Carstensz Day 6: Camp 3 to Camp 4

We woke up early this morning hoping for an early start but we got delayed until 9:00 AM due to a brief strike by the porters. They felt they were pushed too hard the previous day for trekking 13 hours in difficult conditions and now they’re asking for more money. They also said they won’t go past 3:00 PM today. I honestly don’t blame them as yesterday was a very brutal day.

Breakfast at Camp 3.

Two hours later, issues were settled with the porters and we got on the move. It was a very enduring and tough day but the scenery was much better. We started the climb with a 90 degree straight up wall covered with slippery mud ascending from 10,000 feet to 11,000 feet. Once we reached the ridge, the view was spectacular and the terrain got a bit easier albeit still in deep mud.

Moving along a Papua forest of mini palm trees.

The flora kept changing as we moved along and it is nothing like I’ve ever seen before. We crossed swamps, meadows, went up and down several ridges along the way accompanied by sunshine followed by rain followed by storms. There was more mud today than all the previous days combined.

Interesting Plant Life.

Flora on West Papua.

We made it to Camp 4 around 3:00 PM as we trekked non-stop for 6 hours after our late start. In retrospect, that was a good thing after what we through the previous day. We quickly setup our tents before the weather got worse and rested until dinner time.

Crossing the muddy swamps on the way to Carstensz.

The food continues to get worse and I would call it terrible at best. It mostly consists of rice, eggs and canned meats. The canned chicken and beef smell like dog food and are very highly processed with little nutrition. We absolutely no fruits or vegetables. We were able to dig out a few blocks of cheese along with a jar of Jiffy peanut butter made in China. During the day, we have no lunches and rely mostly on tasteless local candy bars and cookies. Luckily, I did bring some energy bars and jerky with me.

Setting up Camp 4.

Tomorrow we hope to be on the road by 7:30 AM heading to Camp 5. It should be our easiest day and section of the trip.