Thirteen-year-old Jordan Romero accomplished his mission on this month’s trip to Indonesia as, on September 2, he and dad Paul and climbing partner Karen Lundgren summited Carstensz Pyramid, the continent’s highest peak at 16,000 feet. This marks Jordan’s sixth summit in his quest to be the youngest climber to reach the world’s highest summits, including Mt. Everest, which he plans to conquer before his 16th birthday. Though in Indonesia–and enjoying snorkeling in Bali since summiting Carstensz Pyramid–the climb involved snow, thunderstorms, and a final climb of 1,800 vertical feet of limestone (not to mention an offshore earthquake of a 7.0 magnitude). Since returning from their 16,000 foot summit, Jordan’s dad recorded in their blog on JordanRomero.com, “Perhaps never before have we had so many barriers come before us and a mountain climb. Jordan has displayed amazing patience and motivation.” While on the climb, Romero, an eighth-grade student at Big Bear Middle School, carried a picture of family friend Kushan Bhandari.
