Forum Replies Created
- Posts
Hi guys
Recommend something that will keep you dry around camp. No need to have anything while you are walking. The rain is warm and you will only sweat anyway. At camp though you want to be dry. We didn't bother with our gortex, but took lightweight jackets. The brand we bought was Rainbird, aviaable from any camping store.
Hope this helps.
MelHi guys
Haven't logged on for a few days so thought i would ad my two cents worth in regards to the thermals. I think that even in November you could potentially need them as you are at 2100 near Kokoda Gap so if you stay near there is will be cold We went in Sept and Alola and Templetons were cold overnight. I took 3/4 length pants for night and when it was cold I wore my thermals with the pants over top. Not a sexy look, but I wasn't there to pick up 😉 No need to carry heavy tracksuit pants when thermals would suffice.
We didn't take a tarp – hey if you're going to get wet walking into camp, you don't need to have a tarp to set up – you're wet anyway! What we did take that was quite useful when sitting around camp was a light weight piece of plastic (the clear stuff you can get from bunnings or even a drop sheet) that was about 2 x 1 metre. Hubby and I shared this when sitting around camp or at lunchtimes as the ground was often wet or quite dirty (yes I'm a girl!!!) but seriously, the mud and crap on the ground is not pleasant after you have had a wash and feel clean after feeling dirty all day.
Cheers
MelForgot to mention a couple of things above:
Even though hubby carried the camera in a bum bag, when it was raining (not spitting, but really raining) we would put the camera in a waterproof bag in our backpack as we weren't going to be taking photos anyway! At creek crossings, if it was out of the bum bag it was always strapped around his neck.
Also, I agree with the Jckresq above- definately buy a camera that takes batteries rather than rechargables or lithium ion. You certainly won't be able to recharge on the track. We also considered this for future trips and figured at least anywhere you are in the world you can buy AA batteries, but you can't always plug into a powerpoint.
We took our camera which has a 20x zoom. As stated above it was well waterproof – double bagged. My husband carried it on his waist in a bumbag – you don't fall flat on your face, it is normally on your bum, so best to carry your camera in front than behind.
I think some of you have forgotten the fact that travel insurance is just for the purpose you are talking about! You will NEVER do the trek again (or unlikely for most) so the last thing you want is some crappy pictures from a cheap camera. I am not saying to buy the most expensive, but I can tell you the guy who took disposable cameras on a trip prior to us was not very happy at all.
In terms of whehter you are too tired – I guess at times you are, but that is when you hook up with someone else on your trek and agree to get them to take photos of you and vice versa (of course you want to see yourself in some pics). Rest stops are important so that is when you take photos.
I can't answer your questions about videos, because at the time we didn't have one, now we do. If I had my time again I would probably take the risk (as I said that is what insurance is for) but I guess it is a personal decision. The important thing though is to get the best resolution and biggest zoom that you can afford.
Hope this helps.
Hi guys
I agree with Libby about the medical requirements. Now that I have read her post it confirms what we had – had forgotten everything. We used Bushman's repellent as it has a built in sunscreen 30+. (reduces what you have to carry too!) Don't forget that the anti-malerial tablets give you greater susceptability to sunburn, although having said that you are not in the sun an awful lot. Mel
Hi
We took a Canon that was not waterproof, however it did have anti-shock, anti-vibration. My husband carried it in a waterproof bag (like they use in kayaks) and put this in a bum bag so that it was easily accessible. The last thing you want to do is have to get into your pack to get out the camera when you are completely exhausted. We took a heap more pictures than anyone else on the trek. Having the anti shake thing on the camera was brilliant and so is an excellent zoom – much more important than waterproofness.Hi everyone
I saw the Compass show last night too. I thought it was great and showed a realistic view of what the trek was like. Having said that, hubby and I both commented how dry it was. Austin – we walked Owers to Kokoda also – the finish in the other direction seems much more "spectacular" in terms of walking through the arches at the end, there is nothing like that at Kokoda. Having said that, you walk a logn way and struggle before you get to Isuarva so it is much more meaninful I think. Either way, there are pros and cons.
If you loved the porter walking barefoot wait until you see them wearing one jogger and the other barefoot. A sight to see. Sometimes they even wear one thong and the other foot barefoot. It is amazing to watch them as they stick their big toe into the mud to get a grip!
So, a couple of comments from the past few posts with my "wussy female comments". Imagine taking advice from a woman
[*]Raincoat. Definately take one for at camp 'cause once you have washed and smell like roses you don't want to get wet and go to bed wet. However, I do not recommend you carry something that you intend to walk in. It is 30 degrees and the rain is warm (if that makes sense). We walked for 4 hours in the rain one day and not one of us had a raincoat. We didn't both taking our gortex jackets on the trip but got one of these small fold up Rainbird jackets that you can get in almost any camping store. Weight is your key issue.
[*]We got to meet the old digger Ovuru Indiki and had our photos taken with him. Not sure what other previous trekkers think, but our porters were really not happy with us going into the village where Indiki lives and they were of the belief that he is a fraud. Not going to state my opinion… but there are a couple of thoughts on this. Talk to your porters and find out their opinion. I think it depends what village they come from on what they think.
[*]Galen – I am actually a rugby league fan, but recently coming from Qld I have had to gain a quick interest in the AFL. I will support any Qld team though! We bought a Brisbane Broncos jersey for our porter (hubby and I shared) as a thank you, we figured odds were he would be a fan. Can you believe every porter on the trip loved the Broncos except ours!!!!
[*]Austin – congrats on training with the pack on. As you are increasing your weight may I suggest you fill juice or softdrink bottles with weight as weight. That way if you have put too much in and you are struggling on a training walk you can drain the water out.
[*]We got one of those very very small microfibre towels, cut it in two and overlocked the edges and inserted a button hole. Then each of us had one hooked onto the caribineers on our packs as a sweat cloth (was one of the handiest things we had). Light weight and easily washable. It also served as a cool face cloth at each river crossing -very refreshing. Lots of our fellow trekkers were jealous.
[*]Another hint – your clothes really smell of jungle and each day you put on wet putrid clothing. When returning we were told most people throw away their clothes because of the smell, but I tried someting that really worked!!! No, not Amway I;m not one of those people. Canestan wash. It is in your laundry detergent aisle in your friendly Coles/Woolies but is an antibacterial wash. One wash in the machine and our clothes were like new. I suggest you take some in a plastic container on your trip and wash your clothes in it – will help for sure . There is nothing worse than dry-retching as you put your own smelly clothes on.
So, on that note, there are my pearls of wisdom for the day. When you're next in Perth let me know and perhaps we can arrange to share our pics. Here's one for now.
[attachment=2870:Mel_clim…oribaiwa.jpg]
Mel_climbing_towards_Ioribaiwa.jpgCommiserations to the West Coast fans out there. I am going to enjoy giving everyone some stick tomorrow!
Justin I guess every trip is different but on our trip it rained for 2.5 days straight and it was supposedly the dry seaon! Our first afternoon saw us stuck on one side of a swollen river with half of the porters on one side (with all our cooking gear) and us on the other side with a few porters and our food! We were all sitting around while the porters discussed what to do when we heard a loud crash and splash and there was a tree over the flooded river! While the water was waste deep the porters strung up some ropes either side of the river and held them taut then ferried each of us over the tree that they had just cut down! After that, wet feet and shoes didn't bother us!
Having said the next morning we had to cross the river 7 times and for the first few times we were jumping across rocks and trees where possible to stay dry, then had the bright thought that our feet were already wet so why not just walk straight through. At about 3/4pm every day it pours down with rain, so I say if your feet/boots start wet in the morning walk through the creeks/rivers. Otherwise try and keep dry where possible becuase your feet will cope a lot better. One trick we didn't pick up until the end of the trip was drying shoes by the fire each night – I recommend that one!
Hi Galen/Austin
I am sure you'll be fine with your bush poles – maybe you're right I am chick so wussy! But, don't say I didn't warn you 🙂
In terms of footcare and blisters there were two things we did and they were both prior to the trek. We walked for 9 months every 3 out of 4 weekends for 3-4 hours a time, so our boots were well worn in. About 4 weeks before going we brushed our feet in metho. It toughens your feet up. Grab a face washer and soak it in metho and once a day wipe it all over your feet.
At Kokoda the only thing we did was wear sandals/Tevas at camp to dry our feet out and wash and dry properly between our toes (to avoid tinea). Absolutely essential to wear footwear at camp as there is many a tale about ringworm. The only guy on our trek to walk barefoot got worms after the trek. Might be a coincidence though as he is also a school teacher.
We took tinea ointment and blister packs with us on the trek in our personal first aid kit just in case but luckily didn't need either. The only thing I ended up using was some sports tape (the brown stuff) around my little toe where it rubbed. Beware that if there is a slight rub or your socks are rubbing slightly to stop and fix it or you will end up with HUGE problems at the end of the day.
Go the LIONS!!! Still couldn't get tickets in the resale today so watching the game at the pub tomorrow.
Btw, meant to ask why you guys are thinking of taking a knife?
It is not something you need – I didn't even use a pocket knife!
One thing that is particularly useful (especially if you get one in the Kathmandu sale) is a walking pole. The guides will cut one for you however your hands rub on tree trunk and you will definitely need a glove if you go this way. A "real" pole helps as you can put your hand on the top of the pole (not something you can do with a stick). The soil when wet is like the red clay we get here in WA, slippery when wet. You want something to stop you from sliding. Only 1 pole needed though as you need a hand free to break your fall!
Hi Austin
Yeah, I am 31 years old – although age is relative 😉 My fitness before I started to train for Kokoda (and since) was really poor as I was running my own business, working ridiculous hours and doing no exercise. Kokoda was an incentive to get fit and after 9 months of training 3 weekends out of 4 it paid off. For Kokoda I carried a 60 litre pack, while my husband's pack was 80 litres (but didn't fill it). We then did the Overland Track carrying absolutely everything including cooking gear and hubby carried a 90 litre pack – definately overkill for Kokoda. So I reckon a 70 litre pack would be just about right.
I thoroughly recommend trying on your backpack even if you later buy it online. I am "vertically challenged" and struggled to find a pack that did not cut across my arms (practise walking with exagerated movements). Make sure it doesn't dig into your back, particularly at the top of your bum (which is wear it "might" rub if you are making small movements.
In terms of tent, we were lucky enough to have it supplied with our outfitter. However, not sure if you are aware of a new store in Perth called Anaconda. We had it in Brissie and it has just opened at Joondalup. They currently have a sale on with 1/2 man tents that are lightweight. We were thinking of buying one for overnight walks in Perth, so think it will be more than suitable at Kokoda. Check them out at http://www.anaconda.com.au/ I would rate them as between Kathmandu/Mountain Designs and BCF – not for the hardcore but not cheap and nasty.
You should also certainly have "breathable" and "quick dry" shirts and shorts if possible. For the guys in the audience, bike pants are essential under shorts. Hubby was the only one who didn't have chaffing because he wore bike pants. Most guys had it so badly they had to tape their groin – not a pretty site I am sure and hard to get off when back in civilisation!
Go the Lions!!!! Pissed that I can't get tickets – what is all that about!!!!
Hi there
My husband and I walked the track in Sept 06 and thought I would write with a few words of advice after our experience. We lived in Qld at the time and now live in WA, so if you want to give us a call anytime reply to this site and I will give you our details.
A camelbak (or similar) is absolutely essential. The last thing you want to be doing is stopping to undo the lid of your water bottle because generally this will mean taking your pack off your back, and that is not something you want to do. We also carried a 1 litre bottle on the side of our pack. It is good to have a systme of filtration with your purification drops and easy to fill up at creeks, then transfer to the camelbak. In terms of water purification you can now get Micropur in liquid format rather than disolving tablets. For those in WA I have seen these at Ranger camping stores – although I don't think they are at all of them so ring first to check.
For rehydration we took an electrolyte replacement – I think it was called "replace" or something similar. It is essentially like Gatorade however it also had magnesium. Check with your local helath food store. Best to have this is powder form (just add water) as it is lighter. Before leaving we put these into separate zip-lock bags – a day each. We would tend to have one each night, but might be useful to have one at lunchtime too in order to keep the energy up.
When we went the Field Guide to Kokoda was not available – we are currently reading it and I certainly would recommend taking some photocopies of the parts you are interested in. While the porters are absolutely fantastic and will tell you all they need to know, the reality is that they are not historians and have limited knowledge of the war and most relics (although as I said, they point out bits and pieces). I would recommend taking some photocopies. My husband has printed and laminated (so they wouldnt get wet) the maps for each day (think he got these from Gail's website or a book, can't remember). Another thing we took was a little spiral notepad to write timings and general thoughts. At night you are so tired you don't want to write pages and pages, but a few notes are useful.
Training in Perth is quite different to Brisbane where we had quite a few hills and mountains. I highly recommend doing as much hill work as possible, with weight in your pack (ie. more weight than you intend to carry on the track so that your training is more beneficial – build up to it though – don't start silly!!!).
Hmmm, can't think of some other tips for now, but I will follow the thread if you have any questions.
I loved my trip so much I plan to go back in 9 years to walk with our friend who will be 70! I will only be 40 then so I think I'll be able to keep up with him 😉 We intend to walk the opposite direction – last time we walked Owers to Kokoda.
Happy training!
Mel
Please pass on a hello to Paul Cooper from Tim and Mel. We hope that he doesn't have to get up too early to tape his feet before everyone else gets up! <img src="http://developer2/board/upload/style_emoticons//rolleyes.gif” style=”vertical-align:middle” emoid=”:rolleyes:” border=”0″ alt=”rolleyes.gif” />
