John Johnson

Dying Alive on Rinjani, Lombok, Indonesia John Johnson

Having spent the last twenty years as a workaholic, the daughter of the author finally persuaded her father to undertake a three-day climb of the Rinjani mountain in Indonesia. Little did the author know of the challenge ahead as he had envisaged a casual three-day trek. Although there were rumours that climbing Rinjani was a real, dangerous challenge, the expedition left on a rather lighthearted note. The author departed only in a tee shirt and jeans and training shoes choosing not to heed the warnings of the more experienced. Borne in the North of England, he had maintained the belief that man is a man and that scaling a mountain in a tee shirt is the right thing to do.

While Diana pressed ahead, her father soon felt the fatigue of climb, and confidence was soon replaced with fear, and as the first night set in, the cold was intense having decided that sleeping bags were not required.

A lighthearted story of interaction between daughter and father and fellow companion but with a real sense of adventure and achievement. On average, 20 people a year lose their lives on Rinjani and this was a challenge that none of the companions would regret.