March 2015 Into The Breech!
Its not often we enjoy being the ‘guinea pig’ but being the first No Roads Expedition to traverse the Track in 2015 is the exception (& no Sooty, your pleasure trips with 15 medical staff to cater for your every ache & pain do not count! But No Roads to Health is still an incredibly worthwhile venture!). We are pleased to report its as brilliant as ever!!
Six intrepid adventurers including our friend from the USofA, PJ, set off on a stormy day to test our mettle against the track. The boys from Ballarat, Mick & Shane, the father/son team showed straight off what mateship can be, even between family as they both fulfilled dreams over the eight days.
Alethe and Virginia too as cousins, but more like sisters, kept us entertained with a constant barrage of ‘catch-up’ although Virg did not speak to Alethe for the first two days as, ‘she didn’t like to interrupt’ .
Its not often we enjoy being the ‘guinea pig’ but being the first No Roads Expedition to traverse the Track in 2015 is the exception (& no Sooty, your pleasure trips with 15 medical staff to cater for your every ache & pain do not count! But No Roads to Health is still an incredibly worthwhile venture!). We are pleased to report its as brilliant as ever!!
Six intrepid adventurers including our friend from the USofA, PJ, set off on a stormy day to test our mettle against the track. The boys from Ballarat, Mick & Shane, the father/son team showed straight off what mateship can be, even between family as they both fulfilled dreams over the eight days.
Alethe and Virginia too as cousins, but more like sisters, kept us entertained with a constant barrage of ‘catch-up’ although Virg did not speak to Alethe for the first two days as, ‘she didn’t like to interrupt’ .
And lastly the lovely Belinda who as a lawyer, saw through the guide quickly and holds multiple suits for ‘false information’ over my head….. but honestly Belinda, the boss told me there were Panzer tanks on the track and although those ‘tank tracks’ were suspiciously close to the deceased D9 dozer, I’m sure they are WW2 tank tracks.
And so the trek started
So good to re-visit old sites, so good to see new sites and above all, so good to make/renew friendships with our ever reliable porter group led by the great man himself, Clement Deia. I swear, every time I look around, Clement is resting! He is so good at his job he can afford to, and for the first trip of the year he had the men working like a well-oiled machine (and lets face it, they are ‘machines’ the way they go at it) from the first minute.
Steve sets the pace, clearing obstacles before us and from what appears to be a very stormy wet season, the trees down, the bridges washed out, the regrowth of vegetation, all kept Steve on his toes….until Kagi when baby Fiona becomes the only focus for the whole group! She is adorable Steve, even if the White Man scares her a bit.
Personal Porters, Nick, Gibson (Hover Dog), Archie (Adults Only), Emmanuelle, & Lester (‘son’ to Mick) guarded over their trekkers. Max stepped in to guard over Alethe and we left PJ to fend for himself! Sorry PJ but we are still coming to grips with General Doug, yet we are so glad that you accepted the Australian humour so readily and gave back as much as you got. And sorry about all those (expletives deleted) insects, dogs, early mornings, chooks, women interrupting your meals with questions, etc etc etc.
And so the trek started
So good to re-visit old sites, so good to see new sites and above all, so good to make/renew friendships with our ever reliable porter group led by the great man himself, Clement Deia. I swear, every time I look around, Clement is resting! He is so good at his job he can afford to, and for the first trip of the year he had the men working like a well-oiled machine (and lets face it, they are ‘machines’ the way they go at it) from the first minute.
Steve sets the pace, clearing obstacles before us and from what appears to be a very stormy wet season, the trees down, the bridges washed out, the regrowth of vegetation, all kept Steve on his toes….until Kagi when baby Fiona becomes the only focus for the whole group! She is adorable Steve, even if the White Man scares her a bit.
Personal Porters, Nick, Gibson (Hover Dog), Archie (Adults Only), Emmanuelle, & Lester (‘son’ to Mick) guarded over their trekkers. Max stepped in to guard over Alethe and we left PJ to fend for himself! Sorry PJ but we are still coming to grips with General Doug, yet we are so glad that you accepted the Australian humour so readily and gave back as much as you got. And sorry about all those (expletives deleted) insects, dogs, early mornings, chooks, women interrupting your meals with questions, etc etc etc.
Porters Alex, Graham & Albert were on top of river crossings and getting into camp early so that Masterchef Ben could swing into preparing that amazing menu including a few new treats for the track. Want to know what they are?, well you better book a trek soon to find out. So good Ben!!
A bit of rain, a lot of sun. A few tears and a lot of fun. New friends, old friends. Its what the track is about and it served it all up in glorious style yet again.
Above all, thankyou to Mick, Shane, Alethe, Virginia, Belinda & PJ for stepping well out of their comfort zones to experience a track that demands Courage, Endurance, Mateship and a good amount of Sacrifice, as we remember and honour those gone before us, whilst developing a greater respect for our own ‘Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels’ as they share their home with us.
And thanks for putting up with the ‘old bloke’ and his love of this amazing place which can’t help but spill over a bit. I loved it.
Andrew Johnson
Expedition Guide
No Roads Expeditions
ajohnson@noroads.com.au
A bit of rain, a lot of sun. A few tears and a lot of fun. New friends, old friends. Its what the track is about and it served it all up in glorious style yet again.
Above all, thankyou to Mick, Shane, Alethe, Virginia, Belinda & PJ for stepping well out of their comfort zones to experience a track that demands Courage, Endurance, Mateship and a good amount of Sacrifice, as we remember and honour those gone before us, whilst developing a greater respect for our own ‘Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels’ as they share their home with us.
And thanks for putting up with the ‘old bloke’ and his love of this amazing place which can’t help but spill over a bit. I loved it.
Andrew Johnson
Expedition Guide
No Roads Expeditions
ajohnson@noroads.com.au