The Mesmerizing Mount Lawu

THE MESMERIZING MOUNT LAWU

By Metrida Vidiarsi

The coldness of mountain air in Cemoro Sewu base camp stabbed to my bones even though I wore a wind-breaker jacket. The wind slowly breezed to my ears. The sun shone brightly as I walked with the feeling of excitement filled my heart. Right above my head, a high gate welcomed me and other mountain climbers. It was crowded since it was a day before the Independence Day and a lot of climbers wanted to do ceremony at the top.

Mount Lawu, a mount with 3265 meters above the sea level located at the border between East Java and Central Java. It is one of the favourite mountain to climb for climbers, especially who come from Java Island. It is famous of its beautiful sceneries view and edelweiss at the top. There are two climbing tracks to reach the top, Cemoro Sewu and Cemoro Kandang.

The track to the top wasn’t easy, even though other climbers said it was quite easy. The track to the 5^th post is stairs of big rocks. After the 5^th post to Argo Dalem and the top, the track is sands, pebbles and some grass. I climbed step by step, slowly tried to cope with my friends’ steps as the sun went higher and brighter. Sweats dripped down my face and body. Even so, the coldness of the air still absorbed through my jacket and shivered me.

The amazing sceneries and the beautiful yellow edelweiss on the sides of the track to the 5^th post mesmerized me. I sat at the side of the track and turned my back while slowly control my breathing tempo. There were beautiful scenery of green landscape and ocean of clouds right upon my eyes. The houses at the villages seemed so small from up there. The wind breezed the smell of fresh green leaves calmed me and relieved my energy and mind.

The sun slowly set at the west when I stepped my feet to the 5^th post. As the sunlight faded, the cold wind blew wildly when I finally stepped my feet on a sandy large field. I camped right in front of Mbok Yem’s food stall at Argo Dalem, a very famous among climbers and the one and only food stall at the top of Mount Lawu. It is a quite large hut consists of a traditional kitchen with a fireplace, a simple dining room, and a wide room for climbers to sleep.

The smell of hot tea filled the tent. The warmth from the tea slowly faded the coldness I felt. Later, the delicious smell of boiled Indomie filled the tent and made me drooled. The delicious taste and the heat of the Indomie totally relieved me. I clearly heard the wind howled between the loud chatters of other campers outside the tent. I was afraid the tent wouldn’t be able to stand still through the windy night. The thickness of sleeping bags almost couldn’t fight the coldness, so I slept with my jacket on and covered my body with a thick sleeping bag.

Climbing to the top, Argo Dumilah, wasn’t easy too. Even though the track is not as long as the previous track, it is steeper and sandier than before. I climbed two steps but I slipped off one step. When I finally reached the top, a 360° beautiful sceneries awaited me. The sky seemed never been brighter than that day. All I could see was a clear, beautiful blue sky. Thousands of white clouds made a beautiful ocean in the sky. The sun shone brightly while slowly fell in the west and turned the sky into gold. The wind blew harder, making the temperature colder than before. The sceneries made me never want to leave the top as I never see that kind of sceneries in any mountain I’ve ever climbed.

            Every journey of mountain climbing is not and will never be easy. The tracks can be tricky and the weather can’t be predicted. Yet, the sceneries and the atmosphere are the remedy of my tiresome. Every step I take brings me closer to the top, and the sceneries of the lower landscapes around the mountain are the gift of my struggle at the track. They are the answer of the question, “why do you want to climb a mountain?”