October 25, 2017
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- Climber on Tyrolean Traverse. AKA The Monkey Hammock.(Greg Vernovage)
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- Climber rappelling. (Greg Vernovage)
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- Pickup Time at Yellow Valley (John Dahlem)
Carstensz Pyramid is an adventure. The Team has done a great job showing tons of patience during this expedition. The weather has been causing havoc this season on Carstensz but the team rolled with it and was rewarded. After a couple days of weather, the Team made it into Yellow Valley where they trained and acclimatized.
The next day was for the summit! Jonathan set the alarm for 1 am and stuck his head outside the tent flap to evaluate conditions. It was cold and there were stars in the sky. Best weather forecast you can ask for; it was “go time.â€Â The Team checked in when they arrived on top of the ridge. Cold with perfect weather. A few more hours to the summit. The Team reached the summit on a great day and celebrated before refocusing and working their way back to Base Camp.
Happy and tired, the Team ate dinner and made the perfect plan to call in the Helicopter the next morning. This was not to be. Jonathan sent one simple text yesterday. “Rain mixed with a little snow.â€Â The helicopter was shut down for the day but they plenty of food and fuel. We received some good news just few minutes ago; the 2017 Carstensz Pyramid Team has arrived safely back to Timika. Time to celebrate! … and dry the gear out.
All is well on Carstensz Pyramid!
Greg Vernovage
