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Hi Gail and Crew,
vey sad to hear the news of Brian. I was always intrigued to hear his posts and he enlightening all of us about the goings on etc.
I know he didn't fight in New Guinea during the campaign, but he fought his own battle to finish his trek, as did I and most that walk it.
Best regards to his family.
Not sure if KTL have awards for Guides/Porters each year, but maybe if you did you could name it after Brian and Wallace, as a team, the Mateship, Courage, Endurance, Sacrifice.
Cheers
Dave (I will be back!)
Awesome stuff Mike. Your last one sums up my trek perfectly. I haven't had time to read them all but your e-book would be a great idea.
Cheers
The man in black.
Gday Shane. We will be on the track at a similar time. Planning to walk for a second time around July/August 2014 with a few of the same that walked on Trek 182 in 2006. I can't believe it will be 8 years when we leave to when we last tracked!
Anyways mate, hope you enjoy your build up.
Your question about what age is too young etc in another thread – it has been discussed before on this forum, maybe 3/4 years ago. I'm sure it would still be in the archives somewhere. We passed many local children on the track and they all seemed to skip and laugh their ways over the hills. Obviously not carrying much at all. In the end I guess it would be up to you.
Cheers
Dave
Gday Chopper, sorry to hear of the liver cancer.
I can only recommend KTL as trekked with Gail and her team in 2006. All transfers are covered in the trek package. You'll be picked up from the airport, taken out to Sogeri lodge for the night and depending on which direction you are walking, either down to Ower's corner or back to the airport for the flight to Popendetta. Truck from Popendetta to Kokoda.
Rooms are expensive in Port Moresby but i would recomend a night after trekking at Gateway or if cash is not an issue go to Airways. 3 to a room and it's a bit cheaper. You will be dropped at the hotel and then the airport when flying out. In a group you should be fine around Moresby, get a cab (picked by hotel staff) and they will take you on a tour etc. I've heard of trekkers finishing their trek then being dropped at the airport and home a few hours later and it really starts to sink in then. Around a pool having pizza for lunch is a much better option in Port Moresby for a day or so.
As for knees well I am lucky in that regard so far, but i couldn't have finished the Trek without a pole. Previous trekkers had left their's after trekking standing up at Ower's corner and i grabbed one of those. You'll need it on the first decent down to Goldie River. Feel free to buy your own in Australia to take but a wooden pole is your friend. KTL used to make their own for you to use and bring home but not sure if they still do?? Going up you can really pull yourself up, going down you can use it like a ski pole as vertical decents do exist in places. The track is muddy and slippery and your legs will be pointed in all directions, you will fall down every day. If your knees are a problem now they are going to be tested to the limit on the track.
Maybe others with bad knees have trekked and will answer at a later date.
I would recommend travel insurance that includes evacuation with existing conditions, if there is such a thing.
Cheers and I hope this helps a bit.
DaveG'day Andrew. You've picked something fantastic to do and will no doubt come to remember your trek as an awesome experience.
I trekked with Gail and her team back in 2006 and can't heap enough praise on her company. We had 7 trekkers plus porters and that was just about the right amount.
I too was born in 1969. I was not the fittest guy before starting training, and like you, started early, about a year off from going for me. My only comment with training would be to not wear yourself out early. Get yourself fit sure, doing whatever you like to do, but really start the hills and stairs with about 3-4 months before going. I found with a couple of months to go I was starting to wane a bit. Maybe wasn't fully wound up and payed for it on the track. Walking the track is something you really cannot describe it to anyone until you have done it. The experience is out of this world.
I see you are in Bendigo, and when winter comes around you'll notice it gets harder to train. One of the hardest things I found was leaving a Brisbane winter (nowhere near as cold as Bendigo) and turning up in Port Moresby. Into a sauna basically. Remember to keep your fluids up from the time you leave Australia.
Anyways mate, good luck with the training. You say you hate camping/bushwalking, but make sure you do a few overnighters in the bush somewhere before you go. Really use all your gear to make sure you're ready.
18 months might be a long way off but you'll find it'll be here before you know it.Gday Josh, it's been 4 years since I did the trek, and not a day goes by that i don't think about it. I'm Planning to go back next year. Technology has changed since then but here's my 2 cents worth –
With your shoes, you only have 2 months to go so i would go with what you've got. i would go with ankle support and wear some sock garters, which does keep some mud out. Make sure you break them in, wear them everywhere, vasoline your toes and feet to combat the blisters, before putting your socks on.
You are going to be wet 80% of the time.Clothes,boots/socks won't dry most of the time overnight. You'll wake up dry but be putting wet clothes on, wet boots, but they will be wet in a half hour anyways with sweat. Try to keep your feet dry, dry them at night, pay extra attention to your FEET.
I took a rain jacket but mate, i left it in the bag. You will be wet. walking in a jacket will feel like a sauna.
DO line your pack with garbage bags, DO make sure it has a pack cover, or buy a cheap $15 one to go over your pack.
I had a $20 head lamp, it worked fine. extra battery.
I wore a shirt with a collar and long sleeves but that was a preference, i sunburn easy, and while most of the walk is under canopy, when you are out in the sun, it will scold you. Make sure the material feels ok on your skin after sweating in it for a few hours. Long pants to keep your legs warm after cooling down at night, the zip off pants may be the go.
I did see a couple of people that were overweight on the track, and i'm sure they made it. Take it at your own pace, don't think it's a race and burn yourself out. Mentally it will test you. Don't underestimate the Track. It is tough. The fitter you are, the more you will enjoy it, after all, the Kokoda Track is a spectacle worth savouring.
Hope this helps a bit, as i say, thats what i did, it may not work for you.
DaveThanks Brian, Geoff and Mrs Moo.
My reply to his article is below.Like I mention, usually it's to create some type of controversy to sell papers.
Brian, I was thinking of you when i mentioned the 70 year old
'Good morning,
Interesting article you have written, and obviously one that has been
written many times before by journalists looking for that bit of
controversy to give their own career a high profile lift.Take the Stinson walk and do it about 7 days in a row, then you might
get a little idea on what the Kokoda Track holds.I am a Kokoda Trekker, and will be again next year, you are welcome to
join myself and my friends.Before you say the knees no good, the backs playing up, the hearts not
strong enough etc…..(I've heard all the excuses), have a think about
the 74 year old that did the Track this year, or the 70 year old last
year, or the paraplegic, or the blind guy…the list goes on.People trek for all sorts of reasons, mine was for past family fighting
on the Track, and their descriptions of the fighting should be enough
for what is a common theme – 'EVERY ABLE BODIED AUSTRALIAN SHOULD WALK
THE KOKODA TRACK'.While it can never be proven, you might not have been able to go to any
bbq's to hear the stories if it wasn't for these battles along the
Track.By downgrading 'the overweight middle aged persons rite of passage', you
are not only giving negative publicity to those trekkers, but in a round
about way, also a negative spin on the Track itself.The Track is sacred, and the storey needs to be told forever more, in
schools, in universities, wherever.I look forward to the letters to the editor over the next few days.'
and thanks to whomever added the link to the article.
Dave
Gday Gail and fellow trekies,
well i have bitten the bullet and things are underway for my return trek with KTL in 2011, having completed my first in september 2006.
With me will be a couple of return trekkers and hopefully a few new ones.Sogeri Lodge looks like it would be perfect for the night before the trek, away from the bright lights of Port Moresby – I was wondering if we could get some recommendations from anyone thats stayed there before trekking? Would the self contained annex with 7 beds be suitable for the whole Trek party?
Gail, do you still do a trek briefing the night before at Sogeri, or leave it till the morning of the trek, or not worry about doing one?
And when would a visit to Bomana War Cemetery take place, before or after the trek is completed?Dave (Brisbane Wantok)
I would agree with Boss Meri about going from Ower's Corner to Kokoda to be a very rewarding experience. Days 2-5 are especially steep this way. The euphoria really hits you entering the Isurava Memorial after having conquered most of the track. While going from Kokoda to Ower's Corner would also be great, i felt i deserved the last couple of days to 'relax' a little on the track (maybe not so much the ascent up to Alola!). The campsite at Eora Creek is a special place. As was the last night we spent at Deniki, overlooking the beautiful valley with views to Kokoda airstrip. The welcome in Kokoda as well and the time to spend having a look around the station and with your porter and their family. A truly exceptional feeling of achievement.
Gday Fluppy, looks like you have it all covered.
If you have room for your porters gear, then i would take everything if it fits in your pack.
Remember if you start to stress a little before you go then sit down and take a few deep breaths.
On the subject of money, i ended up taking about 200 kina ($100) on the track, which when you think of how much the trek is costing, is not much. Definately in small notes. i spent about 80k on soft drink and fruit and had plenty left when reaching kokoda, so bought a carton of sp's to share with the porters. In the end i gave what i had left to my porter. You've never seen a smile like it
Of course it would depend on how your porter is, but i'm sure you will make a friend for life.
Maybe factor in a few dollars if you are staying in kokoda a night.
I have suffered from cramps in the legs after many days on the cricket fields and was sure that would happen on my trek, so took a light pair of thermals just in case. sure enough come day two i started to cramp up, and they became a godsend at night around the campsite. That and nurofen for breakfast
Mt Barney is fantastic and the camp at Lower Portals is nice, still can't get used to how cold the water is though!
Good luck to you and your partner, safe treking.
DaveGday Fluppy,
finding places around Brisvegas can be hard. I trained mostly at Wongawallen around Mt Tamborine and while nice and steep, they didn't last long enough, being able to get to the top in under an hour and down in much less. The up and down is good practice though, your legs will be screaming after going down but then having to change and go up takes some getting used to, especially when it's for 3-4 hours. Ideally training on a stairwell in a highrise in the weeks leading up to departure with a full pack and walking stick would be the way to go.I have since found some walks in the Brisbane Forest Park that give everything (your body/gear) a good overall workout. The overnight camp down to English Creek and back up is about 18-20klm in total.
While not being the steepness of Kokoda, the fire tracks are rocky and hard and the legs do burn, especially on the all the way up and out the following day. A good test for the boots.
There is also a side track to take up to the top of Northbrooke Mountain, and this detour will definately show you a similar climb to the Kokoda Track itself in parts.
The campsite is next to a causeway and the creek was flowing a few months ago. The overnight will give you a good idea how your gear is with everything having to be taken in and taken back out.
Visit the EPA website – http://www.epa.qld.gov.au/parksandforests for a bit more info. You would have to book the campsite in advance on the website.
I have a scanned pdf of the topo of the area with the campsite marked, let me know if you would like it sent to you.
Good luck with the rest of your training, i remember how nervous i became as the date came closer.
Cheers
DaveGday Gail,
just wanted to say that i'm glad to see Cyprian is still a guide with KTL as i cannot speak highly enough of this bloke during our trek in 2006.
Hopefully he will still be guiding people in 2011 when i come back, this time with a few friends.
If you had any info on how the Minister found the trek, it would be good to hear his thoughts.
Cheers
DaveGday, i too have a burning desire to go back after completing my first crossing in 2006. I am hoping to get 5-10 friends together for a return in 2010/2011 with Gail and KTL. I went from Owers to Kokoda and on returning would go that way again, visiting Isurava and the relatively 'easy' going on the last day or so being a reward for the hard work that went beforehand. also the night spent in kokoda with the porters and guides is priceless.
Training in the right conditions to emulate the track is indeed a hard task as Brian and others has pointed out. The step machines and now i work in a highrise in Brisbane may be a great way. Obviously doing this for an hour or longer can become a trifle boring as you don't get the surrounds to look at as you would on the track.
Around Brisbane, Mt Cootha is a good place to start. If you can get over to the sand hills on Moreton or North Stradbroke islands than this would be beneficial. Try the Northbrooke Mountain walk in the Brisbane Forest Park, leaving the gravel track and heading straight up to the summit gives you an idea of what it's going to be like. But then you need to do this up and down for about 5 times to get somewhere near a days treking in New Guinea.
Try the hills around mt tamborine on the gold coast. Welches Road up to Wongawallen Road is ok, but if you can follow the power lines this would be better. Up and Down. everyone can do it once but a full day on the track takes 8-10 hours. This gives you some idea, but i'm not sure if you can be 'fully prepared' for the Kokoda Track.Gloves are a great asset. You'll be grabbing trees, vines, rocks, sliding down sheer drops.
Your hands do cop a pounding.
i had a left and right handed golf glove for each hand, chopped the tops off the fingers and they worked a treat.Hi Stewart,
send me an email to springgrove@hotmail.com.
let me know what dates you will be there, i'm guessing you are flying in/out of popendetta?
or visiting the beaches?also how many there are of you.
i'll let you know a couple of things when you email me.
