#Club5050 || Burni Telong: Edelweiss is still waiting

I have many friends from various environments. It is natural for a social worker in the field of environmental conservation. And interacting directly with environmental saving activities is a part of everyday life. But when it comes to climbing mountains, that's another thing. Something I've never done before. Until a friend asked me to climb Burni Telong. Mountains are very popular in Aceh.

As someone who was invited, and had no experience, I wasn't very involved in the preparations. I was only told to prepare some equipment such as a jacket, flashlight, backpack, and others for personal use. While the equipment such as tents, mattresses, and others have been prepared by my friend.

We started our journey from Lhokseumawe. A city in Aceh that was once very famous for its natural gas. The mountain we are aiming for is Burni Telong, a peak with an altitude of 2624 meters above sea level in Bener Meriah. There are two routes that can be taken from lhokseumawe to get to Bener Meriah. You can take the national road that passes through the City of Bireun with a travel time of more than 3 hours. Or you can go through the KKA-Takengon road route and it takes about 2.5 hours.

To save time, we chose to take the KKA-Takengon road. The bonus is enjoying the view of Gunung Salak. One of the attractions visited by many local tourists. About 30 minutes we spent here to add to the travel experience, also to refill energy by just drinking coffee and eating Aceh noodles. Many interesting things here, maybe I will share on another occasion. But not now.

The journey from Gunung Salak to a location which is about 32 miles, we continue in approximately 1 hour. When we arrived at the location, we had to report to the climbing post managed by local residents. And after completing the obligations at the post, we climbed.

As one of the best climbing spots in Aceh, Burni Telong offers a very beautiful natural charm. Even already starting to feel its beauty when the new climb begins.

The local people's coffee and vegetable gardens were the first sights that greeted us. Very sweet. But I realized that what we were doing was climbing mountains, not shopping at the mall. No matter how sweet the welcome, cliffs and ravines are sure to await.

What I thought came true. The steep road now confronts us, even when we are still among the local people's gardens. As a beginner climber of course this makes my chest feel burning and my breath is very fast.

Lucky me. My friends are experienced in climbing. In addition to mastering the terrain, they are also very aware of the physical and mental conditions of climbers. So when my face and breath started to signal fatigue, they understood it as a plea for rest.

Of course Burni Telong is a very beautiful mountain to climb, even the most popular in Aceh. But don't forget, burni telong is among the top 10 highest mountains in Aceh, and the track is not easy. Trust me to get to the top is very difficult. At least that's what I experienced.

If to your right is a cliff, it is certain that your left is a canyon. In order to maintain the balance of the footsteps, we used a tree growing on the path as a handrail. But sometimes what we hold is a thorny tree. Or dry twigs that break easily. It is very dangerous if the handle is released, a deep abyss awaits below.

But not all misery. There is balance. Tired and experience gained is comparable. The beauty along the hiking trail does not make me regret doing this hike. I'm grateful to be here. This forest, its charm, even its mystery. Very interesting to explore further.

When we came across the pine trees lined up in the forest, the weather was getting colder and colder. It's quieter than the voices. If no one spoke, all that could be heard was the sound of a heartbeat, the sound of breathing, as well as a few small animals which signaled that it was going to be night soon. And the sky is getting darker, even though I still want to see this extraordinary sight, at least as a consolation when the body is getting tired.

Night has come, we have passed half of the hike. It was time to set up camp, rest, have dinner in the forest while enjoying the bonfire. There are at least 20 groups of climbers who spend the night here. Very noisy with the excitement on the faces of the climbers. Like there are no strangers here. Like all of us we are from the same group. Some sing, play guitar. Very lively.

Enjoying the night while climbing can't just be fun. At least take the time to rest properly. There is still a climb that must be continued at midnight. And then we sleep.

After sleeping for a few hours, we were ready to continue climbing. Luckily for us, the moon is very generous and shares the light. In the distance, a mountain peak was visible. Some of our friends who got on first also looked really cool in front of us. On the higher road, with flashlights in their hands and on their foreheads, their retinue was like a moving constellation. However, we still have to be careful with our steps. Our feet should not be careless and step carelessly. Rocky tracks and loose soil can knock us down at any time. And falling in the middle of the night is not something that can be said to be cool.

Under the moonlight, we realized it was already at an altitude of 2600 meters above sea level. Only above that height could the rare Edelweiss flower grow. Everlasting flower. And I was among those flowers. But we must hurry, the best time to play in Edelweiss park is when going down, not when climbing in the middle of the night. The priority right now is to be able to reach the top before sunrise.

Leaving the edelweiss garden, our group arrived at the cave. Some climbers use the cave as a resting place. From the cave to the top, it's only 200 meters away. Instantly the image of a mountain peak flashed through my head, but what appeared before me was a cliff that had to be climbed using ropes. Hikers call this point the summit route. As far as I've come, this is the most difficult track to climb.

Approaching the peak, the wind gusts were very strong. Very cold. Even very noisy. Of course, there were no big trees that could prevent it from blowing hard. But the good news is, we got a very wide perspective.

We were able to reach the top before sunrise. Then choose their own way to enjoy the sunrise at the top of Burni. Most climbers capture the moment with a camera. But not a few who just enjoy their time by being themselves without doing anything. And I do it that way. Without doing anything. I just breathe in the normal way and open my eyes and blink occasionally in the usual way.

The view from the top of the mountain is enchanting to the eye and soothing to the heart. The clumps of overhanging clouds are very close to the summit. The green hills and mountains that line up are neatly arranged for climbers to enjoy. The happy laughter of the other climbers was also very entertaining. Not infrequently we exchange greetings and share a few introductory stories. Everything at this peak is very beautiful to enjoy.

Either because the wind is very strong, or because the peak is close to the sky. Time seemed to move faster. The eastern sky looks very bright with the sun being perfectly round and dazzling. The earth to the west reveals an extraordinary sight. The huge shadow of the mountain whose peak we were climbing was triangular in shape as if it were a pyramid in Egypt. Something I never imagined I would get on this trip. Even this is not the same as enjoying the sunrise while still being yourself. The shadow of this pyramid-shaped conical mountain must be immortalized.

The sun rose slowly. The shadow of the pyramid also disappeared. Instead, several villages can be seen with houses, roads, and gardens belonging to residents. Looks like in a painting. It looks very small from this high peak. And at the same second, I also feel small. Another realization appeared at that moment. If it was for self-introspection, it should be without the need to climb to a place this high. We should always feel small and be grateful. Enjoy all of God's creation to the fullest. Not excessive. And it seems that the earth will be fine if we are not so greedy in fulfilling our needs that it results in destroying nature.

On the way down, a friend said “the top of the mountain is just a bonus, the main prize is being able to get home safely.” Very wise sentence, I agree. I immediately remembered one more bonus. Edelweiss garden. A rare flower garden that cannot be found in all mountains. After getting off the summit path and past the cave, I'll see it one more time. Certainly not like last night's dark, but with the bright glow of the sun in the sky.

Given the path to the summit is a steep cliff that must be passed with the help of a rope. I do it very carefully. Just as I was passing through it safely, something very hard hit my head. The next second I realized I had fallen on the ground. I don't know what happened and I don't know how it happened.

My head hurt and my arm hurt so much when I moved it. With the help of friends, I got emergency medical treatment. I had a serious head wound and had to be bandaged. I sprained my arm and had to be in a cast.

From what friends and climbers have told me, my head hit a rock the size of a burger. The rock rolled down as a result of a climber behind me descending the summit path carelessly. And when the rock hit my head hard, I fell down with my hands on my body. This caused my hand to sprain.

With one hand in a cast, it's certainly not easy going down a steep track. Besides affecting my balance, I also lost my grip. Luckily, my friends were very patient helping me down. Sometimes they take turns helping me through it.

I lost interest in lingering in the eledweiss garden. Priorities of friends also changed. They wanted to take me home as soon as possible so I could get medical help. Even though I had a few breaks in the edelweiss park area, I couldn't really enjoy it. It was as if the edelweiss flowers which at that time had not yet bloomed were waiting for me to climb once more.

As I write this experience, I have completely recovered and am ready to climb again. And I hope that some of the readers of this article are interested in doing a hike together. Of course Burni Telong. There was still Edelweiss waiting for me there. And the information I got, the flowers will bloom in April to August. And because Burni Telong is a volcano, please pray that it doesn't become active and erupt until I return to it. At least for one more time.