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Letjen Of The Fall.
In the morning, we drove some 90 minutes to a crag called Mount Bongkok where we wanted to try a route called Letjen Of The Fall, a 2-pitch 6b. The hike up to the base took about 45 minutes and we were worried about the rock being wet given the significant rain the night before. The route itself turned out to be dry. The andesite was beautiful but the overhanging pitch 1 was very stiff for us and much of it got dogged. Pitch 2 was more slabby but with its own challenges (albeit of a different flavor than pitch 1). We topped out and rapped down quickly as the dark clouds were building and we did not want to do the already slick hike down in the rain. Barely made the little home stay at the trailhead before the skies opened up. We then drove onwards to the city of Bandung where we’d spend the next two nights.
Photos
A road-side waterfall on the drive back to Padang (October 2025).
You can always count on Asian airlines to have attractive and young stewardesses (October 2025).
Departing Padang (October 2025).
Meeting Dadan at Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta Airport (October 2025).
Stopping for a lunch (duck & rice – excellent!) on the drive from Jakarta airport to Purwakarta (October 2025).
Yeah baby! Sambal starter kit (October 2025).
Roughing it in Purwakarta. Photo & hotel reservation by Dadan (October 2025).
Purwakarta in the morning as we drive towards Mount Bongkok (October 2025).
First sighting of Mount Bongkok as near the trailhead (October 2025).
Shirley and Mount Bongkok (October 2025).
The spectacular looking Gunung Parang (October 2025).
Mount Bongkok and two wankers from a village near to the trailhead. Photo by Dadan (October 2025).
Letjen Of The Fall climbs the leftmost buttress in two pitches (October 2025).
Getting ready at the trailhead (October 2025).
Starting the ~45 minute approach to the base of Mount Bongkok (October 2025).
Early on the approach. Photo by Dadan (October 2025).
More approach action. Photo by Dadan (October 2025).
Shirley assessed the supports and decided they were legit. Photo by Dadan (October 2025).
Nearing the base of the route. Photo by Dadan (October 2025).
Cool effect captured by Dadan (October 2025).
Shirley on approach (October 2025).
A boulder move on the final portion of the approach. Photo by Dadan (October 2025).
Racking up for Letjen Of The Fall route. Photo by Dadan (October 2025).
Scrambling down to the start of the route. Photo by Dadan (October 2025).
At the base of Letjen Of The Fall. Photo by Dadan (October 2025).
Beautiful (and clean) andesite rock. Photo by Dadan (October 2025).
Strategizing. Didn’t really help. Photo by Dadan (October 2025).
Pitch 1. Photo by Dadan (October 2025).
Pitch 1. Photo by Dadan (October 2025).
Letjen Of The Fall. Letjen of the Hangdog for me. Photo by Dadan (October 2025).
Starting up the steep pitch 1 of Letjen Of The Fall. Lots of dogging, thankfully the bolts were closely spaced. Photo by Dadan (October 2025).
A monkey (October 2025).
Views from top of pitch 1 (October 2025).
Shirley getting ready (October 2025).
Shirley on pitch 1. Photo by Dadan (October 2025).
Another one of Shirley on pitch 1. Photo by Dadan (October 2025).
Nazib at the base of Letjen Of The Fall. Spectacular rock. Photo by Dadan (October 2025).
Making progress. Photo by Dadan (October 2025).
Shirley almost out of the steep terrain on pitch 1 (October 2025).
Nearing the first belay (October 2025).
Shirley at the first belay (October 2025).
Starting pitch 2 of Letjen Of The Fall (October 2025).
The village where we stopped to take photos of Mount Bongkok (October 2025).
Leading pitch 2 (October 2025).
Looking back at Shirley from early on pitch 2 (October 2025).
Nearing the top of the route (October 2025).
Another look back at Shirley (October 2025).
Views from the top of the route (October 2025).
Shirley starting up pitch 2 of Letjen Of The Fall (October 2025).
Shirley on the slabby (but not easy) pitch 2 of Letjen Of The Fall (October 2025).
A slightly different perspective (October 2025).
More views (October 2025).
Letjen Of The Fall, pitch 2 (October 2025).
Views from top of the route (October 2025).
The village where we had photographed Mount Bongkok earlier in the day (October 2025).
A closer look (October 2025).
Nearing the top of the route (October 2025).
A bit of surface (?) oxidation (October 2025).
Rapping down pitch 2 (October 2025).
Shirley rapping down pitch 2 (October 2025).
Back atop pitch 1 (October 2025).
Rapping pitch 1 (October 2025).
Photo by Dadan (October 2025).
Clouds are building, time to hurry. Photo by Dadan (October 2025).
Shirley back at the base of Letjen Of The Fall (October 2025).
Packing up back at the base (October 2025).
Such cool and uniquely featured rock (October 2025).
Slick descent and that’s even before the rain started (October 2025).
Nearing the trailhead and lunch. Made it before it the downpour (October 2025).
Nazib waiting for lunch to be served (October 2025).
Very psyched for lunch. Photo by Dadan (October 2025).
And then the skies opened up (October 2025).
Random cows on the drive down (October 2025).
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