The tent.
Finally I have done the acid test with it. It took quit a long time ;-)

The guide and the cook coming back from the well near Kalimati. Unfortunately both spoke only Indonesian. The guide knew some English words but it was not enough for conversation. Anyway I liked them. Nice guys, both very fit and funny.
Obviously the two are not really impressed by the mountain beside them. It looks like they are used to it ;-)

Eruption June 6th 2004 14:32 (Java time GMT+07:00)

The zoom-up of the volcano shows the track to the top.

Maybe it is wrong to talk about a track. Till the treeline the mountaineer can follow a clear marked sometimes damaged track. The beginning of the "red line" is the end of the obvious track. Up there stones, ash and sand together with the volcanic activities make it difficult to establish a real path. Only some markings are showing the way up to the top. As well some "landmarks" are helpful like the small tree island beside the track.

Eruption June 6th 2004 14:01 (Java time GMT+07:00)



These absolute silent eruptions are breathtaking. The ash cloud reaches easily the hight of the clouds. Normaly it reaches higher levels.

The Kalimati campingground is located at the foot of the mighty Mahameru volcano (Semeru is called Mahameru as well). Like mentioned in the last log entry the flora looked quit interesting here. The grey sand, the dry vegetation, the woods - all this is somehow special.

The Kalimati campingground is not the only possibility for building up the own tent. From the Kalimati up to the treeline a lot of small areas meant for resting can be found. Being higher in the early morning has the advantage to be on time on the top of Semeru to witness the sunrise. But this must be paid with the lack of water (near Kalimati is a well) and a tough ascent. After running till Kalimati it could be that the body is exhausted. Going further is then not advisable.

From my point of view Kalimati ist the best place for staying overnight. Water is not far away, the stars in the sky look breathtaking during the night and from Kalimati Semeru can be watched nicely. The other camping areas are in the woods. Sight can be very limited.
Ascending in time is possible even from Kalimati. I was not in the best shape and I was not used to the hight but we made it.

Kalimati is even offering a hut. But in my point of view a nice tent should be prefered ;-)

Some meters before the Kalimati camping ground I was bewildered by the flora around the Semeru volcano. The ground was covered by fine grey sand. The vegetation was not that dense and somehow dry. Brown colors were dominating in the grass and bushes around me. It looks like that there is not too much water like in the rain forests. Maybe the sandy ground cannot store too much of it. Maybe it is because of the dry season (the equivalent to our four seasons). This kind of vegetation was quit different to the one I saw in the villages we passed when we headed for Ranopani. There the earth was deep black. The fields looked fertile and the farmers used nearly every piece of land, even if it was very steep. The fact that nearly all the farming work was done by hand there made this possible.
Very important to mention is the dense forest in the lower part of Semeru. The good condition of the trees indicate that the last major eruption affecting this part of land happened long ago. The Bromo caldera looks different. The grass vegetation is dense but all the trees are burned.

Hat man den Hügel hinter Ranu Kumbolo hinter sich gebracht wartet eine kleine Ebene auf den Vulkantourist. Hier kann man sehen, wie schön Wiesen sein können, wenn man sie nur wachsen lässt. Man läuft regelrecht durch ein Grasmeer. Der kundige SF Leser fühlt sich ein wenig an Dan Simmons Hyperion erinnert.

Nach der Ebene geht es in einen lichten Wald (Blok Oro Oro Ombo). Leider gibt es dort mal wieder nur eine Richtung: Nach oben!

Dazu gibt es auch wieder die umgestürzten Bäume. So schön das alles auch ist, geflucht habe ich trotzdem ein bisschen ;-)

Doch wurde ich entschädigt für die Mühe. Als wir über dem Sattel waren und den Wald verliessen, durfte ich Semeru aktiv erleben. Die erste Eruption von vielen, die den Weg auf meine Speicherkarte fanden. Und es war immer wieder faszinierend.

Eruption 6. Juni 2004 13:30 (Java-Zeit GMT+07:00)

Article about the bromo eruption in June 2004
The two killed in the eruption got names. As well more impacts are described.
Pictures about a former eruption of the Bromo volcanoe
The ash cloud over the crater looks impressive.

Ranu Kumbolo Impressionen:
Durch den Einschnitt im Hintergrund kann man morgens einen wunderbaren Sonnenaufgang beobachten.

Der Trail gen Semeru steigt gleich nach Ranu Kumbolo stark an. Die kurze Etappe ist recht anstrengend. Dafür entschädigt später die Sicht auf Ranu Kumbolo und die unmliegende Natur.