Mark Luscher on the Summit

The clouds were building, so we didn't spend too long on top, but the views were spectacular.

Congratulations to Bill and Mark for reaching the summit of the most elusive of the Seven Summits!

Bill Burke on the summit ridge!

Bill on the ridge between the first and secons "gaps" on perhaps the first rainless ascent of Carstensz Pyramid.

The Welcoming Party in Wamena

We visited a small Dani village on the outskirts of Wamena just before flying in to the mountain. The local elders brought out a mummified ancestor to meet us!

waiting for flights

The boys are in Manado for a day, flying out tomorrow (the 19th) to Singapore. In the mean time, they're going out to a nearby island to see the sights under the water. I'd guess the heat makes being in the water preferrable to sweating on land. I know they all want to get home to their families, but it doesn't sound like they're suffering too bad. Check out their hotel at www.ritzymanado.com !

Safely in Timika

The team is safe and sound in the town of Timika after an adventurous trip through the Freeport mine. I'm not sure of the details, but it sounded like something from a Bond flick. It may have been as exciting as the climb...It took a bit of hiking, five vehicle transfers, and about 20 hours to complete this leg of the expedition.
They will get some sleep and then visit a local village in Timika tomorrow. Yippee! They're one step closer to home!

Back at Base

The team is back at base camp after a gruelling 21 hour climb. Since my last report, they've rappelled down 13 lengths of rope - six of which were in the dark - before they were at the bottom of the route.
It's 8:00 in the morning for them and today they'll be making arrangements for leaving the camp; perhaps they will be back in Wamena this evening.
Mark sends out a "Happy Mother's Day" to his wife Valerie! Bill also says "Happy Mother's Day" to his wife Sharon and all the mothers of his 14 grandchildren! They'll be talking to you soon!

On top of the world!

Well, this part of the world anyway. The team called in at 12:30 a.m. and reported having been on top. Todd couldn't get a clear signal on the sat phone at the summit, so he tried and got through after descending through the more technical bits. They had only rapelling left to do. The weather was holding and they hope to make it down sans rain. Congratulations to the Mountain Trip team! Bill Burke, Mark Luscher, and Todd Rutledge have summited Carstensz Pyramid.
Once they make it back to the modern world, Todd will pick up writing this blog again and give us all the details.

Heading out for the Summit

And they're off! At 10:00 Colorado time ( 1:00 a.m. expedition time) the team began their climb. The connection was poor, but I heard that everything was "great" and something about "...warm...moon...good light." It will be a long day for them. Send thoughts of strength and endurance to them. I'll update when I get a call from the summit!

Aclimatizing in the rain

The group spent the night witnessing a brilliant lightning storm which followed a day's worth of rain. They plan to hike a ridge on a peak to their south tomorrow, and attempt the summit of Carstensz the next day. Everyone is doing well, recovering from the travel lag and gaining altitude. Tomorrow they'll get more serious. That's all for now. I'll update when they begin their big day (which will start between midnight and 2 a.m. (their time).

At Base Camp

Todd called from the satellite phone this evening and reported that they were finally at base camp. Although they have been enjoying the local culture, I got the impression they were glad to be in sight of their ultimate goal. In Wamena for most of the day, they their experience sounds other-worldly; very dark skinned natives that wear head dresses of feathers and penis gourds and little else...
The plan is to rest, then climb a neighboring peak or two before making the big one-long-day push up the pyramid.