Russell is trying to save the trees on the track:

In all Russell's 12 + years of walking he has cut down himself lots of young trees requested by trekkers for walking poles.

As an alternative, during the month of June/July we introduced strong walking sticks made out of KWILA and they have turned out to be a big hit.

They are also a momento of your trek and are carved with:

Kokoda Trekking 2006 and our KTL initials (Kokoda Trekking Ltd).

If you are interested in purchasing a walking stick you only need one per person and the cost is $30.00 or K70.00 PNG currency

Our initial order was 100 sticks and the majority of them have now found their way back home to Australia with no hassles that we are aware of.

Trekkers usually give them a 'name' and by the end of their trek are really attached to their walking stick. One trekker recently cut his own name on his stick before he headed out so he would recognise it from the others in the group.

Some trekkers simply tie something through the holes provided at the top of the pole or put some plaster etc on their stick to identify it from the others in their group.

You could even bring along your very own strap to insert through the holes as we cannot purchase this locally here in PNG.

Walking sticks are highly recommended for all trekkers. According to Russell, if using the metal ones purchased in Australia, you should use two. If using these wooden poles, one is quite ok. Besides helping with the ascents and descents, they are useful just to lean on for a rest.

Group of trekkers in Trek 179 with their walking sticks:
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