Yummy

Went to the market today in northern Sulawesi (previously called Celebes) and looked at the cooked dog, yummy rat on a stick, plump and tender bat with the wings on the side, python, intestines etc.  Good way to lose weight as appetite not so sharp!
Active volcanoes all around us.  Walked around the rim of one today than to natural hot springs -nice.
Dan

Update

Laura sent me some more info this morning.
The hike through the jungle was very challenging.  Lots of roots, moss and fallen trees.  The path was none existent most of the time.  It took them 6 days to reach base camp, 2 days to summit and 4 days to hike out. The last day was very long, 12 hours, and there were some really steep down hills.  Laura pulled a muscle in her right quad which was painful but seems to be better today.  Dan caught a chest infection - that sounds familiar.
As they were flying into Timika they could see their plane for Bali on the runway getting ready to take off. They will leave for Bali today and spend 2 days there.  Then they fly to Sulawesi where there is an active volcano and some excellent diving.
This was the most technical climb they have done and in many ways the most challenging.  I think they have short memories!!!

At Last

Laura voxed me and her brothers today.  Dan and Laura are both well and heading towards civilization. They will be in Timika tomorrow.  From her short message it sounds as if the hike through the jungle was the most exciting part of their trip.  It rained constantly, they were in rubber boots for days and there was no visible path.  She said all she wanted was a hot shower after 12 days of bird baths and a hamburger.  I am curious as to what they ate en route.

Success

They did it.  According to the Adventure Indonesia website they summited on November 20th.  

"We are more than happy to inform you that ADVENTURE INDONESIA November 2013 Expedition finished successfully. All clients and guides successfully summit. Congratulation to all climbers !

FIRST SUMMIT – 20th November 2013
Daniel Wilbert Mallory (Canada) – Seven Summits Complete!
Laura Catherine Ruth Mallory (Canada) – 06th Summits from Seven Summits"

We will have to wait until they get back to an area where there is internet or cell phone service to hear about their adventure.

Technology bah hum bug

After the initial contact with Dan and Laura via Voxer I thought communication would be great.  I obviously was wrong and this region is not technologically with the times.  In one way that is hard because I do not know what is happening but in another way I am glad there are still places on earth where life does not revolve around texting, chat rooms, and the internet.  Maybe people will actually carry on meaningful conversations and look at who they are talking to or sitting across from during this adventure.

Rain forest jungle

There are two ways to get to base camp - trekking from Sugapa village or flying in by helicopter.  Dan and Laura will have the privilege of hiking through virgin rainforest for up to 7 days.  According to my reading, it should be like going back in time to when the early explorers cut their way through jungles.

The island of New Guinea has one of the largest tracts of tropical rainforest left in the world.  This area contains species of plants and animals common to Australia and several new species have been discovered here.  Dan being a bird watcher should be in his glory if he can see the birds through the dense vegetation.  

Hopefully, man's greed for money does not ruin this area and a huge track of land is preserved.  If not, the human race may be signing their own death sentence.  I recently heard a wonderful quote from Jonas Salk, a famous biologist, “if all insects on Earth disappeared, within 50 years all life on Earth would end.   If all human beings disappeared from the Earth, within 50 years all forms of life would flourish.”

Glaciers near the equator!!!

Carstensz Pryamid lies 4 degrees south of the equator.  However, there are four glaciers in the mountain range near Carstensz Pyramid. With global warming the rate of glacial retreat in this area is rapid.  It is estimated that within a decade these glaciers will have disappeared.  Then the greater Australia continental plate will become  the first completely ice free continent on the planet in 100,000 years.  

Location

The Carstensz Pyramid is also called Puncak Jaya and is located on the island of New Guinea the 2nd largest island in the world after Greenland.  New Guinea is divided into two parts.  The western half contains 2 provinces of Indonesia and the eastern half forms the mainland of the country of Papua New Guinea which gained its independence from Australia in 1975.  At 4,884 meters, 16,024 feet, the Carstensz Pyramid is the highest island peak in the world and considered to be one of the 7 summits - the highest mountain on each of the 7 continents depending on which list you look at.  Some 7 summit lists include Mt Kosciuszko in Australia and others include the Carstensz Pyramid in Oceania, an area which includes Australia and the surrounding islands . The debate is ongoing so most climbers who wish to climb the 7 summits climb both.

Getting there

Carstensz Pyramid, is in a remote part of Indonesia.  There are no roads to base camp and the hike in takes 6 to 8 days.  The mountain is located in dense jungle, surrounded by primitive native tribes near the world's largest gold mine.  The area is poorly mapped, and the Indonesia government requires lots of permits which are costly and hard to obtain.  Periodically, the mountain is  closed to all outsiders.  The last time it was closed was from 1995 to 2005.  For this adventure Dan and Laura used an outfitter Adventure Indonesia.

Staying with locals

Today, Dan & Laura met other climbers in Denpasar and flew to Timika where they will be spending the night in the home of a local resident. They had their gear weighed and had to remove some items since the maximum weight a porter can carry is 19 kgm.  Dan loves to bring lots of extras just in case.  Tomorrow they go to Sugapa.

The Plane Dropped Several Feet

Laura sent me a vox this morning letting me know about their flight.  Sometimes technology is wonderful. 

En route from Hong Kong to Jakarta Indonesia, they ran into some bad weather and had to detour to another airport to refuel and wait out the storm.  Laura said the plane dropped several feet at one point and the landing was really rough.  Thankfully, they have safely arrived in Jakarta.  

Another Adventure Begins

For the past week every surface in our condo  has been covered with hiking/camping/climbing gear.  Laura had her room and the living room and Dan took over the dining room, den, our bedroom, the front hall and any other space he could find.  He likes to see everything before he packs. The puppies had problems finding a space to lie down and sleep.  Unfortunately, a lot of the mess is still here but I will deal with that over the next few days.
On Saturday I drove Dan and Laura to the airport to catch a 1:20 a.m. flight to Hong Kong.  The adventure has begun.