High mountain, high stakes

May 12, 2008

Yesterday I read a very interesting story of a great mountain climber, Kevin Flynn in MPNnow. He had a  unique experience of pleasure of climbing Carstensz Pyramid, Oceania’s highest peak. He had also found himself caught in a violent conflict between native Papuans, Indonesian police squads and the largest gold mine in the world, Freeport.

The story should be read by all Papuan to realise that Kevin can contribute a positive impact in the development of Papua. Not only about the destruction of our mother forest, Kevin can speak to the world about the beauty of our land. Kevin is not a provocateur like many Western visitor in Papua, he is a truly nature lover.

Here is his experience by By Kris Dreessen, staff writer Daily Messenger
Sat May 10, 2008, 06:37 PM EDT

When the angry tribesmen surrounded them and took their duffle bags, Kevin Flynn and his fellow climbers moved to the other end of the runway. They wanted to keep close to the helicopter that was going to fly them away.

He watched as the angry mob surrounded his guide, shouting and pointing fingers. When the guide got shoved, Kevin was sure the tinder box of emotions would blow up. In the tiny mountain village, no one would know if they went missing into the wilds of West Papua.

Photo by Kevin Flynn
Kevin Flynn’s crew makes its way along the Knife’s Edge Ridge on Carstensz Pyramid, so named because it’s so narrow you can straddle either side of the mountain.

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