Day 4 of our expedition started by immediately going up a steep muddy hill that was followed by a relentless ridge. As we continued our hike toward Carstensz Pyramid, it was clear we were out of the rainforest. We had entered a sort of cold and muddy high-altitude jungle. There were still trees, but they weren’t as tall. The flora was still dense, but it seemed like we were in a completely different biome.
The photo above was taken at the beginning of our day. I was depressed to find that we had left Camp II at 10,000 feet (3,000 meters), at one point passed 12,000 feet (3,600 meters), and then trekked downhill to Camp III, which was at almost the same elevation as Camp II. The ups and downs of this trek, plus being cold and covered in mud, really took a psychological toll. We basically gained a total of 3,000 feet (1,000 meters) in hiking only to lose most of those gains with our final downhill descent. Our real progress on day four was getting closer to Carstensz, but not much higher in altitude.
This part of the trek had gotten better as far as fallen logs and roots went. We no longer had to deal with those hazards. The trail here was even muddier than the rainforest and had its own new challenges, however. I’d rate this day as less challenging than the final day in the rainforest, but don’t mistake that for being easy. Above you can see some of the strange plants we came across in this region of West Papua. I only saw this type of plant once, but I called it the Octopus Plant.
Pictured above is Camp III, and in the photo below you can see my muddy pants after the hike. I hung them up in a failed and desperate attempt to clean and dry them. I had gone to a tiny stream and washed them for about twenty minutes trying to get inches of accumulated mud off, but it seemed impossible. I have no idea how, but I even had mud on the inside of my pants.
Everything was covered, including my socks and the blisters I had gotten earlier in the trek. At this point I was feeling pretty miserable, but I wasn’t the only one. The other climbers on the trip also expressed their extreme discomfort and amazement that we had actually paid to be here, and not a small amount!
It was in Camp III where we again talked about how far base camp was. Our expectation was that it was only another day of hiking, but considering we couldn’t even see the mountain from here, that didn’t seem very logical. Finally we were told the terrible news that we now had two more full days before reaching base camp. Extreme sadness.
The bad news of having an extra day was hard, but at least Camp III had interesting views. Seeing the snow and scraggly mountains in the distance lifted our spirits since we were nearing Carstensz Pyramid’s homeland. My spirits were lifted most by the hope of finally reaching drier ground without deep mud.
The rock formations in the photo above were photographed after making it to Camp III. Below is the same mountain the following morning after the clouds had cleared. You can barely make out glaciers on the higher peaks.
On day 5 we headed for Camp IV. This was our last stop before making it to base camp. Once again, I had hoped the terrain would ease up and there wouldn’t be any more mud, but instead I found parts of this trek had the deepest mud yet.
Above you can see what the ground looked like. It’s a bit misleading because it appears that you’re simply hiking over moss, but this terrain can actually be pretty tricky. Sometimes I stepped on the moss and found firm support. Other times my boot would go straight through and I’d seriously drop almost two feet into mud! It was impossible to avoid and happened to everyone, so you would end up with mud up to your waist again and cold, dirty water inside your boots.
On the entire trek since entering the rainforest, this was the only time we got a real break and saw clear skies. It didn’t last long of course, but just seeing blue sky and the sun again felt amazing. This was a really beautiful part of the world and so unique. Almost no one visits these parts of the island. For those who make it here, you’re among a very small number of people who ever get to see these strange landscapes.
What I liked about this day was that the terrain was relatively flat. The rainforest’s trip wires and slippery logs had failed to injure any of us, but the meadows had their own methods of creating pain and misery. I already mentioned how you could step straight into deep mud without realizing it, but there were hidden streams as well.
This one above was a bit more obvious, but sometimes the grass was so tall that you couldn’t see streams only a few inches wide. It was one of several places where you could accidentally put a foot if you weren’t paying attention.
Our next camp was hidden somewhere near the top of the hill in the photo above. Toward the end of the day I ended up getting lost from the trail and climbed onto a small rocky ridge. I could see smoke coming from the direction of camp, but wasn’t sure exactly how to get there.
I was with another climber, and we spent almost an hour fighting deep holes, scrambling over razor-sharp rocks, and pushing through thick vegetation until we finally made it to camp. It was a dangerous and tiring misadventure that robbed me of what might otherwise have been the easiest day on the expedition. Below you can see an example of some of the sharp rocks I had seen earlier in the day while still in the meadows. I didn’t bother taking any photos while trying to get out of the mess I had put myself into.
The easier day also came with a price. Since we had spent much of the morning descending into the meadows, by the time we reached Camp IV we were only at about 12,000 feet (3,600 meters). From camp to camp it always felt like we had gained a ton of elevation, but we kept ending the day hardly any higher than where we started. The photo above shows a tent in Camp IV with the next day’s challenge in the background.
I should also mention that everything we were doing, the porters were doing as well. Some were carrying heavy loads while others had family members trekking nearby for the journey. Above are some of the porters who made it all the way to Camp IV.
It had been Halloween the night before and someone had brought a witch’s hat. The porters didn’t speak or understand English, so I was unable to explain Halloween to them. The guy who put the hat on wore it for the rest of the trip, and is probably wearing it to this day.
The next day’s hike began with a simple trek through a short patch of woods that led to this lake. It was a nice, easy stroll and actually pretty enjoyable. After the lake was what I called “The Wall,” which turned out to be the worst challenge yet. The zigzagging, extremely steep, muddy climb took over an hour. Some sections were exposed enough that a fall could have left you with broken bones.
I didn’t take many pictures while climbing the Wall except this one, and that is a big regret of mine. Taking my camera out was the last thing on my mind as we climbed it. We had some rain during the ascent, so it may have been muddier than normal, but then again, when does it not rain out here? I’d even go as far as to say that I preferred the rainforest to this section.
After the Wall, the trail descended into a rocky area and went right up to another large lake. By now the rain was pouring down hard, so I had put my camera inside my backpack. I regret not being able to photograph the lake even in the rain. It was much larger than the previous ones I had seen on this trip and even had a nice sandy beach. It was such an out-of-place sight after all the terrain we had crossed.
After the lake we had to ascend another very steep hill, but it was much easier than the Wall. This was followed by a short scramble that gained about 40 feet (12 meters). This was another place where you definitely didn’t want to fall. By now the terrain mostly consisted of sandy and mossy rock, and finally the mud was no more.
Eventually on our way to base camp, we passed roughly 14,500 feet (4,400 meters), putting us about as high as the tallest mountains in the continental United States. I was feeling very tired this day. Since my stomach was rumbling, I knew it wasn’t from the altitude but probably from lack of food. I was well aware that I was doing a horrible job of feeding myself on this trip.
I was worried that my body was starting to eat itself away, and I planned to force myself to eat everything I could once I arrived at base camp. Even without food, the view above was all I needed to feel energized again. Even though I couldn’t see much of it, I realized I was finally looking at the base of Carstensz Pyramid! The clouds covered much of the mountain, but from here I knew it rose dramatically above us.
Right around the corner from this view I could see base camp, or Camp V, located at about 14,000 feet (4,330 meters). I climbed down a bit and made it to camp beside a turquoise lake. I was both incredibly nervous and excited that tomorrow was the day we had all been waiting for, and I looked forward to getting some rest before the final push.
The beautiful lake gets its color from minerals carried down from the surrounding mountains and gave the camp a relaxing atmosphere despite the cold, rainy weather. Temperatures here were above freezing, but not by much. Since everything was damp and we were still wet, it felt much colder than it actually was.
By camp was a sign marking base camp and also some kind of memorial dedicated to a group of Indonesians. I wasn’t able to find out the details behind the memorial, so I never learned exactly who it honored.
Explore More of Carstensz Pyramid
Carstensz Pyramid Summit Day • Carstensz Pyramid’s Highlands • Carstensz Pyramid’s Rainforest
