Mt. Batur is 1717 meters high and an active volcano. When I found out I was going to Bali, this was one of the top things I wanted to do! The thought of hiking a volcano is something that terrified me and filled me with excitement all at the same time. I asked the other girls if any of them wanted to hike Mt. Batur with me, and Holly and Betsy were a definite yes! Corianne and Sarah liked the idea, but they were both worried they didn't have the proper footwear. In the end, it was Holly, Betsy and I that woke up at 3AM. to catch the 3:30 car to the base of the volcano. Betsy sat in the front and laid her seat down, Holly slept in the middle row, and I laid down in the back seat. We all slept on the ride to the volcano.
When we reached the volcano, we met our guide and took the last bathroom break. It was just the 4 of us for our little hiking group. It was nice to be able to go at our own pace and not have to wait for a huge group. The trek started out flat going through a small farming village. We passed by tomato plants, peppers and what looked like cabbage fields. It was super dark, so we just had our little flashlights provided by our guide. Our guide must have measured us up and found us worthy of the most difficult path. We noticed a few other flashlights to our far right. We found this was a road that went around the fields. We were taking a direct route through the fields at a rather brisk pace.
I've done a few hikes in my life, and I haven't ever done a hike as direct as this hike. We went front point A to point B in a pretty much straight line. I am used to switch backs and gradual inclines. This was not the case with Mt. Batur! There were many times we were completely out of breath. About half way up the volcano, there was a flat rest area. At this point, our guide was sweating and said we had to rest. Apparently our brisk pace caught up with him. He took a smoke break while we snacked on granola bars and rehydrated.
We continued up the last half of the volcano. The path was rocky and at some points very slippery. We were walking on volcanic rocks and fine volcanic dust. The larger rocks would just slide down because the fine rocks underneath them. We made fantastic time and made it to the top a good hour before sunrise. Our guide had us stop the very second we reached the top and handed us moth eaten rugs. He told us to sit and wait for the sunrise. It wasn't the best view, with rocks to the right and people walking in front of us every few minutes. It also wasn't very comfortable with hardly any space to sit. I went walking around trying to find a better view and a more comfortable spot. Just a few hundred yards further, was a ledge with a perfect view. Betsy, Holly and I moved our ragged carpets over and sat down.
At this point, we were sweating from our hike. The longer we sat, and our sweat turned to cold precipitation, we found ourselves super cold! We put our sweaters back on and sat close to keep each other warm. Our Villa packed us a breakfast of bread, eggs and a banana. We ate our breakfast while waiting for the sun to rise. Since we were there so early, we were able to watch the sky go from black to dark blue, to light blue, purple, reds and oranges. In the distance we could see Mt. Agung, which erupted just a few months ago. We cold see hot steam coming from the mouth of the volcano.
Our view was priceless. The hike was well worth every labored breath and aching legs. We could see the Sea as glass and the mountain peaks of Bali in the distance.
We picked a perfect day to hike, as we had a perfect sunrise. We took a ton of pictures!
After the sun had risen, our guide found us and asked if we wanted to go back down, or explore and continue around the mouth of Mt. Batur. We proclaimed that we wanted to continue on forward. we continued down the ledge to circle around the mouth of the volcano. It was at this point that our guide pointed out the steam coming from the very volcano we were walking around!
He had us walking a little further down and inside the volcano. It was much warmer here! There were steam pockets all around us. In two of the steam pockets, guides were using oven tools to toast and bake eggs and bananas. We were so sad we already ate our entire breakfast.
As we were looking around the steam pockets, the sun rose to a perfect height and we were able to see the sun in full glory!
Out guide told us that he was going to take us all the way around the mouth of the volcano. He said it was because we were very good hikers and he knew we could do it. Most guides don't take their people around the entire volcano because at some parts, it is an extremely small ledge of only about 8 inches.
We continued around the volcano and each step took us to a more beautiful view. We were able to see the inside of the volcano where the crater was. We also saw the beauty of the fertile ground down the volcano with grass and flowers and beautiful greenery.
With the sun rising on our backs, we soaked in the views around us. It is impossible to describe the beauty I experienced this day. It was one of the most beautiful views of God's creation I have experienced.
After we made our way to the other side of the volcano, we started the descent down the side. This side of the volcano was significantly harder then the way we ascended! The ground we were walking down was small tiny volcanic rocks that made it so you just slide with every step. Most of the time, we were sliding more then walking. Each of us fell at least once. I took a huge fall as I almost slide off the volcano and caught myself with my hands. My palms were ripped up and bleeding with small rocks lodged in my skin. Luckily I had a first aid kit.
We were able to get a really good vies of the crater on our way down. It was covered in grass and trees, and then just a straight drop off down the volcano. Our guide told us that a few people died because they got too close to the ledge and fell in.
The hike down took about as long as the hike up, since we had horrible footing the entire way down. Our path was labored with huge boulders, small rolling volcanic pebbles, and rolling rocks.
When we were almost to the bottom, we came across a beautiful temple. The temple was in the process of being built.
We were able to walk into the grounds and see the statues and the grandeur of the steeples. It was a good break to walk around the temple.
The last 20 minutes of the hike down was on a windy farm road. The farm houses humbled me greatly and made me appreciate all I have. These amazing people lived in these one room tiny shakes. Some were held up by cardboard and fabric. There was no heat or A/C. There weren't any couches or beds, but simply mats. Every farm had tons of roosters in these wicker cages, waking up the morning with their "kak-a-doodle-doo". I really am a blessed person. I am so grateful for all I have and all the experiences I am able to have. And hiking Mt. Batur, I count as one of my highest highlights and blessings!
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