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Five trekkers headed out today from Veselugo from the Logan and Beaudesert Bushwalkers Club – Trek 160. All of them looked really fit and ready to test themselves on the Kokoda Track. This group have taken this trek seriously and have put in heaps of training walking in the bush surrounding the Gold Coast and Brisbane. According to them people in general think they are crazy….the get up at 3am, drive to where they will walk for the day….then do up to an 11 hour walk and then drive back home again!
This group visited us at our home on the Gold Coast at the end of January so we had met them all before. Another member of their team Kit Cullen was also booked but he wanted to come up earlier and attend the Anzac Day Service at Bomana and head out with another group on the 26th April. This group should meet up with Kit today as they pass them on the track.
Trekkers include : Malcolm Hill; Lynne Lucas; Robin Watt; John Soderlund & Stephen Hindle.
Photograph: Trekkers seen here at the Gateway Hotel on the night of the 1st May at a briefing:
Gateway_Hotel.jpgPhotograph: Our truck KTL 2 bogged in the mud on the way up to Vesulugo this morning 2nd May. The road at the moment with a little bit of rain on it is absolutely terrible. We passed trekkers heading back into Port Moresby with another company and their bus was waiting all the way down at McDonald's Corner. One young female trekker commented to our trekkers…TURN BACK NOW….haha
Our porters quickly jumped out to try and think how they could get KTL 2 moving again:
KTL_2_Bogged_2.jpgTrekkers and porters giving a push…his went on for around an hour and they finally managed to get the truck back down the hill some 20 metres where it could be turned around.
It was quite funny as female power from the village came into play. Out of the truck came some steel wire used for towing. I was thinking they might want it tied to the Landcruiser but no way……the women from the village all wanting a lift back into town with their produce, walked out in front and tug of war style started pulling….the truck moved very easily at this point and was quickly turned around….WELL DONE TO THE WOMEN OF VESULUGO and to the trekkers and porters:
KTL_2___Bogged_3.jpgTrekkers commenced walking from Veselugo and the first group can be seen here walking up the hill towards the village:
Walking_up_to_Veselugo_1.jpgClosley followed behind by another trekker and his KTL personal porter:
Walking_up_to_Vesulugo_2.jpgThe camera just kept on clicking until the last trekker came up to where I was standing. When you walk on this ground, the red clay mud sticks to your boots and its hard to remove it. At the moment its almost a full time job washing our vehicles:
Walking_up_to_Vesulugo_3.jpgLUCKY LAST and also the guy who wanted to drive our toyota troopcarrier today. He did really well and had obviously done this kind of thing before.
He also gave me quite a few tips so before long the way I am going, I will be able to go rally driving in Australia in my time away from Kokoda Trekking
Walking_up_to_Vesulugo_4.jpgHave just heard this group did really well and arrived at Kokoda today to overnight before they head back into Port Moresby tomorrow.
Our donations arrived by boat and were all sent out to various villages this week. Linda was handed a shower bladder which apparently put a smile on her face.
All trekkers will be back in Port Moresby tomorrow.
All trekkers have arrived back safe and sound in Port Moresby and are resting at their hotel.
They said it was tough…good….and lots of mud!
We tried to catch up with them again tonight but could not locate them in the hotel so spoke by phone and agreed to see them tomorrow at 10am.
All five trekkers seen here on our verandah when they popped around last week.
These people are all serious bush walkers and their experiences on the track appeared to be like none other treks before.
For months now they have been walking the hills of Mt Tamborine and other areas in and around the Gold Coast as part of their regular get togethers, it was good preparation but nothing prepared them for the mud.
However, all trekkers returned home with happy memories and lots of stories to tell to all their family and friends.
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