Kokoda 2015 Day 3 + 4

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Day 3 ( April 19 )

Breakfast was interesting, I was starved without food for 2 days so I decided to use a couple of the eggs that we bought, I got out the mini fry pan and prepared myself for a treat. I tried to crack the eggs but discovered that they were hard boiled. I didn't expect that as I thought I got fresh eggs but that is what happens when you assume. As we had no need for the fry pan anymore I quickly palmed it off and gave to one of the local guys at the camp. He thought it was Christmas. Anyway the hard boiled eggs still did the job. One egg was my total fuel intake since stepping off, I managed to hold it down so it was a start.
We started walking again at 7AM and almost immediately we starting climbing, the climb continued for about three hours. It was slow going and very steep we were climbing the Maguli ridge which is about 1350 meters high. One meter up and slip two meters down in the slippery muddy conditions it was tricky to find your footing. It was amusing to continually see the same few trekkers virtually run up the hills as if they were in Boston marathon. They thought they were super heros but they had nothing on their back but a light day pack. These guys have everything carried for them and they even have someone put up their tent and cook their meals. Amazing that they probably go back home and tell everyone "I did Kokoda and it was easy". I felt like saying come back next year and do a "real" trek.
I was relieved to finally reach the summit and take a lunch break. With my appetite had returned so I scoffed a few jelly beans to get a sugar hit, it worked. Water was becoming a problem too, we were overloaded with weight so every Kg we didn't carry meant a lighter load. Each liter of water was a Kg so if I could get by with less water then it sure beats carrying the stuff unnecessarily. There was plenty of small streams along the way where we could refill water bottles and drink it straight away. The bigger streams were a bit riskier so chlorine tabs were needed. I drank from my camel back taking small sips about every 10 - 15 mins. I used approx two liters to get to the top of the hill but going down I would use about one liter as I wasn't working as hard. Every liter of water also had electrolyte powder, I'm glad we had plenty of it because the rate I was sweating would surely mean cramping without it. The rest of the day was comparatively easier as we descended down hill until we arrived at Menari village. This was the third village we passed through. (the first being Ioribaiwa) The villages are good places to buy fresh fruit as they put out local stalls on the track to entice the trekkers to buy the local produce. I spotted a bunch of bananas and immediately bought them (about 50 cents each) We ate one each and I kept a few for later. So a banana hit gave my energy reserves a slight boost. We continued past Nauro village and then continued back into the jungle.

We are now heading through ankle high mud and there is no way to keep our feet dry. We were in a swamp. The track was difficult to follow as it was simply a mud trail stirred up by thousands of previous trekkers ahead of us. The mossies were pretty thick but they didn't have time to settle on you just as long as you keep moving. If you stop then you become fair game for Kamikaze trained mossies. Leaches were pretty think too but it seems we were lucky to avoid them. After about a kilometer of walking through crap I began to wonder how much longer do we have to endure this. It was hard work because every time you took a step you sank into the mud and you had to work hard to extract your foot out of the mud on every step. Occasionally there was a walkway made from logs embedded into the mud, it was a bit pointless really as when the walkway stopped you were back into the mud again. I hoped it would rain to wash away some of the mossies and sweat, but it didn't we just got constant light drizzle. It went on for about 6 long Kilometers until we finally came to the Brown River. The swamp area was used for biscuit bombing drops during the war, many biscuits were never recovered due to the nature of the terrain it was too hard to find them.

The Brown River was a major water obstacle to cross, it was wide and very fast flowing. There was an improvised bridge made of several tree trunks and logs but to cross you had to successfully move from one log to the next in sequence until you were all the way across. It was tricky with a back pack and the logs were very slippery. Somehow we managed to make it over without killing ourselves. I thought the swamp had finished but I was wrong, after the river crossing we went back into more of the same crap. We finally came to our camp location Agulogo Camp on the river. Again we were lucky to score a hut. Sweet! The first immediate action was now becoming routine, drop the packs and head for the icy cold creek to wash off all the mud and rinse the smelly clothing until the next day.
At the camp we heard stories about people not able to continue due to injury or sickness. There was another group of trekkers that simple gave up on day 2 because it was too hard. Each of these guys had to be evacuated by rescue helicopter with an expensive price tag for their travel insurance company. For the last 2 days we heard several choppers flying around and I wondered just how many others had cut short their plans. I was determined to ensure I was not extracted by the next helicopter. I was going to get to the end somehow even if I had to crawl to the end. After all this effort to get here I just had to complete this trek.

DAY 4 (Apr 20)

The morning started with hard work. Lots of it. First we had to tackle the "Wall" so named because it resembles a wall, after about an hour or so the wall was behind us, over the ridge then down another steep descent and a couple of water crossings to get to Menari Village for lunch, fresh fruit and a can of Coke hits the spot. Yes amazing but true, the locals carry in Coke from Morseby to sell for about 7 Kina ( $4) The track leads out of Menari skirting the edge of the Menari air strip. (easy walk for a change) After Menari we continue down for a while and more creek crossings, then the fun starts.

We were now ascending the biggest climb for the whole trek. Brigade Hill is 1415 Meters high and its 99% uphill. It is steep, muddy and very slippery. Just when you think things couldn't get much worse the heavens opened up with monsoon type heavy rain. At first it was good to get a wash down as we walked but it turned the climb into a nightmare. The track quickly turned into a cascade which washed away a lot of the slippery mud but you couldn't see where to get your next foothold. We were literally walking up a waterfall for a solid 4 hours. I was still pretty weak although I had recovered a little strength after recommencing my food intake. What strength I had was now exhausted. About 2/3 up the hill another fuzzy wuzzy angel came to my rescue. As luck happens he was walking back to Brigade Hill to carry gear down for another trek operator working as a porter but right now he was empty handed so he offered to get me to the top. I could have made it on my own as I was almost there but at a lot slower pace. That bit of assistance gave me a welcome morale boost.

We walked into the camp area on top of Brigade Hill where there was a large tour already sheltering from the rain under a large tarp area. When they saw us wander in we must have looked pretty pitiful sight so they invited us to shelter under the tarp near the fire. Everyone was amazed that we were soldiering on our own without the huge team of assistants that normally come with the tours. I thought what is the point of wasting time under cover? We were already saturated to the bone and as we were losing the sunlight fast we had to get our tents up as soon as possible so I encouraged Kris to move on. As Brigade Hill site was a flat area on top of the ridge space was in short supply so we had to squeeze in to available space as all the best sites were taken. Thankfully the rain stopped briefly at the same time we were setting up the tents, the first time it stopped all afternoon. It didn't last, rain resumed shortly after but we were already bunked down, very damp but still in the race. Our tents were crap. The rain came straight through so we draped our ponchos over the tents to give a bit more protection. The other (professional operators) all had good tents with rain fly over them which provided a better waterproof roof, for us we had to make do with what we had and hope for a hut as often as possible. After another exhaustive day we had a quick meal and hit the hay. The night was wet as it rained for most of the night. I was past caring.

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Photos

Ofi to Brigade hill
The hills look small on the map

Bath Time
Kris takes a bath in the Icy Cold creek

Mud
Kris has mud on his boots after swamp

Hill climb
Some of the climb at Brigade Hill

Slow Going
A tangled mess of tree roots is the track path

Menari airstrip
The track along side the airstrip

menari airstrip
The GPS track at Menari