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Bener Meriah – Remember the edelweiss flowers that once lined the trails of Mount Burni Telong? Back then, these eternal flowers grew magnificently, welcoming every hiker eager to enjoy nature's beauty. But in 2024? Forget about it. The flowers that used to flourish along the hiking trail are now just a memory. Who’s to blame? We all know the answer: the “nature lovers” who love too much—so much that they just had to pick and take them home.
I first hiked Mount Burni Telong in 2015, and at that time, edelweiss grew abundantly along the trail to the summit. But when I returned nine years later, the view was starkly different. “Edelweiss used to be everywhere. Now? I thought I took the wrong trail, but it turns out, it’s just the handiwork of careless hands,” I said bitterly.
Ah, expert hikers have their own unique way of showing their love for nature. Instead of preserving it, they leave their marks in the form of plucked flowers, plastic trash, and perhaps even wet tissues hidden in the bushes. “Responsibility? Oh, sure. But whose responsibility is it, really?”
Edelweiss, often called the symbol of eternity, has now become a symbol of greed. This flower, which thrives only in high-altitude ecosystems, is extremely sensitive. But who cares? As long as they get a nice photo and a souvenir, right?
Perhaps, in the future, these “nature-loving” hikers need to be reminded that true love doesn’t destroy. It doesn’t involve picking flowers to decorate a table. It doesn’t leave behind traces other than footprints. But then again, talking is easy. After all, who cares about future generations when today we can get a cool selfie?
So, let’s keep “loving” nature this way. Who knows? In a few more years, not just the edelweiss, but the entire Burni Telong ecosystem might just become a legend.