| CARSTENSZ
- July 15, 2000 |
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At
4,884m the summit of Carstensz is the highest
point of all Oceania. It is located in
central Papua, the island of Irian Jaya. The mountain
has no glaciers but does have very steep cliffs,
a very sharp ridge and dangerous, sharp rocky
needles. The climate is atrocious : fog, wet snow,
storms... sunny period are few and far between. |
| Many tribes live
in this part of the world. The
Carstensz area is inhabited by the Dani.
Some of the men wear only a traditional penis
gourds, a necklace and a feathered headband. There
are still fierce rivalries between tribes. |
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Papua was one of
the last place on Earth to be "discovered".
The last reported case of cannibalism was as recent
as 1968. About fifty Papuan were the porters for
our team. They accompanied us to base camp. |
The
trek to Mount Carstensz is a real ordeal through
about 125km of swampy, muddy grounds, soaked
with constant rain. The climate is tropical,
meaning hot and stable. Close to the equator,
the sun rises at 6 a.m. and sets down at 6 p.m.
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We had a six-day
walk at an average altitude of 3,000m and one
pass to cross at 4,300m... under lashing rain,
of course. Nathalie accompanied Bernard to base
camp. The area is totally
isolated - no villages, not one human in sight. |
| Climbing
the rocky wall and crossing the ridge involved
a lot of technical climbing: abseiling,
free climbing and jumaring. There were a few
fixed ropes installed. Halfway up there was
some snow. |
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Bernard
reached the summit on July 15, 2000, at 5 p.m.,
making him the first Quebeker to summit Mount
Carstensz, the highest peak of Oceania. The descent
took place in the dark, in foggy conditions, with
the only light provided by our headlamps. |
