JAPAKEH XX: Expedition to Mt. Buntul Gading (Day -6th)

D-Track Monitoring Base:

As of 8 this morning Sunday, March 10, 2024, no news had been received and this is already the 6th day. If we refer to the expedition planning, the team should have started descending today, although there is a possibility of a 1-day delay. It is estimated that the team is already around 500 meters from the peak of Buntul Gading, and the team will likely be tempted to continue their journey to the top. According to our practice, if the distance to reach the top is less than 1 km, then the climbing method used may be changed according to conditions on the ground. Based on the number of days the expedition has entered the 6th day, out of a total of 10 days of journey. This means they still have 1 extra day to try to reach the target distance as far as possible and on the 7th day, the team has to return to base camp. This journey, which has only reached 2/3 (estimated from the last position), has become a technical consideration, especially since the next 2 days will enter the holy month of Ramadan, so this expedition must end.

If my estimates and terrain analysis are correct, today they should have changed their strategy and used the "Summit Attack" strategy, in the sense that summit attack refers to a round trip climb in one day. The maximum distance that will be covered will be the furthest achieved in the expedition. This is because this summit attack only carries supplies for 1 day of the journey and the rest will be left at the final camp. The supplies you will bring are food for 2 meals time, survival equipment, a slashing machete, and a headlamp. Meanwhile, cooking equipment, tents, and sleeping equipment will be left at the camp.

^{The JAKAPAKEH XX Team is on the top of MT. Buntul Gading (T. 1362/Alt: 2,501.2 MASL)}

This summit attack strategy only aims to reach the summit as quickly as possible and to document and observe routes for further expeditions that may be carried out. If this strategy is carried out, then I am very confident that they can reach the peak of Buntul Gading by midday today, and they will be able to send accurate information regarding their position and overall planning. What I can do as coordinator is give a deadline of noon to see progress and prove my analysis is right or wrong.

Sunday, March 10, 2024, two days before the holy month of Ramadan. Time is very limited to complete this entire series of expeditions. Based on initial planning, the team should have reached the intersection of Pucuk Simpang Tiga and Bur Penimum.

To achieve maximum results, the team decided to change the strategy to "Summit Attack". After agreeing, the team began to prepare the supplies they would bring, including headlamps to anticipate the journey back to camp at night or when it was dark.

Meanwhile, to prepare the camp as an experiment to collect water, it is a good idea to make a small hole in the ground to collect water. Based on soil conditions, it is possible to collect water by making small wells in low areas. The team decided to make a hole 50X50X50 cm deep and hoped to get clean water after returning from today's trip.

^{Digging hole on the ground to collect some drinking water}

After thorough evaluation and preparation, the team decided to move at 8.30 am to be able to cover the maximum distance. The decision to carry out the Summit Attack was based on consideration of the team's movement capabilities and existing supplies, especially drinking water. The team currently only has 3 liters of water, 2 liters will be taken on the trip and 1 liter will be stored at the summit attack camp. Another consideration is the condition of dense vegetation and steep terrain as well as obstacles from roots and mossy tree branches that are difficult to avoid on the way to the top.

The team agreed that with the remaining time and the dense vegetation towards Penimum Peak, it was likely that they would not be able to reach Bur Penimum on time. The team's decision was reached unanimously.

Throughout the journey, the team experienced great difficulty in pioneering the route due to the steep terrain and the thick moss-covered tree roots, and the team even had to go in and out of moss tunnels several times, the distance of which varied between 2-5 meters.

Even though the distance between the camp and the peak of Buntul Gading is only 450 meters, it takes almost 5 hours to get there, leaving at 8.30 and arriving at the peak of Buntul Gading at 13:15.

^{Ilustrated peak full of rattan and large flat area on the peak of Buntul Gading}

In the peak area, the team was surprised by the rattan which was quite dense and the area was quite large. The team rushed to look for the Dutch-made Triangulation pillar number T.1362 (no date of manufacture was found, but it is thought to have been made in 1913-1915). After finding the triangulation pillar, the team tried to analyze the traces and to determine where the Dutch royal mapping expedition team came from and made this strong pillar.

When searching for the T. 1362 pillar, the team of 2 people was divided into 1 person each looking for the pillar and the other person continuing to pioneer the route to the top of Pucoek Simpang Tiga. If this is successful then we can be sure that this expedition will meet initial expectations.

After 2 hours of fighting the result was nill because time was very limited and the team only managed to reach a distance of 700 meters from the top of Pucoek Simpang Tiga at 16:00 WIB. Once again this is not about the topography but more about what lives and dies above it. While documenting activities at Puncak Bur Buntul Gading, we were surprised by the sound of a Sumatran tiger. Based on safety considerations, the team decided to return directly to camp.

"Just before going down, we remember those who have struggled to get to this point under the threat of weapons, hunger, exhaustion, even extreme pain, the souvenirs and remarks they left behind are something we cherish with our lives. We wish you well the heroes who sleep along This climbing route to the top of Bur Buntul Gading will receive Allah's forgiveness. Aamiin."

Accepted or not, the team was only able to find the pillar at Puncak Bur Buntul Gading and 2/3 of the way to the top of Pucoek Simpang Tiga, and for the rest, the team could only decide to return to camp 5 and prepare to descend the next day.

At 7.30, dark conditions did not prevent the team from finding camp 5 and immediately making a campfire to avoid wild animals and then collecting water from the hole dug this morning.

The movement plan for the 7th day of the expedition, the team will go down to Ise-Ise village then report to the Sector Police and return to the Aceh Tracker base camp, the estimated time to go down is 2 full days, with cruising hours each of 12 hours/day. Logistics conditions still have 3 days remaining and currently, 5 liters of water are available. The possibility of additional water is from a small well and mosses which will be collected tomorrow morning at 7. This is the report from the Buntul Gading Expedition team.

^{Red is the last camp, Yellow is the peak of Buntul Gading, the Blue is the last reachable position close to the peak of Pucoek Simpang Tiga}

At 14:00, the team sent a summary of the report and the latest situation of the Buntul Gading expedition. Next, as the coordinator, I opened the map again and marked the camp position which was not much different from the initial estimate. From the summary of this team's report, I reported it to the Ise-Ise police as part of the coordination of the exploration of Buntul Gading at an altitude of 2,501.2 MASL.

Happy reading and see you on day 7 of the Expedition.

My Best Regards

El-Nailul