At Owers' Corner preparations were quickly under way for the group to move off as dark clouds were circling and the boys were thinking it would start raining so they wanted to get going as quickly as possible.
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Whilst Tom Zorich took the opportunity to have his photograph taken with Jenen Barai who would accompany him on the track.

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The boys quickly assembled and we took a group photograph before we bid our goodbye's and they headed off down the hill:
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Bye bye trek 810, have a great trek:
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Trek 810: I spoke to Stuart and Kingsley at the top of Maguli Range around 11am. He said they were all ok and heading to Agulogo for the night. About 1 hour behind the lead group was Wayne playing catch up when he called in at midday. Not bad when you consider Wayne left Tom and his porter Jenen Barai at Ua'Ule Creek at 9am and was already at Maguli Range by midday. Tom decided to turn back from Ua'Ule Creek and walked off the track approximately 4pm this afternoon and is now back in Port Moresby no doubt disappointed but safe, so a good decision. He informed us that the track at the moment is very slippery and wet and hard going.

Last night they spent the night at Ioribaiwa.
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Congratulations are in order for Trek 810 as they walked off the track around midday today. Wayne was laughing as he told me that Stuart was just plodding along when the other two took off like it was a race to the finish line.

The younger of the group it seems hurt his ankle so it was Stuart who walked into Orohaven Kokoda Retreat first before the other two.

Do well done guys.

As for Tom, he sent me an email today and is on the mend but still suffering from a sore toe but sounded in good spirits.
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Dear Gail and the boys, Bruce and Paul here, from trip #810

We are writing to express our appreciation and our thanks for such an amazing trip. Hiking the kokoda trail with your crew was a pleasure and an experience that neither of us will ever forget.

Please convey our deepest thanks to Wayne, Kingsley, Moses, Jenen, Felix and Slimmy. The boys were an absolute dream to travel with, polite, informative and massively helpful. We doubt that our trip would have been the same without them. The help that the guides and porters gave us was absolutely invaluable. They had track, history, practical and local knowledge that they shared with us to enrich our experience. The porters really went the extra mile to help us with our kit, we didn’t even have to ask – they even dried out our boots and socks each night when we got to camp. There was always a helping hand across streams and steep climbs – they knew just what to do to make the whole trip more survivable.

And how can we forget Orohaven? Absolutely amazing! Having the celebratory beers with the boys, families and the Orohaven staff was the cherry on top (thanks Wayne!), and what a cherry it was! Please express our thanks as well to Marianne for her hospitality, as always we were well looked after.

The food set up was perfect; all of us had just the right amount and type of food for the days on the trail. None of us went hungry. The evening cooking by the guides and porters was outstanding, they really looked after us. The facilities at the villages were totally unexpected to say the least, they were incredible. The people were friendly, and really made us feel welcome during our stay.

Our thanks to Gail for her swift and decisive action when it looked like we would be stuck at the Popondetta Airfield and Russel’s assistance getting us to the ATM just in case! The organisation that KTL put into the trip was absolutely exemplary, and we will definitely be recommending the company to friends and associates who want to travel Kokoda. Also, thank you Gail for getting us set up with that big breakfast at the hotel at the conclusion of the trip, it was just what we needed.

One minor point (no big deal), we did experience quite a big delay at the airport and unexpected cost of the tourist visa (k100), which was higher than expected. Good to advise other trekkers to get an earlier flight than we did – just in case!

We would like to say how much we appreciated the assistance Moses gave us during the trek. Through how things turned out on the trip such as individual pace of trekkers, we wound up trekking through a lot of it with Moses, and he was brilliant!

Truly it was the small things he did, helping us across streams, telling us of his home province, showing us local food. He was even cutting footholds in the really slippery, muddy bits so we didn’t slip (well, more than usual!) He’d make an excellent personal porter and eventually when he has a few more treks under the belt he’d make a great guide.

Wayne and Kingsley had things so well organised for the trip, they knew just where to stop, how far to push, we definitely saw their experience show through. They have brilliant people skills and excellent knowledge of how to run a trek.

Once again our deepest thanks for one of the most amazing experiences of our lives. (I dare say I’ll be coming over again in a year or so! – Paul)

Sincerely,

Bruce Crow and Paul Prudon
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