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The issue of Dash 8 aircraft flying into Kokoda is a bigger issue than I thought. At this stage I agree with Gail, this would not be in anyone's interest other than the likes of Charlie Lynn's organisation and their grossly oversized trekking groups.
A most sensible rule on Tasmania's Overland Track,when I last checked, was that groups must not exceed 15. I see no reason whatsoever why this should not apply to Kokoda.
Gail, I have noted your participation, with your industry, meeting with the Kokoda Track Authority from time to time. No doubt you are persuing the issue of appropriate trekking group numbers and I am certain you can count on the support of the majority of the contributors to this forum in favour of restricting numbers within groups.
I am certainly not advocating a reduction in annual overall trekking numbers other than to a maximum which the Authority deems appropriate for overall sustainability.
Cheers, Geoff Hardie
Hi Geoff, with Kokoda on average the majority of trekkers will walk with a personal porter. This means as an extra food porter has to be employed as well so in actual fact for every personal porter it means two guys walk as if not who is going to carry the food for the trekker and the personal porter coz he is carrying the trekkers gear plus his own small 5kg bag.
By the time we add a guide and a 2IC for a group of 10 trekkers it ends up around 30 in the group.
Hence I think there should be a maximum of 10-15/18 trekkers only in every one group without the need to add more guides and porters because in every trek there will always be some trekkers who carry themselves and sometimes they struggle and the extra food porters are often called on to help carry their tent when they start to struggle.
For example we have a group heading out in September with 26 trekkers in the group. This trek will be divided into two sections with their own guide and food porters, pots & pans etc. If it turns out the track is very busy they can then split into two for a night very easily without causing any problems to any other trekking company.
When our guides head out they will be instructed to blend in with other companies and not to hog any one site wholly for themselves if it means putting other trekking company trekkers at risk. This is just common courtesy and is how we operate. All our porters co-operate with other trekking groups and I am sure this trek will not provide any problems to another company. To stop another company from sharing a campsite just because we have a larger group is un Australian and I strongly feel we should all work together to ensure the safety of all trekkers irrespective of who they are walking with.
This group of our is from the Lord Somers Camp in Victoria and they are all associated one way or other with them. A couple of years back they also walked with this size and the group leader knows in advance how we operate and he would not blink an eye lid if say one group camped on one side of Goldie River and the other group on the opposite side or for that matter even Camp 66 or Uberi. Its all a matter of courtesy and common sense.
Unfortunately when you are the walking historian with a group, you have to keep them together to brief them coz after all that is why they have chosen that particular group leader in the first place to actually hear him speak!
I could stand corrected, but I doubt Soc Kienzle (Komplete Kokoda) or the likes of Paul Croll (Frontline Kokoda) both of whom sub contract to us would even consider a group of 100 +
Just a couple of comments and an observation from my trek in June.
We had 15 trekkers in our group and all but 3 of us used a personal porter. We didn't have a ratio of 2 porters ( i.e food and personal) per trekker. Each day I carried all my food, other than the night meal, in my daypack. My porter carried the rest of my day rations plus his own. Food porters carried the groups evening meal, pots etc – there were only a few of these guys . We were under strict instructions to limit the amount of gear we had, to make this possible and our porters carried no more than 16kg maximum. We had an Australian guide and learning the history of the campaign was a big part of our trek.
We passed an AK trek about mid way through our trip. It was very large and they were all walking single file, one after the other – like a march. So if one member stopped to say, take a photo, everyone else behind had to stop as well. I would have absolutely hated this!! We spread out and walked at our own pace with our porter, stopping to photograph, sketch, rest or whatever whenever we felt like it.
Back in Pt Moresby after the trek I bumped into some members of that AK trek and we shared a beer or two. I commented on the fact that they looked like they were on a march, all together in single file… and they agreed. They didn't enjoy that aspect but said the tour leader (not Chalie Lynn) liked to keep them that way.
It's interesting to read all the comments about perspectives of other groups passed on the track. Everyone we passed was great and my carrier was related to, or knew some carriers from other companies, so it was all very friendly. We met a group coming the other direction one morning and they joined us for our briefing (I can't remember the name of the group – it wasn't one I'd heard of before). I liked that.
Another group we passed was coming down a difficult track quite quickly and we quite firm in making sure we got out of the way, because they were stretchering a trekker out. They were a little on the pushy side about it, but after the week they'd had, and with a second emergency on their hands, it was understandable. I suppose one has to take each encounter on its own merits.
I'm really glad I was able to walk at my own pace. Walking in line in the group – whatever the size, just to keep the group together would have driven me completely mad! My favourite parts of the trek were walking alone with my carrier and chatting, or just listening to him singing to himself.
Hi
A lot has been said already what I would like to add that there is no way that I would ever remotely consider going with a large group in fact one larger than 10 trekkers would be the maximum for me personally.
Our group consisted of four chaps and one lady along three personal porters, four food porters and a guide. We actually had more food porters than normal as we had to carry food for the entire 9 day trek. Normally we would have been restocked half way reducing the numbers of food porters required but this was not possible on this particular trek.
This size group in my regard was ideal I certainly would not like one too much larger.
I would recommend that anyone considering trekking with one of those companies who to make a extra few dollars trek with large groups reconsider doing so and seriously consider going with companies like KTL for example who normally do not.
Responsible trekking companies often take large school groups through these companies will split these large groups up into smaller ones often starting at slightly different times to avoid cluttering the track up etc.
Please do try and limit the pack that you give to your porter to well below 15kgs as they have to add thier own gear on top of yours. Without food and water 12kgs should be possible with the water being carried in your own daypack.
Brian
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