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“Fast” Kokoda - April 2nd to 9th, 2016.
Excitement always builds as our trekkers embark on a trip of a lifetime. As an Expedition Guide it is a privilege to be part of this journey with these trekkers.
This trek was not only exciting, but a new challenge – to tackle the mighty Owen Stanley Ranges and the Kokoda Track in an incredible 6 days rather than the usual 8 days.
The anticipation was building as we all met up in Port Moresby. 5 guys Josef, Tom, Jamie, Stephen and David who had all been mates for a very long time. Our challenge was to complete the Kokoda Track in 6 days, which was going to mean quite a few long days of trekking. In my usual way, I wished and prayed for a nice dry track!
An early start on day 1 as we head to the airport for our flight to Popondetta. All going well and our flight leaves right on time – this is great as we will get into Popondetta at a good time and our ETA to Kokoda was looking good.
Not long into our flight there is a strange and loud banging noise on the plane. Everyone looks around at each other wondering what is going on. The air hostess tries to calmly investigate and look as if nothing is wrong. Next minute we find ourselves turned back to Port Moresby and a sigh of relief from everyone as we land.
This is not good for our ETA to Kokoda, but there is nothing we can do but sit and wait in the departure terminal. It could be a quick fix or we could potentially be sitting here for hours – not the outcome I was hoping for.
Luck was on our side and within 45 minutes we were being called to board our flight. A replacement plane was being used and we were ready to take off again. Being only 1 hour behind schedule wasn’t too bad and we arrived in Popondetta safely.
The 3 hour ride to Kokoda from Popondetta included the usual bumps along the way, but went without a hitch and we arrived in Kokoda by about 12.30pm. After a visit to the Kokoda Plateau and lunch we were on our way, stopping at the arches for a photo to mark the beginning of our trek.
Excitement always builds as our trekkers embark on a trip of a lifetime. As an Expedition Guide it is a privilege to be part of this journey with these trekkers.
This trek was not only exciting, but a new challenge – to tackle the mighty Owen Stanley Ranges and the Kokoda Track in an incredible 6 days rather than the usual 8 days.
The anticipation was building as we all met up in Port Moresby. 5 guys Josef, Tom, Jamie, Stephen and David who had all been mates for a very long time. Our challenge was to complete the Kokoda Track in 6 days, which was going to mean quite a few long days of trekking. In my usual way, I wished and prayed for a nice dry track!
An early start on day 1 as we head to the airport for our flight to Popondetta. All going well and our flight leaves right on time – this is great as we will get into Popondetta at a good time and our ETA to Kokoda was looking good.
Not long into our flight there is a strange and loud banging noise on the plane. Everyone looks around at each other wondering what is going on. The air hostess tries to calmly investigate and look as if nothing is wrong. Next minute we find ourselves turned back to Port Moresby and a sigh of relief from everyone as we land.
This is not good for our ETA to Kokoda, but there is nothing we can do but sit and wait in the departure terminal. It could be a quick fix or we could potentially be sitting here for hours – not the outcome I was hoping for.
Luck was on our side and within 45 minutes we were being called to board our flight. A replacement plane was being used and we were ready to take off again. Being only 1 hour behind schedule wasn’t too bad and we arrived in Popondetta safely.
The 3 hour ride to Kokoda from Popondetta included the usual bumps along the way, but went without a hitch and we arrived in Kokoda by about 12.30pm. After a visit to the Kokoda Plateau and lunch we were on our way, stopping at the arches for a photo to mark the beginning of our trek.
The trekkers enjoyed the walk through the plantations as we headed towards the villages of Kovelo and Hoi. The first hill as we head up to Deniki is always a reality check as we realise that we are here on the Kokoda Track.
There were a lot of Locals on this section of the track because there was a rugby game being played between two villages at Kokoda and everyone was heading down there to watch the game.
Deniki is one of my favourite camps and we enjoyed the great views back down to the Kokoda air strip.
Our next few days are going to be big days. Walking the track in 6 days means that we need to do a few days where we cover a day and a half of the normal itinerary. Knowing what this was going to involve, I was keen to get the trekkers up and ready to go early each morning.
Our 5am wake up and 6am starts soon become a normal part of our day. As the first signs of daylight appeared, we set off for our day.
The highlight of day 2 is always the Isurava Memorial site – absolutely one of my favourite parts of the Track. We held our service here and dedicated our thoughts to relatives of our trekkers who had fought for Australia, bringing a tear to many eyes.
On we pushed towards Eora Creek for our night stopover. Covering an amazing 15km on day 2, saw the trekkers pretty tired and in bed very early.
Day 3 with 19km of trekking ahead of us, we headed to the village of Kagi. The village of Kagi is always special as most of our Porters live in this village. We were greeted by the ladies and children of the village with a welcome song. Just as we got into camp the heavens opened up and down came the rain. Another big day under our belts, and the boys were all in bed again very early.
There were a lot of Locals on this section of the track because there was a rugby game being played between two villages at Kokoda and everyone was heading down there to watch the game.
Deniki is one of my favourite camps and we enjoyed the great views back down to the Kokoda air strip.
Our next few days are going to be big days. Walking the track in 6 days means that we need to do a few days where we cover a day and a half of the normal itinerary. Knowing what this was going to involve, I was keen to get the trekkers up and ready to go early each morning.
Our 5am wake up and 6am starts soon become a normal part of our day. As the first signs of daylight appeared, we set off for our day.
The highlight of day 2 is always the Isurava Memorial site – absolutely one of my favourite parts of the Track. We held our service here and dedicated our thoughts to relatives of our trekkers who had fought for Australia, bringing a tear to many eyes.
On we pushed towards Eora Creek for our night stopover. Covering an amazing 15km on day 2, saw the trekkers pretty tired and in bed very early.
Day 3 with 19km of trekking ahead of us, we headed to the village of Kagi. The village of Kagi is always special as most of our Porters live in this village. We were greeted by the ladies and children of the village with a welcome song. Just as we got into camp the heavens opened up and down came the rain. Another big day under our belts, and the boys were all in bed again very early.
The consistent rain each evening ensured we had a slippery and wet track each morning. The swamp seemed to go on forever on both sides of the Brown River and crossing that river was an exciting experience.
The challenge of completing the 6 day trek rather than the usual 9, was one that saw everyone reach for something within themselves that they may not have known was there. Not only was it a physical challenge, but also a mental challenge. Those longer days when we were walking some 10 to 11 hours each day put everything you have in you to the test.
I am proud to say that all of the trekkers rose to the occasion and did an amazing job, challenging themselves each and every day, both physically and mentally. Well done boys!
Ruth Rampling
Expedition Guide
No Roads Expeditions
[email protected]
The challenge of completing the 6 day trek rather than the usual 9, was one that saw everyone reach for something within themselves that they may not have known was there. Not only was it a physical challenge, but also a mental challenge. Those longer days when we were walking some 10 to 11 hours each day put everything you have in you to the test.
I am proud to say that all of the trekkers rose to the occasion and did an amazing job, challenging themselves each and every day, both physically and mentally. Well done boys!
Ruth Rampling
Expedition Guide
No Roads Expeditions
[email protected]