be wearing his boots. I felt fine in trail-runners but would honestly prefer to have boots, if that’s an option. I only brought trail runners in this trip so my footwear decision was very straightforward. The true summit was quickly reached after a short traverse across the summit ridge. I made there in 2 hours 24 minutes after leaving the ojeks, and Adam was a few minutes behind. The official congratulation plates and signs are slightly past the true summit.

We did not linger too long up there because there was actually not much to see beside the huge-ass crater. My shoes were a bit too soft for descending the loose volcanic choss but I somehow only made one spill and still was still able to descend in a timely manner. I then dashed down the trail, jogging most of the softer sections. I eventually decided to take a break at one of the lower Pos because the fresh watermelons were too difficult to pass. I anticipated some really expensive prices but they were actually quite cheap. Once slice only costed 3,000 rupiah which is equivalent to 20 cents in USD. I decided that the speed record isn’t important and I’d rather spend 10 minutes there eating watermelons. I eventually got back to the Pos 1 in under 4.5 hours round trip, and Adam was only 3 minutes behind. We then immediately hopped onto the ojeks for the exhilarating ride. Something on the ojek broke and I subsequently took a fall, but I was not hurt. The ojek behind then took me down. This guy drove considerably slower and more carefully, which I liked. We got back to the guesthouse at 10:30 am and that’s too early even for lunch. Alfian couldn’t believe we summitted but Adam showed him the pictures for proof. The three of us spent the afternoon laying out plans for the final phase of this Java trip. Alfian himself is a guide, and knows the local connections.