Adventures

Rinjani100 2017 – The Beauty And The Beast

May 5, 2017

Right after I landed my left foot on my motherland, Indonesia, I did right away sign myself into this Rinjani100 race. I had meant to hike this mountain since I was in the high school 20 years ago, but I didn’t get a chance.
Rinjani is the second highest volcanic mountain, which is located on the north-east side of Lombok Island, Center of Indonesia. Lombok Island is Bali Island next door, so it is pretty much an equal beauty as Bali, but way less touristy compare to overcrowded tourists in Bali. Rinjani with 3762 meters above sea level is the highest point in Lombok, and it has also a sky lake in between its peaks.

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Devil’s Path 2016 – Happy Murica Weekend

July 3, 2016

“Local legend has it that the Devil’s Path derived its name from the first Dutch and German settlers to the Catskill region. Supposedly, they took one look at the high, deeply notched mountains marching west from the Hudson River and figured that only the cloven-footed Devil could walk such steep, treacherous ground.” – Backpacker.com

I have heard this infamous trail for years, and actually got a bit of its flavor in Manitou Revenge a couple of times. But I had never done the whole thing. So I pitched this idea to Chang, my partner in crime when I go to trail running adventure.

Elevation Chart

Devil’s Path Trail

A classic North East kind of trail

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Ellenville Mountain Running Festival – I think I still can run on a mountain race

August 1, 2015

After my health issue about a month ago, I had not done any running, probably only 2 times on the road. Mainly, because of traveling with my family. But just a few weeks from Trans Rockies, I got a little bit nervous. So I thought it would be a good idea to put my legs into a test, a little mountain race.
Ellenville Mountain Running Festival, a day of adventurous running events taking place in some of the most spectacular, rugged, and remote sections of the Shawangunk Mountains. The Marathon is an epic “double traverse” of the ridgeline and totals approximately 5,000 feet in elevation gain. This division heads out toward beautiful Stony Kill Falls on un-maintained carriage roads that may be wet or overgrown, passes two sky lakes, Lake Awosting and Mud Pond, crosses High Point, and descends to the start/finish. Because of the remote locations and limited checkpoints, this division is by invitation only.

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Mont Blanc Je t’aime

August 21, 2014

“The “roof of Europe”, the world’s third-ranking most visited natural area, continues to attract millions of visitors and thousands of mountaineers every year. Conquering Mont Blanc is a dream shared by many amateur mountaineers and enthusiasts. This dream is possible as long as one does not underestimate the apparently easy slopes of this legendary mountain.”
– Chamonix Valley Official Website –

Fear Is Man Best Friend
That morning I woke up early, we would meet up with the group at the Chamonix Express office around 9 am. People who had run or trekked with me, knew that I always tried to be upbeat and did my best not to complain much. But this morning, the fear hit me. I saw how fast the weather in the Alps could change from gorgeous day into nasty thunderstorms or just cold freezing rain. Also a few days before I flew to Chamonix, there had been 2 deadly accidents there. Mont Blanc average causality is around 100 hikers every year, with around 12 rescue mission only in summer every year, which was pretty high. (article)
I tried to occupied my mind. I reviewed my pack and my day by day plan, to make sure I had everything I would need and not over-do it. I knew I was physically prepared, I was doing pretty good with my crampons and axes training, the weather was not bother me much, and we got some awesome professional guides. I thought it just between me and the monkey. I just needed to be extra cautious, not too excited in the mountain and having fun. Some wise man says that fear keeps man alive, I guessed that was exactly what I needed at that moment.

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World Wonder – Mer de Glace

August 20, 2014

“France’s largest glacier, the glistening 200 m – deep Mer de Glace (Sea of Ice) snakes 7km through mighty rock spires and turrets; it was named by Englishman William Windham, the first foreigner to set eyes on the glacier in 1741. The glacier moves up to 90m a year, and has become a popular attraction thanks to the rack-and-pinion railway line opened in 1908. Wrap up warm to experience the Grotte de la Mer de Glace ice cave, where frozen tunnels and ice sculptures change colour like mood rings. A quaint red mountain train trundles up from Gare du Montenvers in Chamonix to Montenvers (1913m), from where a cable car takes you down to the glacier and cave. Besides covering the 20-minute journey, the cable car and the ice cave, your ticket gets you entry into the Galerie des Cristaux , glittering with crystals from the Mont Blanc Massif, and the new Glaciorium , spotlighting the birth, life and future of glaciers. The Mer de Glace can be reached on foot via the Grand Balcon Nord trail from Plan de l’Aiguille. The two-hour uphill trail from Chamonix starts near the summer luge track. Traversing the crevasse glacier requires proper equipment and an experienced guide.”

– Lonely Planet –

Tuut Tuut, Snow White, I love
After my first hike in the Alps the day before, I was tired but at the same time, I could not wait to get back to that magical place. I grew up in tropical country where the humidity could reach 90% and 30˚ C average temperature the whole year, so snow was not my nature, yet something about this Alps that made me feel so content.
Dan and I went to Gare du Montenvers in Chamonix around 9 am to meet up with the group, and the ride to Montenvers was about 20 minutes-ish. The whole ride was amazing, I felt like I was in the Universal Studio ride. For a moment, I forgot about the chill air that bits my skin or drowsy feeling that clouded my mind.
Then, when I got out from the train at Montenvers, the view even more stunning. I had not seen so much white in one place in my life, I meant glacier. when I looked into the right side, towards to the Alps, it was an ocean of ice. It seemed like I would begin a journey into a winter wonderland, just like in the Disney movie, Frozen.

Tuut Tuut

Dan, me, and Alex – Photo by Alex

Alex, Denis, me and Dan – Photo by Alex

On the other hand, when I saw a photo from 1900-ish that was posted on the visitor center wall, the glacier back then was probably ten times more massive than today. It was pretty sad if the next generation might not able to enjoy this view anymore. And who says that Global Warming was a hoax. Explain these two pictures.