Express Hike To Gede Mount 2958 asl

- May 28, 2014

This hike i did in the middle of April 2014, i knew that was long weekend so i decided not to camp but just go and back in the same day. Because when we would hike on long weekend we need SIMAKSI (Surat Izin Masuk Kawasan Konservasi) or Letter Permit To Enter Conservation Area. And we should allow the permit some weeks before. And finally we knew that many people wanted go there. Because Gede Mount is really strategic places. This mount can reach from 2 big cities which are Jakarta and Bandung. Gede Mount is one of national Park that located in West Java, and it has high visit by local people or foreigner. I invited my hiker mate to join this express hiking time, his name is Janu.

Going from Kampung Rambutan Bus Station in East Jakarta, just pay IDR 20.000 we took a bus to Cianjur via Puncak, then stoped in Cipanas. We decided to hike to Gede Mount from Cibodas and using waterfall entrance ticket, although this was illegal ways, but many mountaineer who dont get SIMAKSI use this way, and it is being general secret between mountaineer. Just bring your daypack which contains one piece of clothes and snacks also water then ready to hike. For reaching Cibodas base camp we should use "ojek" and paid the driver IDR 15.000/person. In Cibodas there are many "waroeng" or shop which sell many kinds of foods and drinks, and also it has traditional place just for sleeping above the wood with carpet. In this "waroeng", it is place for every mountaineer while waiting morning comes before hike to rest in some hours. We arrived here at3 a.m o'clock, after that we just slept.

Morning Gede Mount

Every shelter was full of tent and people

Camp area before eneter Hot Spring Shelter likes a market i thought

Hot Spring Shelter

Full of stone along this track, be careful when you move

Now the journey was begin, buying Cibeureum waterfall entrance ticket only IDR 5.000/person, me and my friends Janu said that we would go to Cibeureum (pssstttt...but indeed would go to peak of Gede Mount). At 6.00 a.m o'clock in the morning we started to hike, and in the middle of way i saw many mountaineer who tried to conquere peak of Gede Mount, full of keril, "well prepared", not for us..ahaaa..just bring simple gears which contained snack, some clothes, and rain coat. Cibodas is famous with "easy track" for beginners, so did I. Full of stone, with many trees in left and right. While hiked we could hear bird singing along the journey, with water rythm in small river. Take a deep your breath, and feel the fresh water.

Telaga Biru, Rawa Gayonggong, Panyangcayangan, Hot Spring Water/Air Panas, Kandang Batu, and Kandang Badak . There are name's of every shelter in Cibodas track to Gede Mount. We needed 4 hours to finish its track. And voila at 10 a.m i arrived first before Janu in Kandang Badak. And in every shelter full of mountaineer, and tent. You know what, it was condition, made us really tired in the track when we tried to hold on our "keril" which fully out of stuffs, and people moved and hiked slowly.

Janu said "Let's go down again", hah what's at 10 a.m o'clock i should go back soon to parking area in Cibodas. Oh no answered by my mind, only 1 hours half to Peak of Gede. Voilaaaa...then i decided to hike more to reach peak of Gede Mount with Dea and Adnan. Both of them i knew in the middle of track, then Janu decided to rest in Kandang Badak. Kandang Badak is a place where mountaineers take a rest before continue their journey between Gede Mount and Pangrango Mount. Here there is water sources, and the most uniques thing here there were some people who sell coffee, noddle, milk, like "waroenk" but we should pay more expensive, maybe 3x from its origin prices.

Dea and me, where would we go Gede or Pangrango?

Tanjakan Setan let's climb before feel heaven of Gede Mount.Prepare your strength of foot and hand guys :)

So at 10.30 a.m i was hiking to Gede Mount with Dea and Adnan, we just need 1 hours and half to walk and at 12.00 o'clock we were in the peak of Gede Mount. Yeahhh finally, i met some people first, and asked if they saw my friend Dea and Adnan, but their answers were no. So again and again i arrived first. The weather was very clear, bright, sometimes fog. Then Adnan and Dea arrived. So after ate our lunch, we continued our journey to centre of Peak Gede Mount. It took 1 hours from our last stoped place. And in the end i knew their name was SERPALA (Serdadu Penggiat Alam), which is TNI - AD or soldier who love hike mountain. Only Rahmad, Putra, and Bagus whom i remember until know.

So we spent 1 hour in the peak, while breath taking pictures and moments, at 2.30 p.m o c'lock we went back to Kandang Badak, and brusssshhhhhh....the weather suddenly was bad, rainy was falling down so hard, so we moved carefully and feel really cool and like a freezer its weather around us. At 4.00 pm we arrived in Kandang Badak, really tired so tired, and Janu felt so afraid that i got accident. And it was true, i finished my journey in that day at 11.30 p.m o c'lock. My ankle was sick and hurt, because hold on an injury and really tired to move. Until arrived in Montana, we were interviewed by ranger/officer what we did and why we back really in the middle of night. Agree or disagree we told honesty that we hiked to peak. In this moment i learned that never never hike without legal permit, and enough stuffs. Safety is first and i promise never "tektok" again or hike mount only 1 day, it is so badly.