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My daughter and I walked in September last year, each with a high quality boot. The sole fell off hers on the first day! She walked the entire trip with the soles taped on!
The best advise for boots is to make sure you water proof them several times before you go. They get waterlogged from constantly wet clay, and water will eventually seep in. Take the laces out before you waterproof them, and repeat monthly before going.
I too took crocs as my second shoes. They were fantastic – feet could dry and air at the end of each day, toes could spread out, and the feet were protected. I did a coupls of river crossings in them, and walked a couple of km on a particularly wet day in them. I considered the wet suit booties, but am glad I didn't bother. They are overkill for the water crossings and totally useless for around camp. I liked the look of those merrell open sandles though – do they weigh much?Personally, I recommend a pack cover! I took a "one planet" backpack, also fully lined and water proof, but the rain is torrential at times. I borrowed a pack cover and it made all the difference. The best part was that when I took my pack off at the end of the day, it didn't drip a big wet puddle into my tent the way it had when I had no cover. I didn't worry about the cover in light rain, but for anything approaching heavy it was fantastic. It also helped to keep things together if you have things like water bottles and shoes hanging off the outside.
Putting the mat inside your pack is also beneficial – it keeps it dry, stops it from catching on everything, and no little hitchhikers can crawl in! I folded mine in half, then rolled it, and it fitted perfectly in the bottom of my bag.
As for the water bottles, a couple of our guys rigged up something on the waist strap to hold their bottles. I found carrying anything in the front restricted by climbing ability, but others wore bum bags on front with food, drink and sunscreen etc. There is even a new camel pack in a bum bag you can get! For drinking on the go a camel pack is worth its weight in gold, but I found water bottles ideal for when I stopped and could have a long solid drink.If you have access to a "step " class at a local gym, make full use of it, even if once a week. "pump" or weight classes are also good. You will find as the strength of you legs improve. the jitters will reduce. If you can't get to a class, then working on squats at home with your back pack on will help – 10 minutes a day – as though you are sitting on and off the toilet. In my experience, the jitters are from muscle fatigue, and strengthening the muscles will help. As for the track, you will find your muscles build quickly while out there and the jitters will disappear! Unfortunately, as your legs feel about to fall off going down steep hills they may come back temporarily, but they will be a lot less of a problem with increased strength and endurance.
You are best to buy here and take over – there are limited opportunities to buy while over there, while if you buy here you are familiar with the stores, can weigh what you will carry, and quality may be better and prices cheaper.
The children love simple things – avoid lollies. Blowing bubbles, hair bands (bright colours as both boys and girls will wear them on their wrists), pens for the older kids, pencils, crayons, blank books, colouring books, stickers, sporting equipment, balls, anything with wheels, practical items. Things for porters may include clothes, hiking or camping equipment, things for the village to share, a machete or knife (the boys will often charge others to borrow theirs), etc. You can't give gifts to everyone, so maybe pick on village to spoil, and give the children of other villages something small. They also love to have their photo taken on a digital camera and to see the result!Remember that internationals have 100ml rules – that is, can't take ANYTHING in a tube or bottle in hand luggage greater than 100 ml, and everything less must be in a clear sealed snaplock bag, including lip gloss and roll ons. In your main luggage, I suggest still sealing in snaplock bags – saves a BIG mess when things leak.
First time i took johnsons baby shampoo, and the second time the eco friendly stuff. Sorry to those I offend, but the baby shampoo was the best – I washed me, my hair, my clothes and even my dishes in it!
I don't advise aerosols – always a risk on planes.
I also don't recommend lots of small packets of soaps and shampoos on the trek – cakes of soap are often very polluting, and what will you do with all the empties? Someone has to dispose of all the rubbish – either burned, buried or carried out.
As for toilet paper – being a girl, I took a double length roll and a single roll. Each of these was put on a string (great for hanging around your neck, or on a pole when squating), and then in a snap lock bag with hand sanitizer with it. (first trip I used the lot – second trip less than a roll) I tried the baby wipes, but found them too iritating, too heavy to carry the required amount, and too bulky. I kept a small packet of handwipes for emergencies, but generally used my sweat rag (which I washed frequently and each night) for everything from a face washer to hand cleaner as required.Your guides will tell you when to take boots off and when to leave them on. On our September trek, we had flooding, and so walked about 3 km with multiple crossings in bare feet or sandles. I too had crocs, and they saved my feet big time. Sometimes crossings are easier in bare feet, sometimes, crocs – your guide will tell you. Most creeks had tree trunks for crossing them and for these you kept the boots on (be sure to wipe mud from the bottom of boot first to avoid slipperness). At some crossings the tree bridges had been washed out, and these we had to wade across up to our waists. A month earlier, there was little deeper than knee height – all depends on the weather on the day! When taking boots off, be sure to have a small towel or sweat rag handy to clean and dry feet after before putting boots and socks back on.
Dani – I heard you survived your toilet experience in Kokoda! Congratulations. In fact, I heard you did so well, toilets no longer faze you!
I just wanted to let others know about a product recommended by another female trekker. Called a "whizbiz" http://www.whizbiz.com.au/, it allows a female to pee standing up! No more embarrassing "exposures" at the side of the track, balancing over questionable holes, and, when your legs are too tired to squat, makes peeing standing up a breeze for the gals. It needs some practice before you go, but works a treat. It was also very handy in September when the bees were particularly active – very scary to squat over a hole, start to pee, and have a swarm of bees head for your exposed bits! Also helped when the beams on one toilet had rotted, so when I squatted, they gave way – very embarrassing with my pants down. Now, if I'd been standing still clothed, it would have worked much better!
We did learn that the toilets that were just holes in the ground worked so much better than the others (kept cleaner etc), but we really appreciated the real sit down one at KTL in Kokoda!
Editors Note: Even more reason to trek with us! When staying at Orohaven, you have a nice clean sit on flushing toilet.
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Guesthouse_1.jpgI would have carried 4-5 litres of water on my first trek too, but it was unnecessary most of the time. Second time round I again carried 5 litres of containers, but not water – 3 litre camel pack and 2 bottles, but walked with the pack half empty (most of time) and one bottle empty, the other full with half strength endura. This worked well for me, as if there was a water stop, I could fill one bottle and have it being treated while still drinking from the camelpack. Once completed, it could be poured into the pack without having to re-treat. I also found it much easier to have a big drink from a bottle at the rest stops (the 1/2 strength endura or staminade worked well here), and kept my pack for sipping while on the move, or when too tired to take my pack off. The couple of times when water was a problem ( a long dry stretch the first time, and flooding the second time that polluted all the drinking water with mud), I was glad for the ability to increase my volume of carried water. It also meant I could fill and treat overnight, and still have plenty of water left in the morning to walk with. As for size, I walked with a 40 litre pack the first time (and a full pack second time). Those I walked with who only carried small packs were constantly looking for their porters (who were often busy) at meal times to get their bowls, or snack food, first aid equipment etc. They would often have to borrow off the rest of us until their porter turned up. Those that carried all our day gear (poncho, food, snacks, water, first aid stuff, sunscreen, insect repellant etc) faired much better in the long run. Whatever size you choose, you need to be comfortable with it.
having walked twice in 2008 and battled rain most days both ways, the best protection your socks can have is to waterproof your boots PROPERLY and MULTIPLE TIMES prior to trekking. This will keep your socks drier and enable you to wear them for two or three days in a row before changing. Wash them and then hang them on the back of your pack to dry while you walk – remember to bring them in before it rains!!! I took three pairs each time – two pair of wool blend hiking WIGWAMS – one with inbuilt liner (thoroughly recommend at around $35 from Paddy Palin), and a cheaper wool pair from my local camping shop. The more expensive socks were worth every penny – just wish I hadn't melted one on the fire!
I echo Danielle's thoughts with a big thank you to the boys from KTL, and a big congratulations to all the kids (and adults!) who trekked. We had some tough days, but most of the kids knuckled down and achieved something amazing. Well done to all. My favourite moment would have had to have been the day the creek flooded and we had to swim the last couple of km (OK, slight embellishment, but it was wet and very fun!). I too miss being on the trek, and miss the company of those I trekked with. Well done to all, and hope all the sunburn, bruises, sore muscles, bumps, scratches, tummy bugs and flus and improving!
PS Just wanted to let the boys know – looks like I did break my collar bone and damaged my shoulder
– many thanks to all those who helped me get through. Nat MGo for a decent set of poles, one with two sets of adjustments so as they reduce to a smaller size and you won't have a problem. I too debated heavily before deciding to take my two poles to Kokoda. I'd been training with them for 8 months, and decided to take them just in case. I have bad knees, and there were some days I was using them like a pair of crutches!!!! They also saved me from many a fall, were lighter than the wooden stick, and allowed me to test the depth of the mud before plunging into it! There were a few times the track wasn't wide enough to use them, and I just tucked them under my arms, or attached them to the back of my pack until I needed them again. I did miss getting one of the hand-carved poles from the porters, but was lucky enough to be presented with one at the end of the walk – it now takes pride of place in my living room! To summarise – if you have trained with poles or have bad knees – take them both. If not, enjoy the stick your porters will provide (which by the way are very comfortable to lean on when tired!).
I've just gotten back from Kokoda and it rained! When we got to Mt Bellamy it was cold, wet, and miserable – most of us only had ponchos, and thay were grossly inadequate. Prior to this we hadn't worried about covering up in the rain, but it was dismall this day and we were all soon freezing and wishing we had proper rain jackets.
I'm going again in a couple of weeks and will definitely invest in a lightweight rain jacket. The poncho was also used to sleep in when my tent leaked water, and when the nights were really cold, but the day we had to hike in it, it quickly became torn, I was constantly tripping on it or adjusting it out of the way. If going in the middle of the year – a poncho is probably fine – as you near September though, I strongly advise you to take the real thing!
