The "Chicas Locas" Expedition is in Nabire

I got a call from David Marchi last night with the report that they are in motion! They flew early in the morning to Pulau Biak, an island off the north of Papua. After having breakfast in Biak, they flew over to Nabire on the north coast of Papua for luch and to prep for the heicopter flight to Zebra Wall.

The team has access to a large, twin rotor, Russian helicopter, which will fly them all they way from Nabire to the Zebra Wall. This is a change from the planned fixed wing flight to Enarotali and then catching the chopper ride in from there. We've learned that we need to "bend as the willow" over there....

Right now, the team is waiting on the weather to break so they can fly in. There is some concern about how they will get out from the mountain, as the Russian helicopter will not be available after October 7th or 8th. Right now, the plan is to make a more speedy ascent than they would generally attempt, in order to still catch a ride on the big helicopter.

The recent Bombings in Bali have tempered the mood of the team. One of Guy Cotter's clients who had left the expedition had gone off to spend some days surfing in Bali and the group (and myself) are concerned for his safety.