1. Mt Hagen summit, with Mt Giluwe in the background
After the guys climbed Mt Wilhelm and not being able to go. I was very keen to make an attempt to climb Mt Hagen in the coming weeks. Mt Hagen is an actual mountain on the Hagen range, which stands around 12,500 ft above sea level. It is believed to be an old volcano, the second tallest in PNG. So last weekend three Nationals, two Swiss, two Aussies and one guide made the climb over the weekend. I woke up Saturday morning feeling pretty tired and with some food poisoning from the previous night (PNG restaurants), going to the toilet three times in forty minutes. This was really not normal for my steel lined stomach. So I was in doubt if I could go, but was determined to try and see.
We left town around 0900 after picking everyone up, all seven of us filling up a hilux including our gear. It was about a forty minute drive out to the start of the track. The road and scenery along the trip is some of the best I have seen by road. It was a nice clear day, not very common in the Highlands, the whole Mt Hagen range was clear. We could see where we were going and was massive. When we had arrived, we still yet had no guide. And knowing someone in the village there from previous visits, were able to gain a guide. So we started off hiking just after 1000. My pack weighed 17.5kg’s the previous night when packing, which is quite normal. I tried to make it as light as possible and only with essentials. But with the water, food, sleeping bag, clothes I needed plus other things it added up. Five minutes into the walk I started to think how I am going to make it. My pack was really too heavy for this kind of hike. I had not done any hiking since last August and never at this altitude.
2. The track
The hike started through a forest at 8100ft above sea level, along a steady single track and then quite steep in places. More of a goat’s track if anything, walking over tree branches, through mud and tress as bridges. No direct sunlight, the forest was hard going and seemed to never end. After two hours we made it to a little haus win at the top of the tree line. We had averaged ascension of 500ft per thirty minutes. We stopped there to have some lunch and then continued on our way. Through the forest I had started to notice the altitude and knew it was only going to get harder. My shoulders were already really tired and strained from my backpack.
3. Some of the ridge line we climbed
The next part of the hike took us above the tree line and through an old forest of dead tress. It was steep at parts and it was starting to slow me down a little. But yet we continued to average 500ft per thirty minutes. Quite a large group were heading to the top from the local village from where we had started, as there was a repeater station on the top for a security company in Hagen. As there were guards based up there, all their supplies had to be walked up. So they joined us for the rest of the hike.
As we ascended up to the ridge line, we could see out a long distance and at other times walking through cloud. The ridgeline just seemed to keep going up and up, thinking that the top was just there, but not. And the further we went the narrow track became steeper on either side. We continued along the ridge line going up and down the jaggered ridge. All the time my heart rate was getting around 180 beats per minute and I was walking at a steady pace, but stopping every few minutes to rest a little. We got to the point where we could see the repeater station and could see the end in sight. In the end we made it to the top around 1615, so it took us six hours to climb 4400ft including breaks.
4. The camp site in the morning
After taking in the view and recovering from a very hard hike. We started to look for a place to setup camp for the night. We wanted some where abit sheltered, but also flat. Once a spot was decided, the guys started clearing the ground with bush knives. We put up a ‘white mans’ shelter (a tarp and some poles) and someone else had brought a two man dome tent. It was starting to get dark, so someone got a fire going and others cooked. We were able to watch the sunset and into the night see a clear sky. I have not seen a night’s sky like that before in PNG. A few of us hanged around the fire and had a little worship session. That night it was very cold, but yet in the shelter and sleeping bag I was not cold, but uncomfortable sleeping over a step in the ground and trying not to slide down the shelter. The condensation on the tarp would drop onto my face, waking me up. So it was a rough night.
5. Twilight
Come morning we got up at 0530 to watch the sunrise, the event we were hanging out for. Again another clear day. We absolutely froze during the coldest part of the night and now with a very cold wind present. We watched the sun rise, which was amazing and seeing again our 360 degree surroundings with a different light. We could see Mt Wilhelm the tallest mountain in PNG, Mt Giluwe the second tallest and many other mountains and ranges. It took a while for the sun to kick in and warm up a little. It was very hard to do anything in the cold.
6. Sunrise
After breakfast we all headed up to the peak of Mt Hagen which was around 50ft higher than our camp. We hanged up there for a while and enjoyed the view. From the top of Mt Hagen would be the most glorious sight I have ever seen with my physical eyes. After sometime we returned to camp and packed up. Around 1045 we started our descent. I was not looking forward to the descent, as i knew my knee could be an issue, but also the narrow and steep track. We made it all the way back to the car in about four hours including breaks. After coming down the ridge line my knees started to get painful and I was feeling sick in the stomach. I was slowing down a lot compared to the others. When we made it to the haus win, I knew that we were about half way, but yet still some of the hardest to come. Going through the forest was hard going, it was worse than the first time. It didn’t seem to end and i wasn’t sure how long I could keep going. But we made it in the end. Timon and I made it back to the compound around 1615 that afternoon after dropping every one off.
7. Some of the 360 degree view
It was really a great adventure and the hardest hike I have ever done. It was very physically challenging and mentally challenging. The view from the top was worth it. The weather was amazing, three days of clear weather all day (some have never seen that before in all there years here). The time with the guys was awesome. The fact that we were all available too, was really good. So we were really counting our blessings. Come Monday morning at work I was really sore and stiff, but yet refreshed from the experience. From the adventure come a lot of stories, but I know that I only made it in God’s strength.
July 4th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
Looks like a ridiculous hike, praise God the weather was alright! That view looks absolutely amazing!
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July 6th, 2009 at 8:14 am
I lived in PNG from 1990 to 96 made some amazing friends in POM and climbed both Wilhelm and Gilewe. Now back in Newcastle, England; it was great to read your story and see your pix,
Lewis
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