First Ascent (Gunung Gede-Pangrango National Park)

I never thought in my life that i would do mountain hiking activities. This started when i joined a student adventure organization at 6 senior high school Bogor called "Remaja Pecinta Alam" (REMAPA) when i was in the 1st year of high school. In the activities of the REMAPA organization, there is a program of mandatory hiking activities for newly appointed members after going through various basic education activities. This mandatory hiking is carried out on Mount Gede, West Java every year. Indeed, the location of the mountain was chosen because it is quite close to where we live and our school in Bogor City. The hiking to Mount Gede was my first hike to a mountain. Even though i have liked outdoor activities before, such as camping and forest healing, mountain hiking is an activity that i have never tried and is interesting to do once in a lifetime!

Gunung Gede-Pangrango National Park is excellent for hikers who are new to hiking mountains or who have often hiked mountains. There are 3 hiking routes to Mount Gede-Pangrango, namely the Cibodas Route, Gunung Putri Route, and Selabintana Route. We hiked via Gunung Putri route because this route has a fast travel time, hiking route has many uphill. Before hiking, we're required to have a conservation area entry permit which can be registered at the Gunung Gede-Pangrango National Park officer (the latest information on registration is done online on the official website).

At first, i was confused and very afraid to hike a mountain because i had never done that activity before. The feeling of anxiety within yourself because you are afraid that something will happen in the future continues to haunt your mind. Indeed, beforehand we prepared everything from physical training to preparing hiking logistics from the start together. I don't have my own hiking equipment, am looking for hiking items to borrow, starting from carrier bags, shoes, mattresses, and other items to everyone who has already hiked a mountain (it's normal for those who hike a mountain for the first time just to have enthusiasm).

Exactly in April 2016, we departed from Bogor City to Gunung Putri basecamp using public transportation that we rented. My group of 12 people accompanied by several senior of REMAPA  set foot to start hiking in the afternoon before sunset. Accompanied by light drizzle, we immediately opened the ponchos we brought and headlamps to light the way. During the one hour journey, we decided to set up a tent in the place before the Jungle Door because it was already dark and it would be dangerous to walk at night. After setting up the tent and dinner, we decided to rest because tomorrow we had a long journey ahead.

The sun knocked on the tent door in the morning, feeling tired we immediately rushed to continue hiking. Jungle Door is the beginning of entering the forest after passing through residents' gardens. We passed Post 1 with a sense of joy and pleasure because we saw the lush trees that accompanied us as we hiked along the hiking route.

We went through post after post with enthusiasm. Even though my body felt very tired and the cold air always pierced my skin because i was not used to hiking. "Cheer up", this word continued to be chanted by each of us when we started to feel like giving up when faced with continuous ups and downs. Brown sugar is our mainstay snack, which according to friends has the effect of eliminating a bit of tiredness, but it has also been proven that we become more enthusiastic every time we take a step up the hill.

We said prayer, we went through it step by step. Finally, we arrived at a large savanna called Alun-alun Surya Kencana at noon after we had been walking since the morning with an estimated travel time of approximately 7 hours. We took out a watermelon that we brought and cut it evenly. After relaxing and enjoying the view, we hurriedly continued our journey to find a place to pitch a tent at Alun-alun Surya Kencana. Accompanied by the eternal flower "Edelweiss" on either side of us during the journey, it really added to our enthusiasm for hiking.

Rest at Alun-alun Surya Kencana after arriving.

After setting up the tent on the flat place we found, as usual we divided our roles into cooking the logistics of the food we brought. The food was ready, the struggling stomach immediately devoured it without compromising.

In the evening, accompanied by millions of stars in the sky at Alun-alun Surya Kencana, we told each other about this hike. It's hard to imagine that a young onion like me could hike mountain. We decided to sleep because our bodies felt very tired. In the morning we also have to hike to the top for the inauguration ceremony. I can't wait to stand at the top of Mount Gede. 2958 meters above sea level, here we come!

"Wake up...Summit Attack", I was woken up by my friend from a deep sleep. After we prepared the things we brought for the Summit Attack (the term for hiking to the top), we were full of enthusiasm and hope and walked to the top of Mount Gede at 4 am. Accompanied by the light of our headlamps and the stars in the sky, we slowly walked along the path. Several times my friend sat down to take a break to drink water. Slowly the sun emerged from its hiding place and we arrived at the top of Mount Gede. All feelings of emotion were mixed with happiness because this snot-nosed child could hike to the top of the mountain. We congratulate and hug each other as an expression of gratitude to God.

Reached the top of Mount Gede for the first time.

After we all carried out our inauguration at the top, we immediately rushed back down to where the tent was set up. We cooked to fill up the energy we would use to return to basecamp. We managed to put all the hiking logistics back into the carrier and we immediately walked back down.

In the afternoon we arrived back at the basecamp for hiking the Gunung Putri route with aches all over our bodies. We immediately got on the public transportation we rented to return to our beloved Rainy City, Bogor.

My first hike to Mount Gede was an extraordinary experience in my life. This hike was also the starting point for me to hike the next mountains. The various feelings you get after hiking are useful in determining the direction of your life path. I am sure that my new "hobby", is the right choice to be grateful that i was born in this very beautiful country.

Lestari, Alamku! Hoya-hoya, REMAPA! 

REMAPA class 29. Top left-right: Empat, Maul, Wahyau, Raka, Aura, Isal, Nabila, Fatur, Duni, Ahong

Bottom left-right: Zufar, Ical.