My Kokoda Journey: Day 6 on Kokoda (Day 7 in Papua New Guinea)

Day 6 was the longest day on the trek and it just seemed to last forever. We passed some amazing scenery on our way but in the end there was a lot of downhill that never seemed to finish. Still, it was a pretty good day as it only rained towards the end (which made going downhill that much more fun [and slippery]). I was actually in a group that left about thirty minutes before the rest of the trekking group so we were already a little bit ahead before our first break at a river crossing (which you will see below). Today was also an emotional time as one of our members had to withdraw and be evacuated from the track via helicopter due to an infection in his foot. This was the result of not properly breaking in the boots pre-Kokoda and also for not taking proper care of their feet but it did not make the moment any less emotional. We had started as a team and we had hoped to finish as one. We just held hopes that he would meet us at the finish line (he was not going to die but we hoped he was not stuck in hospital or bed rest).

Today was going to be really muddy and right from the start as we left Menari behind us and entered the forest we were immediately greeted by a whole lot of mud. After climbing up hill for a bit we proceeded to begin a downward descent that would have lasted for a little over an hour. It was fun at times to try not to fall or to laugh at myself when I did fall but after a while the mud started to really annoy me. At the bottom of our descent we reached a little river (not the one pictured below [that was far from little]) where we could refill our water as well as get some of the mud off our boots so we could walk with some level of certainty. We then continued through a whole lot of mud patches that reminded us of a swamp but we had yet to reach that part yet. After about another hour and a bit (though it may have been longer, I did not have the time on me) we reached our first major river crossing of the track. We had to wait for about five to ten minutes before we could cross as there was another trekking group ahead of us that had to go. We also had to wait as the current was so strong they had to keep repositioning the rope that we were using to guide ourselves across.  

  

 Crossing the river was definitely an experience. The current was strong and you could not see where you put your feet as the water was far from clear. It made those little drops that much more exhilarating. To give you an idea of how strong the current was, one of the locals was trying to swim across and was making as much headway as a seagull in strong winds that seems to be staying in the same spot. Plus, as we were walking across we were getting pulled by the current and if we had not had the rope we would have easily been dragged away. It was times like these that we had a new appreciation for the porters who were helping us.

We had a break on the other side of the river as people cooled down on the banks of the river by putting their feet in. After this break we continued through some pretty thick and slippery mud which we got through some tall grass that was above our heads. It was like walking in through some other land through to the land of the swamp. It was really muddy so our boots were quickly covered in mud. After about an hour or two we finally reached the end of this muddy mess and came to a hill. For me, it was exciting to be back on more solid ground with less mud. It was refreshing. This was also part of the walk where every now and again there would be the faintest breeze which felt like heaven. It was amazing! 

After a while we finally managed to reach a village where we stopped for lunch. It was a great village as it had some spectacular views of the mountains behind us (as it was on the edge of a mountain itself) and when we heard the clap of thunder and the dark clouds rolling over the mountains it gave us the push we needed to get back on our way. The thing about this part of the track was that it was the day of the nine false peaks. This means that as you are climbing the mountain it looks like you have reached the top right until you actually do and see that there is still more to climb. It was quite the spirit-breaker for some but I was glad when it was over. At the top we began our long descent down. It was literally three to four hours of climbing downhill non stop. It seemed like it was never going to finish and when it finally did we were greeted with another river crossing. It was not a great mental game to finish the day with soaking boots (you did not take your boots off for some of the river crossings because you could not or because there was no time). 

Today was a long day and so it was nice to be able to relax at the end of it knowing that the next day was our last full day on the track. It was both sad and exciting to know that our journey was going to be at an end and to know that we had completed the Kokoda track. It was going to be a great day.

It is so much fun reliving these as I write it. Sorry it takes so long to get these out. See you soon!

My Kokoda Journey: Day 5 on Kokoda (Day 6 in Papua New Guinea)

So hey guys, new layout! Did you notice? I had to do it because the old template took way too long to load and would not even load on some devices so I changed it. Today was going to be a good day as we would reach the village of Menari where we were donating over AU$13,000 to their medical centre. We were all really excited and it was another short day today which was going to be amazing also as we would have more time to rest and enjoy our surroundings at the end of the day.

The mornings on Kokoda were always so beautiful as you can see in these pictures. Everything looks so amazing and it is almost hard to believe that we were there (but I still have some damaged toe nails to prove it). This morning started out right away with a steep incline but it was still an amazing experience (we probably were not thinking that all the time back then but looking back it was).

We were actually travelling on some pretty dangerous parts of the track again as we again scaled the sides of mountains. In the next picture if you looked to the right with the camera you would see open air as the mountain just drops away. If you fell, you were done. It was another one of those exhilarating moments.

Still, there was a part that was particularly dangerous that had a small section of fence to stop the majority of people falling. It was the only piece of fencing on the side of the track so it was probably the most perilous part or something like that. It was really high though and to get up you had to basically rock climb and shift your weight around a lot to jump up to parts so if you got up there and swung too far without the porter you would have fallen without the fence (though you may still have fallen through the fence).

Here we are pictured on brigade hill which was the sight of a place where a lot of Australian soldiers were killed by the Japanese. We had a moments of silence and also heard from our trekking guide about what happened. We also had one of our sponsors read out a poem that was appropriate to the place. It was fairly emotional but we also had our police officers wearing colourful tutus (I won't post them here as it will show who they are and I do not think they want those pictures floating around the internet). They were wearing the tutus as part of a bet. They had bet at the start of the program that if we could raise over $10,000 that they would wear tutus for a day on the track. We did pass that goal and so they chose the most fitting day to wear them (the day we would be reaching the village where the money would be donated to).

Before long we again continued on our way which seemed to go forever and was slippery and muddy (amazingly I did not fall as much as I expected to). We went through a lot of forest and it was great when we arrived at the river and dropped our packs. It was only a further 20 minutes to Menari up a hill but we decided to have a break and cool off in the river. After a long day it was nice to get in the water and cool off. It was actually pretty nice water too and I managed to wash off a lot of the mud that had gathered on my legs from my falls between Brigade Hill and this river.

After our river break we dried ourselves and headed up towards Menari. We actually passed some local villagers from Menari who were harvesting some fruit and vegetables. When we arrived at Menari we were greeted with some fresh avocado as well as popcorn. They were both amazing and even their bananas tasted like they had come from out of this world. The rest of that day was spent playing with balloons and the local children (they were so excited when they saw the bag of balloons, it was such a humbling experience), as well as popping a giant blister that had been growing on one of our sponsors for most of our trek. We had named it El Louise (I have mentioned it on a previous day I think) and even filmed the encounter. It was disgusting but to us it seemed more exciting than our favourite television show starting again, or the next big block-buster being released at the movies.

With dinner that night we were also treated to some sweet potato and other veggies which was yummy and also gave us more excitement about our ration pack meals. After dinner the local villagers came to thank us for our kind donation. They sang a few songs to us and it was an amazing experience and they were all so happy and excited. It was one of our fondest memories on the track.

I'm trying to get these out more often so I actually wrote this right after I finished on Day 4 and scheduled it to come out on Saturday so that they were spread out. See you soon!

My Kokoda Journey: Day 4 on Kokoda (Day 5 in Papua New Guinea)

First of all, I am super dooper sorry for falling behind on these posts, school has become hectic and procrastination is also growing at an alarmingly exponential rate. Anyway, today was actually a pretty good day on the track and not only because it was one of our shortest days on the track (for some reason we did all the long days at the start and then one right near the end [Days 1, 2 and 6]). It was amazing because we were able to play with the village children and the weather was great (for our hike at least, when we arrived it poured) and the awesome sun set you will see below was one of our most memorable experiences on the track.

Those photos were from the Naduri Community health outpost where we had our morning rest before continuing on. We were able to try some of their local bread as well as refill our energy levels with cans, twisties and fruit (some of the best fruit around mind you) before we continued on our journey. We also met some local children who enjoyed playing with our hiking sticks. It was an amazing view as we were on the side of one of the mountains in the Owen Stanley Ranges and the sun was shining but it was not oppressively hot as it was still relatively early (I think it was around 8 or 9 so three or so hours into our trek).

This was a tree-house that was behind where we were resting and enjoying some of the local fruits. Below you have our group lying around in the sun just soaking up where we were. Kokoda really was a beautiful place and I would do it again just to be able to see this beauty again. It was hard, but the rewards were everywhere you looked.

They lay our tents out so they would dry as they had not really had a chance to dry after some of the rainy nights we had recently witnessed.

After about thirty minutes we continued our trek and quickly descended towards a river. The worst part was that the river seemed to be teasing us as we could hear it for at least an hour before we finally finished our descent down to it. There are a lot of winding paths on the track and so patience is greatly needed from time to time (well, most of it). It really is a mental challenge in having to find distractions so that you don't focus on anything that might be hurting you and ensure that you can continue on.

When we reached the river we were taken one by one across where we then began probably the most beautiful ascent on the track. We were literally climbing up a waterfall as the path we were using to get up actually was the waterfall for parts and when we weren't in the waterfall we were winding our way around it. Once we passed the waterfall there was a bit of a further climb before we reached Efogi 1 (we were camping at Efogi 2 so after a bit of a climb it was a bit of a tease when the porter told me were at Efogi. Still, I feel our porters enjoyed teasing us sometimes with what they would tell us [only ten more minutes, two hours later we would arrive]).

We were able to break at Efogi 1 before we continued on and during our break we were able to play with the local children. It was so fun to see them enjoy themselves so much. It was wildly entertaining to see some of their sneaky tactics (they knew how to use their height to their advantage) to ensure they maintained control of the ball. They were quite the opposition!

However, as Efogi 2 was just thirty minutes away and it was not even lunch yet (well, we arrived at Efogi around 1 or 2pm and sometimes that would be when we would have our lunch) and we continued on. We had to descend to a river before we climbed back out the other side. It was wonderful and I only fell a few times (and that was because one of the police officers was behind me because they needed 'entertainment' and knew I would fall [thanks for the confidence vote Tommo (nickname, not his real name)]. It was still an amazing view though.

This was our first glimpse of where we would be staying that night and it was actually quite the first view. The only catch was we still had to go down further, across a river, and then back up the other side. Still, it was an amazing incentive. Especially since we had never arrived at camp so early before.

We were again welcomed by some village children as we arrived at Efogi 2. They were all so welcoming and amazing. "Oro" [meaning welcome] was a phrase commonly thrown around on our trek [even though some were unaware of its meaning] and it just showed our welcome the local Papua New Guineans were.

This is the famous sun set we were talking about. There are other shots but this was the best and did not have anyone in the photos.

Once again I am sorry for taking so long to get these out but still, it is fun to relive these experiences so many months later. See you soon!

My Kokoda Journey: Day 3 on Kokoda (Day 4 in Papua New Guinea)

Welcome to Day 3 of my Kokoda trek (Day 4 in Papua New Guinea)! Notice how the space between posts this time was shorter (I'm trying my best). Today was set to be a pretty awesome day for a few reasons. For one, I was no longer sick (thank god for Gastro Stop) though still low on energy, and today was going to be the first day on the track where we would arrive at the camp site before sun set. It was a heap of fun! My tent-mate and I were able to pack up our tent in time today which was great because we were slowly getting used to it and faster each morning. We were excited because today we would be reaching the highest part of the Kokoda track and would be walking through some pretty amazing landscapes.

There were a few more rope bridges today which was entertaining and we also came across some other tour groups today. Sadly, they were overtaking us but in our defence, they had their porters carrying their packs and were only carrying small backpacks with water and snacks. Plus, the ones we passed today were all very nice whereas some of the other ones were really rude (more on them in future posts). There was a lot of uphill today (obviously because we were going to the highest point on the track) but I may have fallen over once or twice (by once or twice I mean a few times and by a few times I mean a lot) but hey, why not? Today was such a great day on the track (even though it was overcast).

We got to stop here for a break at one point which was great as it was after a long climb up and a bit of a drop down. It was awesome just to be able to rest our legs for a sec and refill our energy reserves.

This is a view from the highest point on the track. It was sort of funny because once we reached it, we didn't realise at the time because it looked like the track continued up for a bit further. Still, we used it as a break spot anyway so we still thought it was the top at that point. There was a whole lot of mud going up the hill today which made it fun. The mud continued for a little further on so our boots looked disgusting after a while but still, it made for some fun and gave us something to concentrate on for a while there.

After a few more hours we reached Myola which seems like a very nice plain but is actually a giant swamp. It cued us up for a few "Shrek is love. Shrek is life" jokes (some of the others were pretty obsessed with that and it came up a lot if we were struggling: "it hurts, but I'll do it for Shrek."). In all seriousness though, it was a very interesting place. We learnt about the historical significance as well. Apparently, one of the higher-ups in the Kokoda campaign (who had never been to Kokoda but was commanding things from Australia) had ordered the place to be used as a drop point or something (I forget the specifics) because they thought it would be a great piece of land (they did not know it was a swamp) and they would not listen to the soldiers when they said it was not plausible. It was really interesting.

It was another short walk a bit further down until we came to a spot where we dropped our packs. From here we walked for five more minutes to the spot where debris from a crashed biscuit-bomber was still there. It was beside a lake which had been formed by the crashed plane. What was really special was that it was the first time that our PNG Trekking Guide had seen the lake where the water was clear (this was her fiftieth time). It made us all feel pretty special. It was also rather poignant as this was just a month or so after flight MH370 had disappeared. The story of the American biscuit-bomber was also very similar. The plane had disappeared in July and then it was found in December of that year. It was a really interesting story.

We managed to get in to camp just before sunset and we were able to watch it set over the horizon under a clear blue sky. It was amazing. Another awesome thing about today was that when we came into camp a porter came around with popcorn. Yes, popcorn! It was amazing! It may not feel so special to you guys but back then, it was the best thing ever. By now we were already getting tired of some of the ration packs (guys, the spaghetti is awesome!! [but not the vegetarian pasta, stay away from that]). Today was pretty great.

I am sorry about how the photos are getting fewer every time but it is just because as the days went on we had less energy or looked too bad to take photos. Also, there are a number of photos I don't post because there are people in them that might now want those photos online.

Hopefully the rest will be up soon because they were pretty amazing. See you soon!

My Kokoda Journey: Day 2 on Kokoda (Day 3 in Papua New Guinea)

Sorry it is taking me so long to get these out! It's just hard trying to find the time with all my procrastinating. You know how it is. Today was our first day waking up on the Kokoda track and our view was incredible. As you can see in the picture below we were above the clouds and when we woke up it was like we were above a sea of white with little islands (mountain tops) peeking up over the top. It was amazing and was one of the sights that made our trip even more worth while. This morning was also the first time we got to hear our trekking guide Pam say "Good morning. Time to get up." This was something we would come to 'love' over the coming days as we waited in our tents having been woken by her awaking others. I think the phrase "Just 5 more minutes" became very popular and people just turned their headlights on and went back to sleep for a little bit longer. As a group, we could take some time to get ready in the morning and often would leave after our 6:30 deadline (we woke up at 5am every day).

After we had 'enjoyed' our ration pack breakfasts (though the porridge we had that morning wasn't so bad) we were told to head up the hill a little bit for a memorial service at the Isurava war memorial. It was an amazing and moving time and the pictures below show some of what we saw. We had about five to ten minutes to look around beforehand and then we began our service with Pam reading a bit of the background of the place as well as one of our sponsors reading a poem. It was really emotional and it all struck home what we were actually doing right now and how the soldiers before us must have struggled. It said a lot about the endurance and courage our Aussie diggers had to withstand during the Kokoda campaign.

After Pam's speech and the poem we all stood around in a circle while our Police members talked more about the soldier's side and then handed each of us a dog tag with a necklace. This dog tag I still wear today and it has our name on it, the date (April 2014) and the Kokoda trail. We were told that we would get our second dog tag when we finished the trail which was something that motivated us as well as made it very special. After this ceremony, the Porters (pictured below, some had already gone ahead to set up our camp for that night) gathered on the steps and sang their national anthem which was both amazing and humbling. Then Silus, the head porter, (who was really a very very nice and amazing person) gave us our morning briefing on the day's trekking which set us up to start our day knowing where we were going (in a general sense, it was still a mystery to us).

When we began our trek we had not been trekking for long (probably just under an hour or so) before we reached a part of the track that used to home Surgeon's Rock where they would perform amputations that could not wait until they were evacuated from the track (which could take weeks). It was a little disappointing not be able to see it (it had been washed down the side of the track a few years ago) but just to be able to stand on that spot and see where it used to be was again a very humbling experience. It was also scary to think of the horrifying conditions that the Australian soldiers had to go through. Today was very much a reflective day. We then continued our trek through some of the beautiful landscapes you see below.

We were then able to stop after a while at a village where we had our morning tea. They were selling bananas and soft drink there but I only had the banana (wasn't feeling up to the coke yet) which was sooo good! It was nice just to sit down and, again, take in our surroundings. Also, the villagers were again so nice! It was an amazing experience everywhere you look. After about ten to fifteen minutes we continued on our journey.

The above photo shows us walking through a small river (we thought those were river crossings, wait until Day 6 (Day 7 in Papua New Guinea)) and below we walked over a bridge. These bridge crossings caused a lot of nerves in themselves as below us was raging rivers and all that was to stop us falling in were some of these bridges. Still, we crossed one a t a time with the help of a porter and a rope (some only had porters to hold on to and boy, did I hold on tight during these ones). The best part was when you walk on a log the whole way across only to find out at the last little bit that it was the only log not secured to the bridge (which explained why it rolled over so much).

We were almost at our lunch break when we came to a part off the track near Eora Creek where we could walk up for a bit and then come to the remnants of some Japanese war materials (like empty shells and some weapons) as well as some of their 'rabbit hole' things they would use to get under and around the mountains as well as to hide at times. It was pretty high up but there was a lot to see.

It was a little entertaining (if not a bit worrying) to see one of our police men trip on something and fall on the old Japanese ammo shells spreading the pile everywhere. It was sort of funny when he had to put it back together again but still, he should have been a little more careful (coming from the person who fell over the most on the track).

These (below) are some of the amazing bridges we got to cross over on our journey and they were actually quite beautiful in an abstract kind of way. It was a lot of fun to walk over these as you felt safer as there were arm rails (of sorts) along the sides and it seemed more stable than some of the ones we had previously walked over. At times it humbled us to think of all the bridges we crossed that the soldiers before us had not.

This is where we stopped for Lunch on the banks of Eora Creek before we continued on our last three to four hour trek up a hill and then down the other side to our camp site at Templeton's Crossing (I think it was Templeton's Crossing 1 [there were 2]). Some of us managed to arrive before dark but those of us who had fallen behind (due to Gastro or falling over a lot [both categories for me]) arrived just after dark so it was fun to cross the bridge you can see below at this time. It was times like these that I was glad for the porters (also as I fell down a lot on the way down the hill [don't blame me, it was muddy. It was bound to happen]) help throughout it all.

The sight of our camp site was definitely a great sight and that night we were able to have our dinner and talk for a bit and just enjoy ourselves. It was also nice to finally have a toilet to go to (even though it was still a drop hole it had a hut over it) and a place to rest our legs for longer than thirty minutes. Today was a great day and we were glad to have put two of some of the hardest days on the track behind us (Days 1, 2 and 6 were the hardest for us but each trekking company has a different itinerary and spread out the days differently). We were able to reflect on our journey and enjoy and appreciate where we were. Plus, it was the first night we were able to go in the river and wash some of the gunk and stuff of us (which was nice as I went to bed with a little less mud on my legs [hooray!]).

I hope to have Day 3 on Kokoda up in a few days, thank you for waiting. See you soon!