October 21, 2012
joeashkar
It’s getting exciting as we’re getting closer and closer to our destination. We are heading to Camp 5 and are two days away from Base Camp. We quickly packed up Camp 4 and started down a long and winding valley which we then climbed up the other side to beautiful clear views of the Jaya […]
October 20, 2012
joeashkar
We woke up early this morning hoping for an early start but we got delayed until 9:00 AM due to a brief strike by the porters. They felt they were pushed too hard the previous day for trekking 13 hours in difficult conditions and now they’re asking for more money. They also said they won’t […]
October 19, 2012
joeashkar
The word EPIC is used in many instances but I’m not even sure it is synonymous enough to describe today’s trek. As we are trying to reach Base Camp in 5 days instead of 6, we knew today would be a long and tough one but no one expected it to be as hard as it was! […]
October 18, 2012
joeashkar
We got up this morning hoping for an early start. While we were having a not so tasty breakfast of eggs and rice, the porters were still negotiating amongst themselves. We finally got under way shortly after 8:30 AM but after barely walking 100 yards down the village, we got stopped by one of the […]
October 17, 2012
joeashkar
Last night was an absolutely miserable one. I don’t know if it was the “pink” partially cooked chicken from yesterday’s lunch or the fact I made a rookie mistake in brushing my teeth using the tap water or from rinsing my face and mouth in the shower, but low and behold I’ve got a severe […]
October 16, 2012
joeashkar
We were supposed to be flying early this morning from Timika to Sugapa but got word that our chartered flight is unavailable or the plane is inadequate to carry all 7 passengers and luggage. We never got the real story except “no plane today, will have to wait until tomorrow”. So we got to spend […]
October 15, 2012
joeashkar
After clearing customs in Denpasar, Indonesia and arriving at the beautiful Sanur Beach Hotel in Bali around 6 PM local time, I met with my guide Scott Woolums from Mountain Trip. We were both hoping to spend some time at the resort and take the following day to rest on the Bali beaches but we […]
October 14, 2012
joeashkar
After over 49 hours of travel and barely 5 total hours of sleep, I’ve arrived on the Island of Papua to start my climb of Oceania’s highest peak, the Carstensz Pyramid. What they say about the logistics and difficulty reaching this mountain is all true. It’s going to be an epic adventure. Tomorrow morning we […]
July 29, 2012
joeashkar
Jambo from the roof of Africa and the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, Uhuru Peak at an altitude of 5895m/19,340ft. We made it to the Summit and safely back to Millenium Camp after a long and arduous journey. We left high camp shortly after midnight in unusually cold and windy conditions. As we worked our way […]
July 28, 2012
joeashkar
Hello everyone! Today marks the beginning of our Summit push making for an interesting and physically demanding upcoming 36 hours. We left Karanga Camp early this morning and made our way to our high camp called Kosovo Camp at an altitude of 4800m/15,750ft. We chose to climb a bit higher to Kosovo Camp instead of […]