I'd like to introduce you to Chocky.
I met Chocky during a recent month-long stay in Bali. Here he is in action at the top of Mount Batur, an active volcano in the island's north.
Batur is also a tourist hotspot. Every morning at 4am, scores of teeny torchbeams can be seen scouring the mountainside as visitors from all over the world begin the 1,717m ascent to its peak. The prize that awaits them is a glorious glimpse of the sun as it peaks over the horizon, gradually beginning its crawl across the lush Balinese countryside. On a good day, it's truly a sight to behold. As tourists recover from the hour-long hike up through heavy, jungle foliage, scrambling atop black volcanic rock, Indonesian guides show them how an egg can be boiled from little geysers surrounding the crater rim. The moment darkness lifts, camera lenses are unsheathed to take in the vast view of the steaming vista before them.
This is the moment Chocky has waited patiently for. Scampering from group to group, the dog does his best to snap up all the food he possibly can. Bits of discarded egg and bread are tossed down to him as foreigners attempt to catch a snap of this mysterious mountaineering canine. This will prove a difficult task, however. Chocky has no time to spare for a pose. He's joined by around half a dozen other dogs at the peak, all begging for a generous morsel. For him to linger too long in one spot would be an unwise move.
Once the food is gone, Chocky makes his descent to the foot of the mountain. This is how his morning plays out nearly every single day.
Situated at the bottom of the mountain is a wicked little hostel called BlackLava. Run by a delightful and extremely hospitable local named Yon, the little lodging is somewhat of an unexpected paradise. As you marinate peacefully in the water of a nearby hot spring, Yon's kind, hardworking staff deliver you Bintangs and Balinese dishes against the backdrop of the volcanic lake at Batur's base. It's truly the perfect place to spend a night or two (or three, maybe four) before attempting the sunrise climb.
It's also here that Chocky calls home. Raised by one of the hostel workers, the golden-fleeced Balinese breed is practically an employee himself. From the very moment he ran alongside our scooter as we pulled into BlackLava, I was obsessed. I spent the afternoon patting him and affectionately calling out his name in weird goo-goo-ga-ga adult-baby sounds as I drank myself into a gentle stupor.
I could hardly believe my surprise the next morning when Chocky began to climb the mountain with us at the crack of dawn. Perplexed, I asked our guide, Gede, what the hell this dog thought he was doing. As it turns out, Chocky has been doing this for several years. Up the mountain every morning, and back down right after devouring his delicious spoils.
Even more astonishing is how well Chocky knew the way. Bounding in and out of tight clusters of palms and ferns and scuttling across the pathway carved into the thick undergrowth, it was clear Chocky knew this volcano better than our guide did. At times, I thought he'd grown weary of our slow and tiresome pace, only to catch up with him a few minutes later at the next plateau, waiting patiently as his eyes shone in our torchlight.
Seldom am I as impressed as I was that day. The dog is a total fucking dude.
Which is a good thing. On this particular morning, an aggressive collection of clouds swept in to completely obscure our view at the top. Without the Chocky's antics, the whole trek would have been attempted in vain.
I was also ecstatic to have caught a rare photographic gem of the camera-shy canine. I'd actually been setting up for a 10-second-timer shot with friends when a bunch of German backpackers decided to cut through. Rather than cancel the count and reset the image, I noticed Chocky standing there, and decided to let the camera do its thing. The split decision led to perhaps the best photo I'll take this year (the one at the beginning of this post). I love the way that one of the backpacker's socks flashed across the image, streaking a colorful blur across Chocky's majestic facade. I hope you like it as much as I do.
So, that's my story of a very special encounter with a remarkable alpine adventurer. If you ever find yourself in the area with plans to hike the hill, be sure to stop in at BlackLava and meet Chocky yourself.
