A team of six local youth from the Fuzhou Shiyyi Association Youth League recently conquered Mount Rinjani, Indonesia, summiting the 3,726-metre active volcano on Lombok island.
Katherine Hii, Wong Ching Ching, Lee Kah Seng, Connie Lau, Kang Tzin Min and Chieng Leon Son went on the adventure via the Torean trek last month.
Hii shared that numerous people had doubts about the team climbing the mountain. “They said to us, ‘Are you sure you want to climb Mount Rinjani? It is 10 times harder than Mount Kinabalu. Are you sure you can stand not showering for three days?’,” she said.
“We knew it was no easy task. Since we first had the idea a year ago, there was always a sense of doubt and fear around us on whether or not it was achievable.
“Everyone within the hiking community, including those who have summited the mountain, told us that it is not as simple as we thought. However, the more people doubted us, the more we were driven to prove them wrong,” added Hii, joking that the team may have felt a little kiasu.
On the morning of May 14, they began their three day-two night expedition. “We covered a trail of 10.7 kilometres over six hours on our first day, reaching our base camp at the rim of the crater,” said Hii.
“There were a number of challenging steep uphill climbs, a few cramps here and there and some encounters with acute mountain sickness but nothing we didn’t expect. So far, so good. Then the ground shook,” she said.
A small earthquake struck around 4.11pm that afternoon. “Though it was minor, it played on our anxieties and messed with our confidence. For most of us, it was our first experience with an earthquake.”
She said that while it was deemed safe for them to continue their expedition, sleep quality for their first night was terrible.
“Our heads were filled with what ifs and what nots. Everyone only had about three to four hours of sleep before we had to get up to prepare for our summit attack at midnight,” said Hii. “Temperatures went down to as low as 10 degrees Celsius at basecamp.”
Hii said the trek up the summit was on steep, loose and rocky terrain that would sometimes give way as they ascended. “It was dark, cold and windy.
“The air got thinner as we gained elevation, making each breath harder. The warnings about taking two steps forwards and one step back were right. But there was no time to doubt, only to power through alongside the hundreds of climbers around the world who share the same goal of conquering the summit of Mount Rinjani.”
Eventually, after around six hours of focus and determination, of racing the sunrise, they reached the peak.
“We did it,” said Hii. “We summited Mount Rinjani. The view was magnificent, it made us forget what we just went through.
“It felt surreal, and the sense of accomplishment at that moment was like no other.”
It wasn’t over, however. “We still had another 11.6 kilometres to cover before we could call it a night at our second campsite.
“This time we were faced with large, jagged rocks and slippery slopes. Our legs at that point were already jelly, so it could be argued that this part of the trail was harder tougher than the summit itself.
“Nevertheless, we pushed through with what’s left of our determination. We already made the summit, so there was no way we are calling it quits,” she said, before adding that the reality was that there was no way out of there except to finish.
The third and final day saw them cover another 16.5 kilometres. She said this part had some of the best views, which were so breathtaking they forgot about fatigue and wobbly legs.
There were mixed feelings that day, said Hii. “We wanted to get out of there as soon as we could but at the same time, wanted to take in as much as we can,” she said.
After the end of their 56-hour adventure, Hii said the journey challenged each and every one of them.
“It was no walk in the park,” she said, laughing. At the end of it however, they proved their doubters wrong.
“People will doubt you and they will judge your physical fitness. That in turn will make you start to doubt yourself and your ability.
“But the person who knows your body best is yourself. If you believe you can, with the right discipline, determination and the right support group, you can make it happen.” – James Kon
