Mt Rinjani in a day: 2600m altitude gain, 34km round trip, 16hr hike.
We left the homestay at midnight without a moon to help us. We were at the rim camp by 4am and could see the long chain of headlamps ascending the ridge as tired campers were trying to get to the summit before sunrise. By 9am we were standing on the summit. Most of the 2 day climbers having already descended, we had the top (mostly) to ourselves. The sky was stark blue and the wind began to abate and loose its chill as the sun climbed into the day. We rested, spun a few pirouettes on the pinnacle and made a rapid decent. Beers were cracked and guzzled back on the front porch of our homestay by 4pm. It’s a long day, and only for the confidant and competent. It might be illegal, it might blow out your knees, but if you are looking for information on how to do it, read on.
