Climbing Memories Week 1
As I climb the world to end Alzheimer’s, I have taken literally thousands of photographs. I am posting many on Facebook over the next few months and will do a weekly summary post here on my site. I hope you enjoy them. Mt. Vinson, Antarctica This is one of my favorite memories from Antarctica’s Mt. Vinson at 16,050’/4892m in December 2010. We were approaching the summit using the so-called right-hand variation lead by IMG legend Phil Ershler. I documented the moment in my trip report: “ … we made steady progress to the next ridge where we meandered around jutting rock formations and large boulders marking the highest ridge in Antarctica. As I looked out across the horizon, I had to keep reminding myself that the white I was seeing was not clouds but snow and ice. It was simply breathtaking. I was following Phil as he came to a high step at a snow wall. “I am touching the summit plateau. Don’t fall here!” And with that he took a big step, assumed the stance of a sea captain looking over his crew and monitored each of us as we duplicated his moves. I stepped on the summit area and immediately saw a small snow prow jutting into the air – a tiny spot symbolizing the highest point on the Antarctic continent. With no control or editing, I let out a whoop of delight. We spent an hour on the summit – forever in mountaineering time. But the skies were clear and there was no wind. Temps were near -20F but I felt like I was on a beach.” Serengeti,Tanzania (Kilimanjaro) After summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, we went on a short safari in the Serengeti. As much as I love climbing, the safari topped everything else on this trip to Africa. One moment is forever etched in my memory. Off to the right of the Land Rover walking slowly, methodically through the tall grass, was a full grown male Cheetah who suddenly stopped in his tracks. Slowly he turned his head to the left in order to see what the noise was all about. Perhaps it was lunch? Or maybe a mate, but no, this time it was just another load of tourists with their cameras clicking away. He moved on, not bothered in the least. Of course if he had wanted to, he would have taken off going from a dead stop to full speed of 60 miles per hours in just 3 seconds. Less than 10,000 of these magnificent creatures remain on earth. I am grateful he shared a few moments with me that September 2011 day. Carstensz Pyramid, Puncak Jaya Indonesia The most exotic of the 7 Summits has to be Carstensz Pyramid in Puncak Jaya Indonesia at 4884 m (16,024 ft). it is the most “technical” of the 7 Summits, you do a bit of rock climbing, rappelling and a fun move called a Tyrollean Traverse. Basically you hang upside down from a rope/cable by your harness praying the cable was not installed by the headhunting, cannibal natives and that the inventors of nylon webbing knew what they were doing. If something fails, it’s several hundred feet to the first bounce off the rocks – a serious bad hair day! I understand they recently installed something called a Burma Bridge but I don’t think it an improvement. Tibet (Cho Oyu) In September 1998, I was on my way to climb Cho Oyu, 26,907’/8201m, in Tibet. This was my first ”big mountain” and first time in Tibet. I was awe struck by the barren, yet beautiful, landscape of the Tibetan Steps as it spread out as far as the eye could see at 14,000 feet. As we took our time to adjust to the ever increasing altitude, we stopped at several towns. Outside of one desolate town, Tingri, I came upon 50 tents – Tibetan nomads. The dark skinned Tibetan men enthusiastically gambled, rolling dice on the only paved highway for miles while the women tended to the sheep. I made my way to one pyramid shaped tent and gently looked towards an open flap. I made eye contact with an impressive woman and glanced at my camera, she simply nodded and placed her right hand on grand-baby’s leg. She looked at me for a slight moment as I pressed the shutter, careful to let the camera focus on this special moment. I slightly bowed my head and said thank you. I gave her a dollar bill. She smiled and pressed her palms together as I moved away. I wonder where these nomads are today, 17 years later. Are they still tending to their sheep, raising their children, living off the land? I would like to think their lives remain pure and simple in this difficult world. Ama Dablam Ama Dablam is often considered one of the world’s most beautiful peaks. I was fortunate to summit it in October 2000. Standing tall at 22,494 feet or 6828 meters, it’s about 30 miles south of Mt. Everest. Anyone who has trekked in the Khumbu has many photos of this spectacular peak. Today Ama Dablam is quite crowded, as are many of the popular Himalayan Peaks and that is why Nepal opened up 104 new peaks for climbing last year. But in 2000, there was only a few other teams on the mountain and we had the summit all to ourselves. We had only one Sherpa, Lhapka, with us and he was amazing. The picture is of him approaching Camp 2. By the way, I’m looking forward to seeing the new film, Sherpa, featuring Phurba Tashi Sherpa of Himalayan Experience fame and who is tied with Apa Sherpa for a record 21 summits of Everest. When I first saw Ama Dablam in 1997 on a trek to Everest Base Camp, I dismissed it as impossible; I didn’t have the skills or ability to even attempt it. It was on my descent from the summit and
Final Trip Reports: Carstensz Pyramid and Kosciuszko
What a way to wrap up phase 1 of the 7 Summits Climbs for Alzheimer’s: Memories are Everything project. Carstensz Pyramid had everything I expected and Kosciuszko was the perfect last climb. Carstensz Pyramid Carstensz was what an adventure should be. It had drama, uncertainty, an element of danger and of course for a climber – a summit. I knew as I boarded the plane for the flight to Indonesia that this would be the most difficult climb both technically and logistically. What I didn’t expect was that labor issues at the local mine near Carstensz would be the culprit. I knew the local tribes in the jungles created havoc for foreigners but it was the the strike that generated major problems. Once we reached base camp, the climb itself was very enjoyable from a pure climbing perspective. There was rock climbing at high altitude and was fun. The highlight was the Tryolean Traverse where I clipped my harness onto a cable spanning a large gap with clear air below, took a leap of faith and pulled myself across towards the summit – all at 16,000 feet. I have a great video of me going over and back on the trip report. I think you will find it interesting! In my normal manner for all my climbs I have added a few pages to my site to document the expedition: Carstensz Pyramid 2011 Trip Report with videos Carstensz Pyramid FAQ Carstensz Pyramid Photo Gallery Kosciuszko Approaching 200 nights away from home, I was anxious to return home so after we returned to civilization in Bali, I immediately flew to Sydney Australia, one of the great cities in the world. I drove then down to Thredbo and climbed Mt. Kosciuszko the next day. For those wondering (and counting) why I climbed eight mountain for something called the 7 Summits, I explain it all in this post a few weeks ago. That said, I loved Kozzy. It was easy, fun and rewarding with the added benefit of being in Australia. These are the specific reports on that climb: Kosciuszko 2011 Trip Report Kosciuszko FAQ Kosciuszko Photo Gallery While these climbs may be over (and there may be one more in 2012 so stay tuned); my efforts around Alzheimer’s will not stop. I hope to go on a road trip of sorts next year to share these experiences and show a few pictures from my 8 climbs. I am already doing that on a limited basis and appreciate the positive response. If you subscribe to this blog you will continue to receive notices of articles and future speaking and fundraising events. Also, please continue to visit this blog and site to see what’s new with me. But for now; Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
Carstensz Summit Brief Recap
Carstensz Pyramid was without a doubt the most exotic, logistically complicated and, capsule from a pure climbing perspective, rewarding of all the 7 Summits. In my usual approach, I will post a full trip report, FAQ and photo/video gallery but for now, some highlights of our summit day. As I previously posted, strikes at the huge local gold mine created massive uncertainty with our flights to Carstensz base camp (BC) resulting in having to charter several helicopter flights to avoid the 6 day trek across the Paupu jungles. But we were here to climb, not trek, so the entire team was satisfied to work thru the additional delays and costs; albeit still a surprise. We arrived at BC on October 20th and took one acclimatization day. We left BC around 2:00 AM on the 22nd for the summit. The route follows a series of cracks and rock gullies from the BC at 14,065′ to the summit ridge around 16,000′. The stars were out and the temperatures in the mid 30’s. Very old and frayed ropes marked the route but we tried to avoid putting our full weight on them – at least on the up climb – so it was full-on hands and feet to the incredibly sharp limestone rock. The climbing was fun, plain and simple. Our headlamps shown brightly a few feet in front and each step plus handhold was new as we made good progress towards the crux of the ascent, the Tyrollean Traverse around dawn. I had viewed several videos of the Tyrollean but was still not prepared for that final step where you committed your life to a steel cable, pulley, string of ropes and my waist harness. One by one we pulled ourselves across a 50′ gap above a 100′ drop to a ledge and then another 1500′ to the valley below. Amazingly fun! I will post my helmet cam video on the trip report. Once across the traverse, we still had two more challenging gaps to overcome which involved some tricky down climbing and then a similar effort to regain the loss all towards the summit. After 4.5 hours we reached the final climb to the summit. The entire climb was a series of narrow rock ridges, exposed drop-offs and scree where we occasionally stepped on shallow snow patches, but it was mostly solid footing. The summit was small, marked with a plaque that had washed out years ago but someone had left an ice axe with the Indonesian flag attached to it. We stayed for about 30 minutes enjoying the good views and mild weather. The down climb was more physical in some ways than the ascent with multiple rappels required to cover the steep rock faces and gullies. Rarely did a rope length go more than 100 feet before a knot or an anchor required a full stop and re-rigging the rappel device. The anxiety level was a bit high as we depended on those aged ropes. We made the return climb in about the same time as the ascent. So, Carstensz was quite the experience. It was filled with uncertainty the entire time and never felt organized – but that is par for the course climbing in this part of the world. The local culture was revealing, the climbing rewarding and the opportunity to send our message of hope, need and urgency for Alzheimer’s from the summit the purpose. This summit was dedicated to the Alzheimer’s dads out there. There is a lot more to tell: an uprising of local porters and natives that almost stopped our flight, eight hours of rain a day, the isolated village with no roads in or out but uses motorcycles to get around, the war veteran with one leg and arm who trekked in for 9 days and much, much more. My mom would have loved to hear about these adventures … OK, one more to go: Kosciusko in a few days! Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
Summit: Audio Dispatch from Carstensz Pyramid
I summited Carstensz Pyramid on October 22, 2011. It was a great climb. Read the full trip report for all the details. This is the audio dispatch I posted live from the summit; the 7th of my 7 Summits climbs. Click to listen: [audio:http://www.alanarnette.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/audio/Carstensz Pyramid 2011 Summit.mp3|titles=Carstensz Pyramid Summit Audio Dispatch|artists=Alan Arnette] These climbs are to raise Alzheimer’s awareness and $1M for research. I lost my mom and two aunts to Alzheimer’s. Please join me to end Alzheimer’s by making a donation today. Read the details. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
Carstensz Summit Push in 10 hours
We leave our summit push for Carstensz Pyramid in about 10 hours, leaving camp around 1 AM local time. It should take between 8 to 12 hours roundtrip.Attached is a picture of Carstensz’s face we are climbing. The route is to the right gaining the ridge…
Carstensz: Commit to the Goal
Our Indonesia adventure continues. We were supposed to fly out today from Timika on the southern coast of Papua to Suagpa north of Carstensz, but a snag in the logistics foiled this plan. Before I go on, a bit of background. Adjacent to Carstensz is one of the largest gold and copper mines in the world. It is the primary employer in this area and around 9,000 of the 12,000 workers went on strike on September 15 for higher wages. They make about US$2 to $3 a day, according to some press reports I have seen, and want $43. The strike was scheduled for 30 days but went past that deadline just as we arrived in Timika, the center of all the activity. The tension resulted in significant violence with several deaths. The workers took control of the airport we are using in Timika but were allowing limited flights. The aviation fuel supply was cut off causing all flights to refuel at other airports or cancel flights altogether. Foreigners were warned to say off the streets. The hotel we were scheduled to use was closed to foreigners so we found another. Our original plan was to fly into Timika from Bali, spend one night and fly on to Sugapa and then to the Lakes base camp; but with no fuel, there were no flights. Mountain Trip partners with a local agency and Franky, their owner, worked to find alternative flights. The end result is that now we are scheduled to fly out tomorrow, October 20th, weather dependent. The logistics of these flights are very complicated. First a fixed wing plane, a Pilatus Poter will fly into Timika and pick up half our team along with our gear and the helicopter pilot. They will fly to Sugapa plus take a reconnaissance flight over our landing spot near Carstensz. The Pilatus will then fly back to another airport to refuel and back to Timika for the rest of the group. We will spend the night at this encampment at the edge of the jungle at 7,000 feet. The next day, an Agusta Helicopter will make 3 to 4 trips to ferry all of us and our gear to our base camp on Carstensz. Once we complete the climb we will take the helicopter out and eventually leave Papua from Nabire back to Bali. This complicated plan increased the cost of the expedition and is still very fragile; not to mention weather dependent. However, everyone feels quite good about and especially glad to leave Timika and get on with the climb. That said, we have all felt quite safe and have enjoyed the hospitality of the hotel employees and the locals we have met. Some of the team rented small motorcycles and ventured into the rual areas outside the town this afternoon – not me. I am supposed to be on the first wave out, a benefit of being one of the first to sign up for this trip, and will activate my SPOT tracker once I arrive in Sugapa. Of course, I will take a lot of pictures. All of this is a stark reminder that climbing these high peaks is never easy, in spite of what you may hear. It is critical to have excellent partners, patience, flexibility and a sense of adventure. I continue to be reminded how much support it requires to accomplish a difficult objective, similar to what it takes to find a cure for Alzheimer’s: teamwork, patience, flexibility and commitment. I was impressed while speaking at the Alzheimer’s Europe conference in Warsaw just two weeks ago to see all of these traits in full demonstration. Multiple speakers addressed the need for collaboration, commitment and increased investment to find improved ments, and a cure. And that is what my climb of Carstensz is all about. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
Welcome to Sagapa
We achieved major progress today and are now in the village of Bilogai in the area of Sugapa. We received notice that the airplan had left another airport to pick us up in Timika about 7 this morning so we hustled to the airport with no drama. There we…
Inguinity, Papua style!
OK, progress – Papau style! With the local issues, fuel has become the major problem in reaching the base camp of Carstensz Pyramid. But, impressively, our local team has been working on several solutions. So as it stands right now, subject to change, we will fly out of Timika tomorrow, Tuesday, to Sugapa where we will catch a helicopter to base camp. This involves an additional air drop of multiple fuel barrels in order to refuel the helicopter for the three trips it will take to get us and our gear there. Conveniently, Sugapa is also the starting point if we need to trek in. Of note, our team will be the first in a year and half to successfully use a helicopter thus avoiding the 6 day jungle trek … assuming we get there! Now getting out is a different story! And of course, the weather must cooperate and then the pilots must; well you get the picture! So today we are weighing all our gear for the flights. We are limited in weight for the helicopter so accuracy is important. It is hot and humid here in Timika and very simple. I have attached a short video I took from my hotel window today to give you a feel for the sights of the city and sounds of the call to prayers from a nearby mosque. You know, it may seem like we are going through a lot of hoops just to climb a mountain; and we are! However, for me this is more than a mountain, especially given the importance of sending our message of hope, need and urgency for Alzheimer’s from the top of each continent. I am witnessing a true team effort to make this happen form resources back home to those here on the ground and others in remote places. Of course it is not just for me but my teammates as well and we all appreciate the effort, it is not lost on any of us. Follow my SPOT to see where end up tomorrow and I will update everyone as often as I can. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
The Carstensz Adventure Begins!
Well it didn’t take long for the adventure part of Carstensz Pyramid to begin. I finally made it to the southern mining town of Timika today, Sunday, after leaving home on Wednesday spending almost all of the time flying or in airports. My journey took me from Denver to Los Angles to Bangkok; then directly to the Bali airport of Denpasar where I met up with the rest of the Mountain Trip team and our leader, Scott Woolums who was passing on one delay after another to us – all part of the “flexibility” required on a trip like this. Unlike a climb of Kilimanjaro where the logistics are well know and organized, Carstensz is a literal fly by the seat of your pants experience. We were supposed to take a couple of days in Bali to recover from jet lag then at the last minute we flew from Denpasar to Jayapura and on to Timika. It seemed our helicopter flight had been moved back a day then moved back up and as of now, we are not sure when it will take us to base camp. The other complicating factor is that the workers for the local mine are on strike creating havoc in this jungle village. One casualty was the closure of our hotel so at the last minute we switched to another to wait out the helicopter situation. Another was the lack of fuel at the airport. So all in all, nothing too serious and , believe it or not, kind of business as usual for a Carstensz expedition. So taking it all in stride, we had a team dinner at the hotel in Bali last night before catching our 2:00AM flight enjoying a local Balinese Dance group and a group picture! As we flew across Papua, I grabbed a window seat (and moved away from the wiggly 2-year-old sitting next me) to snap a few jungle pictures. We flew directly over the Sudirman Range which holds Carstensz. There were a few patches of snow visible – amazing since we are only a few hundred miles from the equator. So the plan is, first for me to get some sleep! Then we will probably take a fixed winged plane from sea level here at Timika to 7000 feet at Sugapa. There we either start the 6 days trek in or the helicopter picks us up and we fly to the Lakes Base Camp around 14,000′. Our local logistics contact keeps assuring us that the helicopter is a certainty. I really hope so! I will continue to do updates but they will be shorter with fewer pictures as we enter the jungle where the reception is poor with the sat phone. For those using Facebook as your primary way of tracking me, I suggest you go directly to this Blog and/or sign up for notification (see the form on the bottom of the right sidebar of this page) of new dispatches due to all the recent and impending changes to Facebook. Finally, I will turn the SPOT tracker on tomorrow. Use the “Where is Alan” tab to follow our progress. My helmet camera is ready to record the Tyrolean Traverse and anything else I may run into. This is definitely one for creating memories of a lifetime. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything
The Leeches of Carstensz Pyramid
If that title and picture didn’t get your attention, I don’t know will! :-D. I leave for the next climb of the 7 Summits Climb for Alzheimer’s: Memories are Everything in mid October. This will be the 7th climb, but to be precise, I will actually climb one more, Kosciuszko in Australia immediately after Carstensz; why? Check out this post to see why I am climbing all 8 of the 7 Summits! OK, so what’s up with the leeches? Carstensz is located in Indonesia’s New Guinea in the province of Papua formally named Irian Jaya. New Guinea is the world’s second largest island and being only 280 miles from the equator is overrun with thick rain forests … and leeches. And, the local tribes of Kimial and Damal are the guys who wear nothing but their traditional penis gourd. While “interesting” with the nod to their past; the tribes have adapted to the modern times and regularly stop expeditions going to Carstensz and ask for a toll to pass. They usually get it seeing as they are holding sharp spears and seem to have no issue with using them. Given all this, and that it takes six days to cross the hot, humid, wet and muddy (oh, and did I mention leech infested?) jungle to reach the base camp for Carstensz; many climbers try to hire a helicopter thus cutting the time to one day; with the added benefit of avoiding inconveniences. Some guide companies market their Carstensz climb as only real if you go through the jungle, I’ll defer my view until I return. I am climbing this time with Mountain Trip. This will be their 12th or so climb of Carstensz thus they know the territory and traditions well. They have arranged for a helicopter to get us in and out of base camp but there is no guarantee (complicated by politics and helicopter dynamics plus short weather windows) so I may be peeling leeches off my ankles in late October! Once there, Carstensz is the most technical climb of the 7 Summits. By technical, I mean we will be rock climbing using ropes, rappelling gear and other technical equipment. There will be little snow if any on the summit but can still be cold at 16,023 feet or 4884 meters. Similar to Kilimanjaro, which is also very close to the equator, the high mountains of New Guinea still have glaciers. Of interest is the need to use a crossing technique called the Tyrolean Traverse. This is when a rope is strung across a high gap in the mountains, this time on the summit ridge. The climber attaches their waste harness to the rope and hooking their arms and legs around the rope, pull themselves across. If the tribes don’t get you, the crossing might! Here is a video from Mountain Trip that is supposed to encourage people to join them! Once across, the climbing involves levels up to 5.6 in rock climbing parlance which simply means, don’t fall or you will have a bad hair day. More precisely, any route rated over 5 is “considered true rock climbing, predominantly on vertical or near vertical rock, and requires skill and a rope to proceed safely. Un-roped falls would result in severe injury or death.” according to the Yosemite Decimal System (YDS); the authority for US rock climbing. Yikes! In all seriousness, I am looking forward to this climb. I have the experience and skills to do the climb, that is not a worry for me. But those cannibals and leeches … no experience there! Look for dispatches and SPOT tracking to start around October 15th. Climb On! Alan Memories are Everything