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Just wondering as I have started keeping one of my training and am kicking myself for not thinking of the idea sooner – otherwise not only would I have started one much, much earlier, but also would've added photos along the way of my training to remind myself (on my down days) that I didn't do all that training to just give up so easily
Are there times on the track or at camp where you can stop to write notes/journal entries or are you that dog-gone tired that all you won't have the energy to pick up a pen, let alone write? Or perhaps that tired that all you want to do is sleep?
Hi Fluppy.
2 of the girls on our trek kept journals.You normally stop for morning tea, lunch and maybe afternoon tea, so theres time to jot down a few notes.Hi Fluppy,
We all had journals, but I fell into the latter category – just wanted to sleep. That was more to do with having narcolepsy than not wanting to write, though lol.
I tried to write sometimes. My dad wrote every night religiously and I know others caught up when they could. I would have written more if I knew how much I would have appreciated that I wrote more once I got home.
I did see a camera (not sure if I mentioned it in my email?) that can do 'voice tagging' on photos. Instead of putting a time and date stamp on the picture, you can voice record what you're taking a photo of and where you are. I think that would be a really effective way to keep track of each day (and I took over 6GB(!) of stills and video, so that would have been a LOT of notes). The cool thing about that camera, too, is that when you're viewing your shots later, you also get to hear your voice from that moment, so the memory stays more clear. If I recall correctly, those cameras were upwards of $500, though.
Next time, I'm going to record a LOT more video, so I don't have to take the time to write so much.
you ever thought of getting a little hard drive voice recorder,,there cheap enough and very small.
While your on the track see if my old boots are still on the log a couple of hours out of Goldie River.Peter – would you like to me bring your boots back?
I'll take a photo for you if they're still there 
A dictaphone thingy. Hadn't thought of one of those. *waits patiently for Monday to go hunting for one* Thanks all
digital voice recorders, I just googled them,,theres zillions to choose from.
My boots have probably gone feral by now and could attack if you get too close.Digital voice recorders – my husband reckons it's a waste of time & money and will only add extra weight.
Peter – If I come across your boots, I'll be sure to bring reinforcements to help me attach a sign to them saying, 'Watch out – they bite!'
they cost from $50 to $300 and weigh about as much as a ipod,,but its just more junk to carry.
A note book is better.I wrote notes every evening, but some days I couldn't remember if it happened today or yesterday because I was too tired to think. Sometimes I forgot to write stuff we'd done that morning. However it was helpful when I came to "write-up" the story of my trek when I got home – it did serve to jog my memory.
I wish I had taken notes as I took photos, but that would have been inconvenient. Some sort of voice recorder would have been handy. I had one photo of us swimming which I could not place for the life of me – after a couple of weeks, I remembered it was a pool about 5 mins out of Efogi where we stopped for a dip. It had completely slipped my memory!
Hi I did the track in 2006 and kept a journal – religiously. My two sons and I spent two months in PNG so i had a lot to write about. When I got back to Australia it took me six weeks to type and complete the journal with photos, entries, etc. I had it copied and bound at Officeworks and now I lend it to people that are about to walk the track and want an inside view. It is well worth the effort.
Libby JackG'day,
I took a small note book in my top pocket ( in a plastic bag to prevent sweat) used the timer on my watch and recorded everything . How long we walked before we stopped, what time we stopped for lunch, what time we walked through villages etc etc. lost the pen once and my trusty porter who was following picked it up and gave it to me when we next stopped. It is all shown on my DVD.
cheers mikeHi. I hiked the track in 1960 as a member of a group of senior scouts from Australian States and Port Moresby back in the days when it was not the done thing to hike the Kokoda Track. I kept a very detailed diary of the whole hike and our time in Port Moresby before and after.
This was done by keeping a small notebook always at the ready and jotting down anything that was significant at the time including all rest periods. Many other scouts made fun of me during the day but come evening they were always asking questions about the day—-when did we stop for lunch etc. Now nearly 50 years later I still have the diary and I have posted one day from it elsewhere on this site.
For those interested here is a short section from the diary from Saturday 9 January 1960.
5.30am woke up and cooked breakfast–cream of celery soup with sweet potatoes.
6.15am went to the creek for a wash.
6.30am dressed and packed for another hard day with a 2,000 ft climb to start with. We had no
carriers on this day as it was their day of rest. A heavy fog was covering the village.
7.00am Farewelled by the second group as we moved off up the Maguli Range.
7.40am Stopped to take a photo of Mt Victoria.
8.25am Stopped to have a ten minute rest. We were still climbing sometimes up steep clay ridges
covered with moss.
9.00am Reached the top after a hard climb of two hours.
9.05am Rested for five minutes. Going steadily down hill now.
9.50am Rested for five minutes after an easy hike up and down the ridge.
10.35am Rested for five minutes after a steady descent.
11.12am Reached the Goldie River. Had a drink—our first since Nauro. I took a photo and ate a
banana. We were all sweating.
11.30am Moved off again.
12.10pm Reached the top of Iorabaiwa Hill after a hard climb.
12.30pm Rested at a hut after coming down a steep ridge. Very hot.
1.00pm Arrived at Iorabaiwa after a very tiring descent through kunia grass. We found it very
hot in the sun. We had been on the trail for six hours of which 45 mins had been spent
resting After taking our packs off we had a feed of pineapples and bananas supplied by
the natives of the village. We then lay down and rested.
2.50pm Ate lunch—tin of fish, cucumber, hard tack biscuit and a mug of water.
3.15pm The second group arrived. The sky was fast becoming overcast.
4.00pm Went down to the creek for a wash.
5.00pm Prepared tea—bully beef, sweet potatoes, cheese and hard tack stew with stewed
apricots.
5.20pm Ate tea
6.00pm It began to rain very heavy but stopped shortly afterwards. Went into the rest house to
lie down and talk.
7.20pm Prepared for bed
8.15pm Went to sleepAnd there is more—let me know if you wish to hear more of our 1960 trek
Bruce
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