Mount Wilhelm

Mount Wilhelm Reserve covers the slopes of Mount Wilhelm, at 4,509 m the highest mountain in Papua New Guinea^[1]. The protected area is listed at 8.09 km²^[2]. It rises from montane forest to alpine grassland and holds the glacial lakes Piunde and Aunde beneath the summit.

Birds recorded along the track include Stephanie's astrapia, the mountain kingfisher and the Papuan scrubwren^[3].

The Keglsugl route climbs through mountain rainforest and then an alpine grassland valley^[1]. Above 3,000 m the vegetation turns to heaths, moss forests, hardy shrubs and high-altitude grasses^[3].

The route passes through a glacial valley to the twin lakes of Piunde and Aunde^[1]. Higher up the terrain is steep ridgeline and rocky slope near the summit^[3].

Snow lay on the summit during the first ascent in 1938 despite the mountain's nearness to the equator^[1]. Temperatures at altitude range from about 0 to 10 degrees Celsius and are often below freezing at night, and clear mornings can turn cloudy or rainy quickly^[3]. The drier months for climbing are June to September^[3].

In 1888 the German correspondent Hugo Zoller named the highest peaks of the Bismarck Range after Bismarck and his children, giving Wilhelmberg its name; the local Kuman names include Enduwa Kombuglu^[1]. The first recorded ascent was on 15 August 1938 by patrol officer Leigh Vial with two Niu Ginians^[1].

The reserve protects the upper slopes of the mountain. The sources consulted give no founding date for it.

The Keglsugl route is the most common climb and is not technical. It runs through rainforest and a glacial valley to the twin lakes, with the summit usually attempted at night to arrive at dawn^[1]. The round trip takes 9 to 24 hours^[1]. A harder four-day route starts from Ambullua in Western Highlands Province^[1].

The trailhead village of Keglsugl is at the end of the road from Kundiawa in Simbu Province^[1]. At Piunde there are two huts, an old Australian National University monitoring station and an A-frame^[1]. Guesthouses in the Keglsugl and Gembogl area offer simple rooms and meals, and a local guide is recommended^[3].

The sources consulted describe the mountain mainly as a trekking destination and give no conservation programme for the reserve.