Climbing Gunung Kerinci (Sumatra, Indonesia)

For a revised version of this post, go here.

My guide up Mt. Kerinci turned out to be a heck of a fella and a superb guide. His name: E.En (his spelling). We met at his home to plan my assault on yet another Indonesian volcano. Supposedly, Kerinci is a bit ornery at the moment. According to everyone except the folks in Kersik Tua the volcano is closed for climbing. This includes the personnel in the national park office in Sungai Penuh. What the f*** do they know?

From the moment we met I had an extremely good vibe about En notwithstanding his uncanny resemblance, in both appearance and mannerisms to Guillermo Ugarte, the shifty character in the beginning of the movie Casablanca (the man that gave Rick the letters of transit and then was shot by police).

The next morning we were shuttled to the start of the trail via motorbike. At the foot of path you will find the customary offering station where folks make a small contribution to the volcano as a token of appeasement.

The mountain sprouts from the jungle and the trail leading to the volcano makes for a pleasant stroll. Along the way En pointed out gibbons, monkeys, birds, squirrels, and interesting plant species. At one point he pulled out his cell phone and played a recording of a bird (I forget the name). Within a couple of minutes two of the birds were within a few feet of us. I am not much of a birder but that was pretty cool. That is the best use of a cell phone I have ever witnessed.