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- Nov 18, 2010
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Carstensz Pyramid Final Wrap-Up 12/16/08
Mark Ryman here, back in Seattle after several days of flights on a variety of aircraft. After some fairly complicated travel logistics, I finally have word that everyone has arrived home safe and sound. Following the departure of the first helicopter, which took Pablo, Joe and Bill to Nabire, the rest of us played the waiting game for another 48 hours in basecamp. We later learned that there was a problem with getting another qualified pilot back to Nabire in order to have a second flight to get the rest of us out. Adriaan, Sylvia and I were prepared to begin the long trek out if a chopper didn’t show by mid-morning on December 12th, though this would have meant all of us would miss our return flights out of Bali by a long shot and potentially be stuck in Indonesia during peak holiday season with very little availability for standby flights to get home for Christmas. Fortunately we heard the chopper blades cutting through the thin air at around 11:00 a.m. and we were all very excited and relieved to see it land on the heli-pad above base camp to whisk us away to Nabire. Our cook, Steve, also flew out with us and we knew we were near max payload capacity for flying at that altitude. We also had to make a fairly exciting re-fuel stop in the town of Enoratali about half way to Nabire.
![](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F_JN7DyNvD1ow%2FSVMQZfzceBI%2FAAAAAAAAAHw%2FCg-RKhpipGM%2Fs200%2FIMG_3940.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=eeb325942c3eeb132e4b69c3f9494585 150w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F_JN7DyNvD1ow%2FSVMQZfzceBI%2FAAAAAAAAAHw%2FCg-RKhpipGM%2Fs200%2FIMG_3940.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=5cd31bda0dc9bc844bad2dfbad11892e 150w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F_JN7DyNvD1ow%2FSVMQZfzceBI%2FAAAAAAAAAHw%2FCg-RKhpipGM%2Fs200%2FIMG_3940.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=b476193d9ef97379a66d993827189a89 150w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F_JN7DyNvD1ow%2FSVMQZfzceBI%2FAAAAAAAAAHw%2FCg-RKhpipGM%2Fs200%2FIMG_3940.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=c86c5591fdf3df3da89b5f24672ce412 150w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F_JN7DyNvD1ow%2FSVMQZfzceBI%2FAAAAAAAAAHw%2FCg-RKhpipGM%2Fs200%2FIMG_3940.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=d36dedac43a2eaff4b5df1ca6e7818ad 150w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F_JN7DyNvD1ow%2FSVMQZfzceBI%2FAAAAAAAAAHw%2FCg-RKhpipGM%2Fs200%2FIMG_3940.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=8785fc1fcc4b8ac5852489eb34cbdcd2 150w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F_JN7DyNvD1ow%2FSVMQZfzceBI%2FAAAAAAAAAHw%2FCg-RKhpipGM%2Fs200%2FIMG_3940.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=2138142cd6585d1e59f1911cd0a4dde1 150w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/http%3A%2F%2F3.bp.blogspot.com%2F_JN7DyNvD1ow%2FSVMQZfzceBI%2FAAAAAAAAAHw%2FCg-RKhpipGM%2Fs200%2FIMG_3940.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=2bc08d8440524473b7534140baabe883 150w)
Once on the ground in Nabire, we figured things would be smooth for the rest of the journey home. This wasn’t the case as we watched through the airport windows for nearly 6 hours as several mechanics disassembled and reassembled one engine on the Merpati Airlines twin otter that was supposed to take us away. Eventually they said it could not be repaired until morning and we ended up in a hotel in Nabire for the night. The next morning we went back to the airstrip at 6:00 a.m. and spent the day hopping amongst several Indonesian airports on increasingly larger (and more confidence-inspiring) commercial aircraft. Our stops included Biak and Makassar before finally arriving back in Denpasar, Bali. We landed in Bali around 6:00 p.m. on December 13 and there was a Singapore Airlines flight leaving at 8:00 p.m. Unfortunately, we all had bags stored back at the Padma hotel on the other side of town. A very frantic cross town shuttle van ride (with us barking “faster, faster” at the driver the whole time)got us to the hotel and back to the airport just in the nick of time. So much for Christmas shopping in Bali. Our two extra days turned into less than two hours on the island. Adriaan and I somehow got on the flight, but Sylvia was delayed one night. I found out on Monday that she
got a seat the following day and is now home in Victoria. This trip turned out to be quite an adventure, a bit more than expected in some respects. With a successful summit and everyone back safe and in time for Christmas, we are now happy to relive the journey through photos and stories in the comfort of home.
![](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F_JN7DyNvD1ow%2FSVMP1gh9lLI%2FAAAAAAAAAHo%2FsWAg1P8Y-Tg%2Fs200%2FIMG_3853.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=fe50a3dc38b7c6d0496e0efe27d24b88 150w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F_JN7DyNvD1ow%2FSVMP1gh9lLI%2FAAAAAAAAAHo%2FsWAg1P8Y-Tg%2Fs200%2FIMG_3853.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=1c89c4a1c18c0e97dced42152758d56a 150w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F_JN7DyNvD1ow%2FSVMP1gh9lLI%2FAAAAAAAAAHo%2FsWAg1P8Y-Tg%2Fs200%2FIMG_3853.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=bca788d575a004acd2a1ac14aabff5a2 150w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F_JN7DyNvD1ow%2FSVMP1gh9lLI%2FAAAAAAAAAHo%2FsWAg1P8Y-Tg%2Fs200%2FIMG_3853.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=ba018e82ab891eb6261aeee2f667ace1 150w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F_JN7DyNvD1ow%2FSVMP1gh9lLI%2FAAAAAAAAAHo%2FsWAg1P8Y-Tg%2Fs200%2FIMG_3853.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=4f04ba8f48c0ab4d079e505d2aed49c8 150w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F_JN7DyNvD1ow%2FSVMP1gh9lLI%2FAAAAAAAAAHo%2FsWAg1P8Y-Tg%2Fs200%2FIMG_3853.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=26cfcf41cb8e27e17d09e9404e01496b 150w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F_JN7DyNvD1ow%2FSVMP1gh9lLI%2FAAAAAAAAAHo%2FsWAg1P8Y-Tg%2Fs200%2FIMG_3853.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=1420af080b815f5b6cf4d0bb4bc9f7bb 150w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F_JN7DyNvD1ow%2FSVMP1gh9lLI%2FAAAAAAAAAHo%2FsWAg1P8Y-Tg%2Fs200%2FIMG_3853.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=303e9eeb5d443b07764bec1fcb87f7d9 150w)
Special thanks to some people who helped us get the right equipment to make this trip a success: Outdoor Research for the awesome Exped Andromeda tents, Helly Hansen for the base layers and shell gear, and Tim at Iridium for the new 9555 satellite phones for reliable communications throughout the trip.
![](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F_JN7DyNvD1ow%2FSVMPlNe396I%2FAAAAAAAAAHg%2FyX1Hte-2C2o%2Fs200%2FIMG_3836.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=b9f8159f048557c99e841013a4d0ed68 150w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F_JN7DyNvD1ow%2FSVMPlNe396I%2FAAAAAAAAAHg%2FyX1Hte-2C2o%2Fs200%2FIMG_3836.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=309ea45a878eaf19d44751734655f080 150w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F_JN7DyNvD1ow%2FSVMPlNe396I%2FAAAAAAAAAHg%2FyX1Hte-2C2o%2Fs200%2FIMG_3836.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=4824afe6ea4addca6fad5a1c271beb03 150w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F_JN7DyNvD1ow%2FSVMPlNe396I%2FAAAAAAAAAHg%2FyX1Hte-2C2o%2Fs200%2FIMG_3836.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=206465725839ba91a9b5942715aaeac7 150w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F_JN7DyNvD1ow%2FSVMPlNe396I%2FAAAAAAAAAHg%2FyX1Hte-2C2o%2Fs200%2FIMG_3836.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=8beff1ace249bf43ae2bdd4476f5211a 150w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F_JN7DyNvD1ow%2FSVMPlNe396I%2FAAAAAAAAAHg%2FyX1Hte-2C2o%2Fs200%2FIMG_3836.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=d4cab25b929d8e5855c385281e6c2225 150w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F_JN7DyNvD1ow%2FSVMPlNe396I%2FAAAAAAAAAHg%2FyX1Hte-2C2o%2Fs200%2FIMG_3836.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=8699506d7c8f39dff049dc21f2a29840 150w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/http%3A%2F%2F1.bp.blogspot.com%2F_JN7DyNvD1ow%2FSVMPlNe396I%2FAAAAAAAAAHg%2FyX1Hte-2C2o%2Fs200%2FIMG_3836.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=7f7496810e7d0743adfb1db7f6662dbe 150w)
![](https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F_JN7DyNvD1ow%2FSVMOkSHTI4I%2FAAAAAAAAAHQ%2FgvbPHJf0BHY%2Fs200%2FIMG_3772.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=300&s=911ce44da261ab935515b1d199f7e601 150w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F_JN7DyNvD1ow%2FSVMOkSHTI4I%2FAAAAAAAAAHQ%2FgvbPHJf0BHY%2Fs200%2FIMG_3772.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=500&s=0fbbf16a5aa53d668761f0c1b3bd125d 150w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F_JN7DyNvD1ow%2FSVMOkSHTI4I%2FAAAAAAAAAHQ%2FgvbPHJf0BHY%2Fs200%2FIMG_3772.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=700&s=7c1eb2057d5cd9948e51a2ce47921ace 150w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F_JN7DyNvD1ow%2FSVMOkSHTI4I%2FAAAAAAAAAHQ%2FgvbPHJf0BHY%2Fs200%2FIMG_3772.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=800&s=25c5b320cb3bea4f2b5110428a4cc1af 150w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F_JN7DyNvD1ow%2FSVMOkSHTI4I%2FAAAAAAAAAHQ%2FgvbPHJf0BHY%2Fs200%2FIMG_3772.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1000&s=f27f2c1477f14473d63243a9de846caa 150w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F_JN7DyNvD1ow%2FSVMOkSHTI4I%2FAAAAAAAAAHQ%2FgvbPHJf0BHY%2Fs200%2FIMG_3772.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1200&s=d2512afc89cef9bab11b339f898288da 150w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F_JN7DyNvD1ow%2FSVMOkSHTI4I%2FAAAAAAAAAHQ%2FgvbPHJf0BHY%2Fs200%2FIMG_3772.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1400&s=6aec52fad803cea3cab5632fdcf7f50c 150w, https://mountain-madness-external.imgix.net/http%3A%2F%2F2.bp.blogspot.com%2F_JN7DyNvD1ow%2FSVMOkSHTI4I%2FAAAAAAAAAHQ%2FgvbPHJf0BHY%2Fs200%2FIMG_3772.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&q=80&w=1600&s=c4aef401b128ac71ca50dee34d135e74 150w)
I’ll be posting a full photo gallery folder from the trip on our flickr page soon at this link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24847416@N07/