Everything about Mount Wilhelm totally explained
Mount Wilhelm (
German:
Wilhelmsberg) is the highest
mountain in
Papua New Guinea at . It is part of the
Bismarck Range and the peak is the point where three provinces intersect,
Simbu,
Western Highlands and
Madang. The peak is also known as
Enduwa Kombuglu in the local Kuman language, a
Papuan language.
The mountain is one of the highest mountains on the island of
New Guinea, which incorporates
Papua New Guinea and the
Indonesian province of
Papua. It is surpassed by
Puncak Jaya in Indonesian Papua at .
History
Discovery
Mount Wilhelm received its name in 1888 when a German newspaper correspondent,
Hugo Zöller, climbed the
Finisterre Range, south-east of
Madang, and named the Bismarck Range after the German Chancellor,
Otto von Bismarck, and the four highest peaks of the range after him and his children: Otto-berg, Herbert-berg, Maria-berg and Wilhelm-berg. Otto-berg seemed to Zöller to be the highest of the range, but it was latter discovered to be only and the distant Wilhem was much taller.
It wasn't until August 1938 when
Leigh Vial, a government patrol officer, and two Papuan New Guineans made the first recorded ascent.
WWII Bomber crash
During the
Second World War in the early hours of May 22, 1944, an
American F-7A (a converted
B-24 Liberator) named "Under Exposed" crashed into the mountain while flying too low. The aircraft left from Nadzab airbase, close to
Lae, and had been assigned for a reconnaissance mission to photograph
Padaidori Island in
Dutch New Guinea. Around 0400 the plane crashed into Wilhelm at about above the twin lakes. All crew were killed and most of the wreckage landed in the topmost lake although some can still be seen today. The only remaining samples are from the plane, all bodies have been recovered.
Climbing deaths
Numerous people have died attempting to climb the mountain including an Australian Army Sergeant, Christopher Donnan, who died in December 1971 when he fell down a steep slope. There is a plaque at the point where he was last seen.
In August 1995 an Israeli backpacker died after he sprained his ankle and stayed behind while his group continued. He subsequently wandered off the track and fell into a ravine in the pre-dawn darkness. His body was found about a year later.
More recently, on the 30th July 2005, Wilhelm took another life. 58 year old Bob Martin, a board member of PNG Tourist Promotion Authority and General Manager (Marketing) of
Air Niugini, suffered a massive heart attack just below Christopher Corner, around 30 minutes from the summit.
Ascending
Mount Wilhelm is the most accessible mountain to climb in Papua New Guinea. There are two routes to the top. By far the most popular is a fairly easy climb from the village of
Keglsugl at the end of the road from
Kundiawa in
Simbu province. There is also a harder hike and climb from the village of
Ambullua in the
Western Highlands province.
The Keglsugl route involves climbing up and through a montane rain forest and then along an alpine grassland glacial valley to the twin lakes of Piunde and Aunde (mother and daughter). This takes approximately three hours. At Piunde there are two huts, one being an old
Australian National University monitoring station and the other an 'A-Frame' hut.
The climb to the top is usually undertaken in pre-dawn and can take 4-6 hours depending on fitness. Reaching the peak at dawn allows better chance of clear weather.
The other route from Ambullua is a much harder 4-day hike. Both hikes shouldn't be undertaken without guides. Young men in Keglsugl will act as guides for a fee of around 80 Kina.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Mount Wilhelm'.
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