Looking up at our objective from base camp.
Carstensz Pyramid (or Puncak Jaya) was a very different climb from all the others. It consisted of scrambling and ascending fixed lines, as well as rappelling. To get ready for this climb we did our normal aerobic and strength training regiment, but we also went to Red Rocks in Las Vegas to practice some of the skills we would need for the climb.
This trip began with a really long flight to Indonesia. We arrived with all luggage accounted for which is always a good thing on one of these trips. Our guide, Paul Koubek, picked us up at the airport and promptly let us know we wouldn’t be in Bali for very long. We were going to take a flight out to Timika later that evening so we had just enough time to do gear check and have dinner before heading out. Back at the hotel, we met our other two teammates at dinner. There was a band that began playing while we ate and the first song they played was “Country Roads." We couldn’t believe it…it was pretty funny.
We headed to the airport to catch our flight. The hotel in Timika was simple but nice. We were told not to leave the compound and wander the streets because there was some unrest. The hotel had a buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner with good local cuisine. We settled into our rooms, but weren’t sure how long we would be there. The plan was to fly to Carstensz Base Camp at the earliest opportunity, weather permitting. Our next transport was via helicopter so the conditions had to be optimal all the way to Base Camp. Just our luck, the weather wasn’t cooperating so we were stuck in Timika for a few days. Paul and I were going to take the first flight while Brian and the other two climbers were going to take the second one. We had one false alarm – Paul and I woke up very early one morning thinking we were going to fly out. We drove over to the airfield and met the crew, but then the weather came in and the flight was cancelled. However, the next day we were finally able to fly out. It was my first time in a helicopter so I was pretty excited. The flight over was scenic. There were houses clear in the middle of the flood plain which I couldn’t believe. The most striking thing we saw was the enormous copper and gold mine – one of the largest in the world.
We arrived safely at Base Camp and then the helicopter went back to retrieve Brian and the others. Carrying the boxes of food and gear over to our campsite was a little more strenuous than I thought it would be because I forgot we were now at altitude. After setting up camp, we went over to the starting point of the climb for summit day to review skills and what to expect. We wouldn’t have much time to acclimatize as we were going for the summit the next morning. Meldy and Poxy, our Indonesian guides, made such a great dinner for us. It was all traditional food and it was as if we were sitting down for a 6-course meal. We would definitely have enough fuel in us for summit day.
Summit day looked like it was going to be good day. The weather was cooperating. We headed up and the terrain was mostly what I had expected. I was a little winded in the beginning due to not being fully acclimatized, but I pushed through it and felt stronger after a while. We finally came to the spot we had read about online – the Burma Bridge. It is a 20-foot gap that we had to cross by walking on a single cable. We were fortunate that this year they had installed two additional cables for balance. I took it heel-to-toe and got over to the other side pretty quickly. Our guide, Paul, took that picture of me crossing the Bridge. Brian decided to turn his feet sideways, but he got through it in good style. There were a few other spots where we had to leap over to the next rock to get across, but it wasn’t too difficult. After four hours, we made it to the summit! It was a little misty and visibility wasn’t perfect, but it wasn’t very cold so we were able to hang out for a bit before descending. Meldy and Poxy had these really great summit banners made for each of us. I thought that was a nice touch. Not long after we started to descend, it began to flurry. The flurry then turned into a rainy drizzle for the majority of the time we rappelled. Even though we had practiced rappelling in Red Rocks, we were still not supremely efficient at it so the rain made our descent slightly more difficult. After 3.75 hours, we made it back to camp. A little wet and cold, but we made it.
We all ducked into our tents to change out of our clothes and relax for a bit before dinner. I had completely changed into a set of warm, dry clothes and got into my sleeping bag, but I started shivering and couldn’t stop. It seemed to last forever until finally it subsided. Once we were all in the meal tent for another amazing dinner, Brian mentioned that he was shivering in his tent. A couple of us, myself included, acknowledged the same thing happened to us. What we learned we need to do the next time that happens is go outside and do some jumping jacks to get our blood pumping because the sleeping bag won’t help if your body isn’t generating any heat.
The next day we helicoptered to Timika and then got on a plane back to Bali. We stayed at a fantastic hotel called Artotel. Nice rooms, art everywhere by local artists, great food and air conditioning. Did I tell you Indonesia is hot and humid? Well, it is. We spent the next couple days sightseeing and souvenir shopping. One night we all went out to a bar in a town called Seminyak. It was a great time. One of the places the tour guide took us was a coffee tasting shop. There were also some animals there, one of which was the Asian palm civet. If any of you have seen the movie The Bucket List, you will understand why this is funny. The girl working in the shop attempted to explain to us in broken English the relationship between the animal we were looking at and the coffee when suddenly it dawned upon me what it was. I shouted, “It’s Kopi Luwak!" Of course we had to try it, so we ordered a flight of coffee to taste and then we all shared a cup of Kopi Luwak. I am not actually a coffee drinker, but I have to say that it wasn’t that good as far as I can tell. Must be an acquired taste.
