Of highlands and heartlines - Summit day - to Paradise Camp

The good, the bad and the ugly......

A wet and windy night cleared to a crisp cool morning. 
Zac had us up early before dawn to make the most of summit day. 
The ridgeline silhouetted in the pre-dawn skies with a crescent moon and Venus rising just above the horizon.

We breakfasted with views of the distant lights of Port Moresby 75 kms away

But it was the view of the Mt Vic massif that had me awe-struck. 
The rugged ridgeline leading to the summit with its steep rocky bluffs and peaks was an extraordinary sight.

We climbed and clambered up, using a 40 m fixed rope to guide us up a steep section. 
We contoured our way along grassy ledges in between sheer rock faces, heading for a notch above Camp Desperation (Day 10, 2016 trek)

Looking back to Soc's camp - the clearing just left of centre.
In hindsight, the clearing on the right may have been a better choice.

No, Mt Victoria is not the obvious peak dominating the photo in the centre.
On the far right, there are two peaks.
Mt Huxley is at the far right and Mt Victoria is the next one on the left. 

Over the notch, the views to valleys were obscured by a thick blanket of white cloud.
The western flanks of the mountain range were clear but the clouds were closing in. 
There was still a lot of work to do. 
We contoured up and down across grassy verges passing numerous small tarns.

Fatigue was setting in. 
A number of factors were conspiring against me - lack of sleep, the after-effects of the gastro, the altitude, a heavy heart..... 
I marched on.

A wild-pig sighting proved a welcome distraction, with the boys dumping the packs and leaping around the hillsides like mountain goats trying to herd and capture it. 
Unfortunately, roast pork did not make it on to the menu for dnner that night.

Above the cloudline at 3800m

Andy leading the way

Blaizes, my tail-end Charlie

Dwarfed by the mountains, can you see the boys???

We re-grouped with the summit in our sights. 
The final push was upon us. 
We negotiated our way across and up the grassy terraces. 
Scrambling over the rocky outcrops, the large cairn now visible on the summit became the focus.
My pace was slow but determined. 
With about 50 metres to the top, I summoned my strength and said to my companion, "lead me to the top, Simon".
At midday, I reached the summit.

Mt Victoria summit just left of centre, with Mt Huxley shrouded in cloud to the far left

Blaizes, Simon and I just shy of the summit

Fleeting views to the west with clouds rolling up the gullies, I was disappointed that I had taken so long to get to the top. 
But I was relieved, it was done!

Congratulatory cheers, handshakes, hugs and photos. 
We had lunch, resting our backs and packs against the cairn.

We made it!

Blaizes and Zac

Ian and Jerry

I savoured every minute of the hour we spent on the summit, but mixed emotions threatened to overwhelm me.
After realising the goal of summitting Mt Victoria, the words I wrote to my friend 18 months before came flooding back.....

"The canopy of the rainforest, the moss covered trees, 
the birdcalls in the jungle.
Clambering over massive tree roots, traversing the spurs and ridgelines,
the sunrises and the sunsets
When fat raindrops fall on your tent, there will be no escape.
And know when you reach the summit, stop and remember there will be one person sharing the experience, in spirit
You will never forget that I would have been there, 
Could have been there......."

We left at 1pm, starting the descent along the ridgeline towards Mt Huxley.
Ridgetop walking is one of my favourite things, but I was spent, physically and emotionally.
I struggled to find the concentration and the energy to descend safely. This was no time to be stumbling or not finding your footholds. 
But all I was thinking was "get me off this mountain".

Simon was finding it difficult to follow the faint track.
A "short-cut" was nominated by the Ebei boys, heading off the known path. 
The group was splintering and it was becoming apparent that we had a few too many chiefs and not enough Indians.

The "shortcut" took us off the ridgeline through thick scrub and undergrowth with lots of cutting required. 
We encountered sheer rocky cliffs and a waterfall before Zac pulled rank and directed us back towards the ridgetop. 
After a two hour detour, with tired trekkers and tired porters, Zac abandoned the search for Lake Camp and we descended and camped in grasslands at the edge of the treeline at 3600m.

Zac had his first sighting of McGregor's Bird of Paradise, so camp was named "Paradise Camp"

It started to rain. The "dry" season must be a myth up here in the mountains.....

I had pushed myself today to the point of exhaustion.
I tumbled into my tent, and curled up like a ball in the cocoon of my sleeping bag. 
I was spent.