Non-hunting adventures

[Rod]

I freely admit that nearly all of my remote activities are hunting related. However, very occasionally I find something of interest that doesn’t involve hunting.

In July this year I completed a trip that I’d thought about on and off since I was a school child. I’m sure that there isn’t an Aussie who hasn’t heard about Kokoda. Anyway, I walked the track. Probably should have walked it when I was younger and slimmer. Walked over 10 days….primarily following the war time track, about 150 kms and with a total elevation gain of around 7000 metres. Highest part of the track is roughly 2000 metres above sea level. Walked South to North…starting at Owen’s corner and finished at Kokoda.

Here are a few photos.

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Rod

[Rod]

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[Rod]

Apologies for a slack effort in posting this but I’m hopeless when doing this on my phone.
Rod

[canalrifle]

Thanks for sharing. Looks like an adventure.

[dchamp]

The weather looks balmy and you look like you earned that beer. I have never heard of Kokoda. Can you share some more of its history and appeal. Is it controlled by some kind of forest service or ? Did you and your group carry the ten days worth of grub in your packs or did the organizers cache the food in the Rino cases along the route. Either way it looks fairly arduous. Glad you had a good time.

[mchughcb]

Well done Rod. I heard the locals have now stopped the kokoda track.

[Rod]

This gives an insight into what Kokoda means for many Australians and I guess why many of us feel a need to visit.

I’ll post up some more photos and give an overview of the walk when I’m back at the computer.

Rod

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kokoda_Track_campaign

[Rod]

Well done Rod. I heard the locals have now stopped the kokoda track.

I think the locals have been closing and opening the track on and off for years. I believe it’s open again…but who knows.

Our group paid the PNG Government for the necessary permits. The fees are supposed to go to the tribes upon whose land we walk and camp. But we were advised that because of corruption that rarely happens. Our guide, in addition to the fees already paid to the government, paid the villagers additional cash. It was stuff all and kept everyone happy. Well, it did for us.

Anyway, it was an interesting experience.

Rod

[Dom]

Looks like an interesting trip, glad to hear you enjoyed it, life is good!

[Rod]

A brief rundown on the trip.

I did my walk through a company which is run by an ex=pat Aussie. Charlie Lyn, he's a retired Army Officer who spent some considerable time working and surveying in the Highlands during his career. It's probably fair to say that he probably knowns more about the history of the track than anyone living.

My group consisted of 12 paying trekkers, and ex-pat Aussie Group Leader and almost 30 local porters. The time on the track was 10 days, plus a day either side getting to and returning from Port Moresby. Most trekkers elected to hire a personal porter to assist with the carriage of packs. However, 2 members of our group chose to carry their own packs. Both, were extremely fit and regularly run marathons. If you hired a porter you were expected to carry a day pack of around 4 to 6 Kgs. You could then allocate up to 10 Kg for your porter.

I trained fairly intensively for 4 months before the walk. Originally I intended to carry my own pack, and hire a Porter as back-up only. I trained carrying a pack of 20 Kg and was regularly walking 10 kms per day with an elevation gain of around 1,000 feet. Two months before the walk I did one 20 km walk with the pack. That walk convinced me that I really needed to use a Porter. So I then dropped the weight of my pack to just 10 kg and did 4 or 5, 20 kilometre walks per week. Even with that amount of planning I knew that at 103 Kg I was going to suffer on the track. But I was confident thatI'd make it. I carried a back of 6 Kg (including water) and my porter carried 9 kg of my gear.

When I started the walk I was confident that I would be fit enough to do the walk, but I also expected to struggle on some sections. As it turned out there were a couple of days when I questioned my sanity for being there. But by the half way mark I was doing it almost comfortably.

Logistics. We had around 20 porters who carried tents, cooking gear and all of our food. There area is extremely remote, NO roads and very limited air access. We had a food drop at the half way mark which was delivered by helicopter. Meals: breakfast was tinned fruit, baked beans, cereal and powdered milk, crackers and tea / coffee (instant). Lunch was boiled rice, canned beans, canned ham, canned tuna, canned cheese , crackers, tea and coffee. Dinner: One night rice, the next pasta, the next instant mashed potatoes with a tinned meat in some sauce. Instant soup and crackers. Tea or coffee. The meals were prepared by the cook/porter...all on an open fire. Mostly we ate in an open hut/shelter but sometimes sitting on the ground. One night we had a tradition "Moo Moo" ( means Plenty) feast of freshly killed chickens and yams cooked in a pit. It was pretty good.

The walk commenced on the 2nd July. The weather was hot and humid. From the time the walk commenced until it ended I was either soaked in sweats, or wet from rain and or creek crossings. On two nights we were camped at around 2000 meters above sea level. Those nights were cold...probably 2 to 5 degrees centigrade.

In our party we lost lost one walked within the first 2 hours. He had been sick prior to the walk but he went down with the heat and was assisted back to the start of the tracker by several porters. I felt for him and I also wondered about what was in store for me....maybe I should have trained more...and lost a few kg's.

Anyway, the first night I slept well. I awoke to see that most of the camp had been inundated with water during the night. I few of my fellow walkers had spend a rather damp and miserable night. Luckily I slept through it all and was only wet from sweat. Then at breakfast we realised that our guide was shaking and shivering.....with Malaria. Are....I made a note to make sure I took my medication. Our guide Peter, was on the sat phone and he announced that ba trainee leader was on her way for us and that he would now be walking out. He was assisted out by 4 porters. It apparently took the whole day to walk him out. He then spend a week in hospital before being flown back to Australia for recovery.

So, after an interesting start we were off with a new leader and a smaller party.

As to the walk itself....what can I say. It is truely challenging. Almost vertical in places, rocky in places and muddy just about everywhere. And of course there are the tree routes. It is certainly not a walk in the park. We walked through traditional villages were subsistence farming and hunting is the norm. Pretty close to Stone Age. We wandered over old battle fields and saw plenty of war time wreckage (aircraft and weapons).

I really don't know how to properly describe my experiences on the track. I was asked if I enjoyed it ? Not particularly. It was a test of physical and mental endurance. I have had harder days. But not some many extremely hard days....day after day. Would I do it again? probably not, but I'm glad that I have. I should have done it sooner.

Some of the places we visited were sobering. Many times during my walk I reflected upon the suffering and deprivation that so many went through during the war. Especially when you know that many of the men who died there lay in unknown graves. Their loss of life is bad enough but the grief of those who mourned them would have been heartbreaking. This was especially bought home to me at the wreck of a USAF bomber which crashed with the loss of all onboard. Not all bodies were recovered / recoverable. The sacrifices of that generation were great. I appreciate them and thank them.

Anyway, it was a great experience.

I'll post up some more photos later.

Rod

[Rod]

The weather looks balmy and you look like you earned that beer. I have never heard of Kokoda. Can you share some more of its history and appeal. Is it controlled by some kind of forest service or ? Did you and your group carry the ten days worth of grub in your packs or did the organizers cache the food in the Rino cases along the route. Either way it looks fairly arduous. Glad you had a good time.

That Ring case has nothing to do with the trip. I posted it by mistake. And after 3 attempts to remove it, obviously without success. I gave up.

Anyway, I've posted a bit of a run down on the walk.

Cheers
Rod

[Rod]

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This gives an idea of meal time. Cooking on open fires. Mostly with a covered area nearby for eating. But occasionally picnic style. It’s pretty interesting to watch the porters arrive unpack the cooking gear and occasionally make a table out of vines and branches all within 5 minutes. I was impressed with their ability and skills.

[Rod]

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Lake Myola is up high in the Owen Stanley’s . It’s more of a swamp than a lake. Was the sight of a very rough airstrip during the war. Quite a few wrecked aircraft around. Both RAAF and USAF.

My personal porter Wilson was from around the Owen’s Corner area. I reckon we were teamed up because of hair styles complimented each other. We got on like a house on fire. He had a good sense of humour. He is also a hunter. Pigs, wallaby, cassowary and deer (Rusa) . I asked him how he hunted. With dogs, spears, and bow and arrow mostly. But sometimes with a borrowed shotgun. But cartridges were very expensive… He’s a good man

[Rod]

I was surprised to see rainbow trout in the streams running through and from Myoula. Makes you wonder how they got there. Self sustaining population apparently.

[Rod]

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The Kokoda Airport terminal is very basic.

There’s quite a bit of stuff just laying around.

The Port Moresby War Cemetery is a very sobering place. Lest we forget.