Jakarta: Indian mountaineer Arunima Sinha from Uttar Pradesh
has added another feather to her cap by becoming the first female amputee to
scale the highest peak of Indonesia – Carstensz Pyramid (Puncak Jaya).
Post her climb, Arunima said, “This was my toughest climb
till now. Though not so high (4,884 m), this peak is very technical as the
entire area is a rain forest, which makes climbing difficult as compared to a
mountain with ice all around.”
Born in 1988, she was the first female amputee to climb Mount
Everest. Excited about her achievement, Arunima explained how difficult it was
for her to go through the terrain with an artificial leg. “On a mountain
covered with ice, the sharp points in front of your shoes help cling and climb.
But on Carstensz Pyramid, I had to pull my body upward,” she said while
recalling her adventure on the intervening night of July 7 and 8. “I reached
the base camp on July 6 and then waited a day to acclimatise. I began my climb
on July 7 at 1am and reached the peak next morning (July 8) at 10.45. The first
thing I did was to hold the national flag high,” she said.
Arunima was a national-level volleyball player who was pushed
from a running train by thieves in 2011. As a result, one of her legs had to be
amputated below the knee.
Her team had seven members, including two each from US and Poland.
“My guide Abi supported me even as many said this was a tricky mountain,” said
Arunima, who still has pain in her leg.
She used big shoes to reach the base camp. These are usually
used while making the road, but for her they were perfect as she had to walk
all through the rainforest to reach the base camp.
“When I reached the base camp, the temperature was minus 4
degrees Celsius,” added Arunima.
She has already conquered five peaks – Everest in Asia,
Kilimanjaro in Africa, Elbrus in Europe, Kosizko in Australia and Aconcagua in
Argentina. Arunima aims to climb the highest peaks in all the continents' and
unfurl the Indian flag.
No comments:
Post a Comment