Can They Make It Any More Difficult? Given the complexities of the Russian visa application process, you could be forgiven for thinking they don’t want any visitors… Ok, so I can hear you saying, “Why weren’t you more organized and apply the visa before you started the trip, rather than leaving it till the last minute?” Well that again comes …
Kosciuszko Update 1 of 1: Kosciuszko Summit Wheelchair Challenge
Why Kosciuszko? Ok, so the first question is, “Why climb Kosciuszko? Doesn’t that make eight summits?” Well yes, it does make eight 7 Summits which granted, doesn’t make a lot of sense. But it all comes down to the definition of a continent. There are geographical continents defined by landmass on a single tectonic plate, there are political continents defined …
Carstensz Update 3 of 3: A Quick Summit
Heli to Base Camp Wednesday morning (21st February) Jon and I got up early, at around 04:30, in preparation for our flight to Cartstensz. Breakfast at the local hotel was less than appetising. It was a small buffet thing in the mess hall with a limited selection of mainly local dishes. I tried a bit of it but it wasn’t …
Carstensz Update 2 of 3: Travelling to Tamika
Travel Warning – “Reconsider Your Need to Travel to Papua and West Papua” Before boarding our plane for Tamika (located in Papua province, Indonesia) I jumped on the Australian Government Smart Traveler Website to see what they had to say. This is the advice they had for travelers: Reconsider your need to travel to Papua and West Papua provinces where …
Carstensz Update 1 of 3: Trip in Jeopardy
Spare Day In Tanzania Last Friday we had a spare day at the lodge in Moshi, Tanzania before departing for our flight to Bali. After 4 days high on Kilimanjaro it was nice to just relax in the warmth by the pool, but also managed a short jog around the local country side in the afternoon. Jogging along the dirt …
Kilimanjaro Update 2 of 2: Summit and Back
A Windy Night in Kosovo Camp Tuesday night at Kosovo Camp the wind blew strong all night. In the strongest gusts my tent would lay over covering me in fabric, then pop up again when it eased off. That combined with the constant rustle of the tent flapping in the wind made it difficult to sleep. At about 23:30 I …
Kilimanjaro Update 1 of 2: Up to High Camp
The Travel Is Harder Than The Climbing For Climb No.3, Kilimanjaro, we had to make our way from Mendoza, Argentina to Moshi, Tanzania. Just a quick hop across the Atlantic Ocean….. Right?….. Wrong! To say I had been dreading this leg is an understatement. Our itinerary read: Mendoza to Buenos Aires – Flight time 1hr 35min; Layover 5hr 35min Buenos …
Aconcagua 5 of 4: Ojos del Salado Side Strip
I Haven’t Lost my Marbles (Yet) Ok, ok….. I know “Update 5 of 4” doesn’t make any sense, but don’t worry, the altitude hasn’t affected me that much, yet. I can still count to 5. It’s just that this report is for a little side trip we threw in after Aconcagua. It is not part of the main Project 7in4 …
Aconcagua 4 of 4: Trek Out and Wrap Up
Decisions, Decisions, Decisions…. Sitting in Aconcagua Base Camp Sunday night enjoying a nice BBQ after our successful summit we faced a dilemma….we were over a week ahead of schedule, what should we do with our spare time? With a speed record attempt you’d normally want to just keep pushing ahead as fast as possible, but unfortunately we can’t. There are …
Aconcagua 3 of 4: Summit Push
Wind, Wind and More Wind After a couple of days climbing up and down acclimatising, Friday we just kicked back in Base Camp relaxing and trying to pick a good weather window for our summit push. On the lower slopes it’s not too critical, but bad weather as you push higher can make for a miserable day out and feel …