We arrive early in the morning at the registration point at the end of the village. We check in, get on our motorbikes, and ride a couple of hundred vertical meters very quickly. Just before the end, we have to get off the bikes because they are apparently not designed for western weights.
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We climb through the jungle almost the whole way. There isn’t much to see because of the clouds. On the way, we meet only a skunk and a group of people cutting a new path. They explain to us that a straighter and faster trail is needed for rescue missions. The amazing thing was that we were already climbing down the new trail. I would never have thought that you could cut out several hundred vertical meters of jungle trail in a day. Respect!
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The top is bare and rocky, and during the last eruption, the volcano made sure that there was no greenery for a couple of hundred meters. We don’t see much of anything in the fog, so we take a photo and stop for a few minutes to rest. Not far from the summit, there is a natural wall of rocks that slightly blocks the strong wind.
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We descend on a newly cut path, which is a little easier than the slippery and clayey old path. A heavy downpour starts near the first POS. There are motorcycles offering to take us to registration. Cool, but I have to admit that riding a motorcycle downhill is much more difficult than going uphill—a good exercise for the arms.
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It is the fourth mountain from the world’s Top 100 prominence list on this trip. Not bad! Next, it’s on to the airport, a flight to Sumatra, and a drive to the foot of Gunung Kerinci.