In Timika and ready to depart for base camp!

Hello from the frontier town of Timika, on the island of New Guinea! Today we are in the easternmost province of Indonesia.  We have registered with the local authorities and obtained permission to attempt nearby Carstensz Pyramid. If the weather is suitable for helicopters tomorrow, we will fly in the early morning to our base camp in the Yellow Valley. From there we will acclimatize to the 14,000 ft. elevation and prepare for the ascent.

Wikipedia fun fact:  Did you know that New Guinea is the world’s second-largest island?  The eastern half of the island is the major land mass of the independent state of Papua New Guinea. The western half, referred to as Western New Guinea or West Papua or simply Papua, formerly a Dutch colony, was annexed by Indonesia in 1962.

pictured left to right: Chad, Gary, Richard, Garrett, Jim, Joel in the ‘climbers cafe’ in Timika, where past climbing teams have summit photos on display.