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Sounds like a good idea – happy to pass on any details that may help. Would be great to have this network go country-wide.
Congratulations and well done!
Sounds amazing with the creeks and rivers up. The porters are the sung and unsung heroes of the Track:
Slow and careful in bad places
On the awful mountain trackWith the emphasis on the 'awe' as in full of wonder… walking the Track is a paradox in so many ways
Glad that you enjoyed the South Coast, crowie.
The bog is quite indescribable. We were in it to our waists on occasion. Agree that the downs are worse on aging knees (referring to myself!). A storm caught us before we could crest the Ironbounds and making our way down to Deadmans Cove in a downpour, saw a frog doing better time – and breaststroke.
It's a magic walk – lots of variety – and great training for Kokoda.
Lorna,
Just the two of us did a 35 day trek on the Nepalese side of Everest in March/April 2004. We flew into Phaplu (4 days walk south of Lukla) and walked to Namche to acclimatise the up the Thame, Dingboche and Gokyo valleys. We climbed Kala Pattar and Gokyo Ri for views of Everest as well as a trip to Base Camp and a walk/scramble ascent of several small peaks (>5000m). We used a Nepalese based company booked through an Adelaide, SA adventure tour company. We are still in regular contact with our sirdar who is now living in America. Have recommended this company to several people since and all have had a great experience. They did both individual and group treks.Don't know the forum protocol for this but am happy to discuss companies further in a PM as we researched about 20 companies before making our booking. Also, after attending many information nights, it was interesting to experience the same companies in the field and see how they delivered.
This year we are going to the Tibetan side of Everest with another Adelaide adventure company. Starting in Beijing, train to Lhasa then 4WD to Everest and aiming to trek to Advanced Base Camp (>6000m). Acclimatisation plays a significant role in these journeys.
Brian,
Thanks for your sage advice:
The world is a book and those who do not travel read only a pageDoes KTL trek Black Cat?
Brian,
Hope that your health improves and that you are back walking again soon. If you venture into South Australia on your Grey Nomad travels, there are some wonderful walks – both short and long – that I'm sure you would love.We're off back trekking around Everest this year but on the northern (Tibetan side) this time, our goal is Advanced Base Camp… love those hills…
We still have more New Guinea walks planned on our never-ending and always growing Walks List…
I think that Crowie is walking in south west Tassie – the haul up the Ironbounds is great training for Kokoda.
Good luck everyone with your 2010 treks and beyond…
Seasons Greetings to everyone on the Forum and to all at Kokoda Trekking…
Throughout the New Year, may there always be
adventures ahead of you
good friends beside you
and fond memories behind youand naahhh.. Fluppy you're perfectly normal… I wasn't logged on to the forum Christmas Day but was discussing Kokoda over dinner with a prospective trekker as well as planning our next overseas trek…
Thanks again everyone for all your posts – they were a great help for both our training, preparation and Trek this year
Mrs Moo,
I think that the footbridges are in line with:3. Principles to be followed in delivering on the Management Outcomes.
- Maintain the perceived risk of the adventure but reduce the actual risk.
This reflects some of the discussions that I've had with prospective trekkers ie they want to experience an adventure but want to be safe at the same time. It's also my personal issue – the practice of 'dumbing down' tracks in the interests of risk mitigation.
I don't know the answer but surely removing all the challenges will make it NOT an adventure. Perhaps we should create a virtual Kokoda on Second Life to ensure total safety – the adventure that you can have without even leaving home – and leave us risk-takers somewhere REAL to walk.
Great point Brett!
Statistics can be interpreted in many ways but the real issue here is the sustainability/preservation of the Track, not just for the tourists but for the PNG people.
Regarding litter, my husband walked the Track in 1996 and was surprised at how much cleaner it was when we walked it again this September.
Hopefully they've learnt a lesson about being flexible with policies when the situation warrants – seems like common sense. The resulting bad PR should help.
I had a totally different experience with another carrier when returning home from Kokoda this September out of Brisbane back to Adelaide. I had cracked 2 ribs in a fall on the Track and had a painful time on the flight out of Moresby. We went and saw our airline when we landed in Brisbane and they were exceptional in how they looked after me on the flight home.
Truly an inspiration to everyone and a great example of how courage, tenacity and sheer guts can overcome obstacles.
Well done!! an amazing tribute to the Spirit of Kokoda.
Totally agree with you, Fluppy
The Whiz is a great concept but just isn't convenient most of the time. Although I did find it very useful when the only patch of ground was covered with stinging plants and I just had to go!
The Tiger Balm tip is something I picked up years ago from fellow trekkers in Nepal and it has worked for me ever since. I managed to get a 20c size tin that sits in with my loo paper.
Good luck with your second Kokoda trek – my husband walked it first in 1996 (Owers-Kokoda) and got so much more out of his second trip with me in September this year. We walked in the reverse direction (Kokoda-Owers) and he said that it was definitely a very different walk but wonderful whichever way.
I'm in awe of your achievement and the tenacity with which you trained.
A post for the ladies…
Apologies if this has been previously discussed on the Forum – while we ladies still have to squat for #2s, we can now pee standing up: WhizBiz.I am no stranger to bush toilets but used a Whiz for the first time on Kokoda as a help to my knees and am of two minds – it was certainly great in the busier toilets as I could stand and avoid any 'misses' but a bit of a nuisance for a quick dash into the bush. I do intend to persevere and see if it is just a matter of getting used to it.
Has anyone else any experience with this or a similar product?
