The faces of the two women were beaming. Their eyes were bright, radiating a positive aura to the audience who packed a room in one of the five-star hotels in Jakarta, Monday (24/7) that afternoon. Their lips constantly flashed a mild smile and laughter to dozens of people there.
That is the joyful expression of two women climbers from the International Relations Study Program Faculty of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences of Parahyangan Catholic University (Unpar), Bandung, namely Fransisca Dimitri (23) and Mathilda Dwi Lestari (23). The two women, who joined the Unpar Student Society of Nature Lovers (Mahitala), have recently completed their mission to climb the sixth peak of seven world peaks on seven continents ( seven summits ).
This sixth peak is located on Mount Denali (6,190 meters from sea level / masl), Alaska, United States. They reached the summit of Denali on July 2, 2017 after a 16-day ascent. Before reaching the peak of Denali, they successfully reached five other peaks, namely Mount Cartensz Pyramid (4,884 masl) in Indonesia (August 13, 2014), Elbrus (5,642 masl) in Russia (15 May 2015), Aconcagua (6,962 masl) in Argentina (31 January 2016), Kilimanjaro (5,895 masl) in Tanzania (24 May 2015), and the Vinson Massif (4,892 masl) in Antarctica (5 January 2017). Now there is only one more peak they are heading to, namely Everest (8,848 masl) in Nepal. According to the plan, the climb to Everest will be done next year.
This achievement is a prestigious achievement for them. If they are successful in reaching the seventh peak at Everest next year, they will be listed as the first female climbers in Indonesia who have successfully performed the seven summits expedition. In fact, this is also the first time in Southeast Asia when referring to Reinhold Messner’s school of “seven summits” .
For them, this ascent takes on Indonesia’s proud mission. From one mountain to another, they endlessly fly the flags of Merah Putih and (sounded) the angklung, the traditional musical bamboo instruments of this country. “Many other climbers are curious about us. They also wonder about Indonesia. From there, we promote Indonesia’s natural and cultural riches to them. This is how we boast Indonesia to the eyes of the world, “said Fransisca who is usually called Deedee.
Long preparation
Fransisca and Mathilda were involved in the seven summits expedition after participating in an expedition replacing the climbing Rope (fixed roof) at Carstensz Pyramid, August 2014. After the ascent, colleagues and seniors at Mahitala came up with the idea of proposing a seven summits expedition . Previously, the Mahitala male team successfully completed the seven summits expedition from 2009 to 2011.
The proposal was taken seriously. Finally they opened registration for women who are ready to join the expedition. Through a rigorous selection stage, three people were chosen, namely Fransisca, Mathilda, and Dian Indah Karolina (22). The three of them were part of four women who joined the expedition to change the ropes in Carstensz Pyramid.
After that, they began a series of preparations. They also researched the conditions and made sure the right day to climb the mountains. The hardest, part was having to undergo a series of exercises ranging from keeping the intake of nutrition to physical exercise as if they were in the army. Preparatory training to Denali was the toughest. They had to practice carrying a double load, on the shoulders with a bag weighing 24 kilograms (kg) and at the waist pulling tires weighing 16 kg. They carried the load through the uphill and downhill route from Pasar Kembang, Tangkuban Parahu, and return to Pasar Kembang about 25 kilometers (km).
They did that eight hours a day for three consecutive days, a month prior to Denali. “This exercise was done because in Denali there is no porter service and the operational time is long, reaching up to 16 hours,” said Deedee.
Overall, they did six days of training a week for the last three years. “Sometimes we were tired of the constant practice. But, we are self-motivated, better to sweat while exercising than spilling blood on the battlefield, “said Deedee.
Mountain disease
Although they had already been well prepared, in reality the nature is unpredictable. The conditions in the field are much heavier than expected. Weather can change very quickly and extreme. “Generally, in the iceberg, the morning looks bright, but late afternoon or afternoon the weather is overcast, dark, until a storm occurs,” said Mathilda familiarly called Hilda.
As a result, their ascent became very heavy. In fact, they were hit by storm el viento blanco (white wind). The storm with speeds up to 90 km per hour is feared by climbers. The storm can occur suddenly and its duration can range up to 203 days. It was the storm that killed two legendary Indonesian climbers, Norman Edwin and Didiek Samsu, in April 1992.
Because of this storm, they were held up for three days at the basecamp . In the fourth day when the storm gradually diminished, they made the decision to proceed with extreme caution.
The obstacles did not stop there, towards the peak of Aconcagua, Dian was affected by mountain diseases (acute mountain sickness/AMS). She was dazed, and could not even be asked to communicate. She was forced to be evacuated down the mountain and could no longer continue the expedition. This event hit our mental hard. But, after a brief introspection maybe this is due to our lack of attention to each other, “said Hilda.
Their journey to the seven peaks of the world on seven continents has not been easy. It takes determination, courage, preparation, and prime physique. Moreover, all these preparations will not succeed without the support and prayers of those closest to them, including parents, relatives, and colleagues.
Source: Kompas (Saturday, July 29, 2017)
