Dr. Botha is back from a very emotional trip to South Africa for his brother's funeral. Nico will be very missed and he is very loved. He was always interested and excited in Dr. Botha's expeditions and Dr. Botha has been prepping for his next set of adventures.
This past weekend he cycled from Grimshaw to Grande Prairie in under seven hours in preparation for the Furnace 508 coming up in October. The Furnace 508 has been dubbed the toughest 48 hours in sports because athletes only have that time period in which to cycle 508 grueling miles in the California desert. It is an invite-only event with only the top athletes in the world being asked to partake.
In November Dr. Botha will be heading back to Indonesia to attempt Puncak Trikora, formerly Mt Wilhelmina. It is part of the Jayawijaya Mountains in the Maoke Mountains and is the second highest mountain on the island of New Guinea at 4,750 m (15,580 feet) behind the Carstensz Pyramid. As well all remember, Indonesia is where Dr. Botha contracted his life-threatening bacterial infection in late 2008 when he climbed the Carstensz Pyramid. Thankfully, he has made a full recovery since and is ready to tackle Indonesia once again.
Thank you to everyone for their on-going support during these difficult past few weeks. Dr. Botha really appreciates it and is looking forward to his upcoming adventures.
