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Hi All,
Great tips. 6 of us just got back and we had a ball. Couple of things I would add. DON'T go cheap on your shoes. One of our members went a cheaper alternative and paid the price when they 'blew out' on day 5. He had to revert to his runners for the last few days and destroyed them as well luckily on the last day. Spend the money around $200.00 will get you a really good set of hiking boots. Colombia or Hi Tec with Gore Tex do the job admirably.The other thing which may sound stupid, is I wish I had a handful of plastic clothes pegs. Most of the places we camped had a clothes line of sorts and in the afternoon when you still have some sun and breeze clothes dry much quicker when hung out properly. OK so in the first 2 hours the next day you are wet again but it is nice to get into dry clothes to have breakfast ( we got sock drying by the fire at night down to an art form). Oh and don't forget string it can come in very handy. Good quality stuff.
Cheers
OOps forgat jafa is right almost no flies on the track so you don't need to go the whole way and get the corks if anything would be more annoying then helpful.
Cheers
XMan
G'day Fluppy,
To find your local agent or retailer, contact Akubra by phone or fax and they will put you in contact with the Akubra outlet closest to you.Akubra Hats
PO Box 287
Kempsey NSW 2440
Phone +61 2 6562 6177
Fax +61 2 6562 8726As far as myth goes the Swaggy actually did have them hanging off his hat…and yes if you want to you can still buy them. I couldn't find an Akubra in my size when I was in Melbourne so I settled for a leather Bramah hat which was great. Would have liked an Akubra though. Here is an excerpt from the poem 'The Swagman' by C J Dennis
'Twas hard to earn a bite of bread,
He told me. Then he shook his head,
And all the little corks that hung
Around his hat-brim danced and swung
And bobbed about his face; and when
I laughed he made them dance again.
He said they were for keeping flies –
"The pesky varmints" – from his eyes.
He called me "Codger". . . "Now you see
The best days of your life," said he.
"But days will come to bend your back,
And, when they come, keep off the track.
Keep off, young codger, if you can.
He seemed a funny sort of man.Cheers
X Man
G'Day tbrennen
Look up Fluppy's posts you will see one there about newbie trekking Kokoda. It was regarding her medication. I replied to that one with a few links to the sites that you can use to check your medication and different options.
Best bet is check with your GP first regarding all immunizations and required meds then follow up some of the links in my other posts and you should be right. For normal stuff as jafa says pay your visa get out is about right.Cheers
Xman
Hi Nettie,
We are back all survived well and we had a unbelievable trek. It could not ever be duplicated. Ivan was not at Isurava when we went through. I found your plaque though at the memorial. It is a very sacred place. I couldn't find an Akubra in my size (I have a big boof head) so settles for a Barmah leather hat and it worked a treat rain and shine. We are still in touch with our porters and trail master Wayne known as Willa the second fastest man on the track. I received an SMS from him today. I will definitely go back to PNG.I can only describe it as a life changing experience. Worth every step from Kokoda to Ower's Corner. Our porters were the best bunch of blokes and girl our guides wife Tina came along as a porter. Amazing to see a 50Kg gilr carry a pack in thongs and not get her feet dirty. Every day our support team of Papuan nationals astounded us with to them everyday feats of endurance and strength. One of our members created the motto HARD AND STRONG boys just like them.
And from the boys to us – IKETO FREE EH. I am free use me give and free yourself. Best twelve days of my life apart from the birth of my sons.
Regards
X-Man
Hi Heather,
I would just like to throw in that the good old fashioned exercise bike is very good tool to use for strengthening of the legs. It is low impact and works both the extension and compression of muscles. This helped me no end when I was traveling for business a month before the trek even if you have no hills or stairs every gym has a variety of the bikes and you can get a very good workout on the bike alone for an hour and I tell you what your legs know about it. It is also good for the core muscles.Happy training Hard and strong
Cheers
X-Man
Hi Fluppy,
Xman again, as to your medications (My eldest son is High functioning Autistic
) According to information I can find on the net your personal medication should be carried in your hand luggage. Maybe a medication card see link- http://clearlyvisiblesafetysigns.com/medicationcard.html Doesn't have to be that company but is a good idea when you travel internationally to have one of these especially if you are taking different types of medication.
Here are some web links to sites which may helphttp://www.smartraveller.gov.au/tips/travelwell.html
Look for traveling with medicine on the web page.http://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/yourhe…dicine_os.shtml
This is an Australian government site which recommend that you consult with your doctor as well as check with the embassy or high commission of the country you are traveling to.http://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/yourhe…d_exports.shtml
Also check this one out and again your doctor should be able to guide you on the right path or even perform the check for you.Your doctor will also be able to prescribe the correct immunization and anti Malaria meds for you.
Hope this helps.
Cheers
X-Man
G'day Fluppy,
6 of us have just finished Trek 396 on Thursday. The only member of our party who carried their own pack was Nick who was also the youngest at 26. We had different levels of fitness in our group with the age range from 26 – 59. If your hubby wants to carry his own pack then all I can say is that he should not overate his fitness level and be realistic about it. The best way to see if he is ready is for him to load up his pack with everything he would be taking on the track and go for a walk for 5 – 7 hours preferably up and down some mountains…not hills.
His pack at the lightest will come in at 10 – 12 Kg. This is without food 1.8Kg and water, if you have 2 litres then 2 kilos so you are really not going get away with less than 14Kg. Nick had been training with 15Kg and still found it tough going at times. The condition of the track makes a HUGE difference. It has been raining pretty much all year in 'PNG' the track is very muddy in sections, this is totally different to a dry walk and some of the terrain is STEEP and muddy. As we were going up and over Mt. Bellamy Nick and I looked at each other and he said "This isn't trekking it's bloody climbing" At the end of the day the fitter you are the easier it will be for you whether you are carrying your pack or not.
I myself am 35 and am pretty fit and regularly with mates walk on a weekend morning 10 – 15 Km up to 1000 feet and down through creek beds/beaches and back we all live an Hamilton Island and used our walking tracks some of which are grade 5 in difficulty. We do this in under 3 hours carrying 8Kg (when we were in training for Kokoda) then go to the gym. We did not entertain the idea of carrying our own pack on advice from one of our members who did it last year as well. The track was dry at that time.
If your hubby really wants to carry his pack then good on him, but I hope he has trained hard and is quite fit if not then the walk will be not enjoyable for him but arduous. See attached pictures taken in the last 2 weeks. When is your Trek? How long have you got to prepare?Picture one. yes this is the track.
Picture two. This too.
Picture three. Just about the halfway point you can see Kagi you have to walk to the main village in the centre and then over the next ranges.Be sensible is all I can say and make sure that his fitness level is adequate.
Regards
X-Man
pic_1___resized.jpg
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Pic_3___resized.jpgG'day,
The more I read and look at photos of people who have done the trek the more and more I am looking forward to it. I have not ever done something that I have had so much anticipation before the event….. From watching the porters seem to take it all in their stride literally. I read in the news that a new record was set by one of the Kokoda Trekking porters of running the track in 17 hours fifty something minutes… now thats FIT.Cheers
Xane
