DAY 3 on KOKODA TRAIL TREK
log by the Kokoda Trekking Organiser - They said they were unable to make contact on 14th or 15th due to heavy rain...so yes its a wet track at the moment.
Day 3 on Kokoda Trail Trek - Dr Robyn diary
Friday 14th October 2005 - Day 3: Isurava to Eora Creek
Awoke early to the cock a doodle doos again. I think Mick is ready to kill them. Up at 0600, walking by about 0720. Off to see the famous Isurava memorial. Cant wait to see this spectacular few I have read about and seen pictures of.
COURAGE, ENDURANCE, MATESHIP AND SACRIFICE. 4 special words engraved on large marble monuments. This is eerie and very moving. Saw Kingsbury’s rock. Where Bruce Kingsbury died instantly after saving his battalion’s headquarters by halting enemy advance.
He rushed forward firing his Bren gun from his hip through terrific machine-gun fire and succeeded in clearing a path through the enemy. Continuing to sweep enemy positions with his fire and inflicting an extremely high number of casualties... Private Kingsbury was then seen to fall to the ground shot dead by the bullet from a sniper hiding in the wood…
Kingsbury was the first to be awarded a Victoria Cross on Australian soil. His action inspired his mates to follow: Kingsbury’s section- ten men of the 2/14th Battalion- remain the most highly decorated in military history, winning a Victoria Cross, two Military Crosses, three Military medals and several Mentions in Dispatches.
Still some remnants of the war here- bullets, hand grenades, Jap helmets. Mortars.
Unfortunately what would have been a spectacular view was blocked by heavy cloud. The rain starts- all day torrential rain until about 1630. Physically doing well ups and downs, but I had a slip on a rock whilst crossing a creek. The water got into the top of my boot.
Lots of creek and river crossings today. Lots of squishy mud. The wet season has officially begun on our arrival! We are on the second last trek for the year, as the wet season makes the trek too dangerous. I lost concentration and you guessed it, I fell again. This time I managed to totally submerge my bum, back and day pack. I am OK but I am very angry with myself, and I am really wet.
Totally different in the rain, much harder. Even more intense concentration required, sometimes today I needed both hands hang onto roots and climb. In some places it is like walking or climbing along a very narrow slippery ledge, which falls away to a steep ravine. DON’T LOOK DOWN THERE, just watch my feet, slowly one step at a time, carefully placing our feet in between slippery tree roots.
Physically, this is challenging but no problems. Taking lots of photos are totally out of the question.
I was VERY VERY cold when I stopped walking. I hate the cold, give me heat and humidity any day. We stopped for morning tea, which also turned into a bit of lunch. We stopped for way too long for my comfort. I am dripping wet, the rain is teaming down, it’s cold and I cannot stop shivering and I could easily let myself get grumpy. I can appreciate how hypothermia could set in!
All the guys are doing well, I feel great when I am walking, just wet and miserable when we stop. I love walking up these beastly mountains, but much more care is needed coming down the very slippery slopes.
You have to carefully choose your foot position especially coming down hill or you could easily twist an ankle, fall before you know it, break something and you would have to be carried to a point where you could be airlifted out at considerable cost. I have quickly discovered you cannot turn around or look up and keep on walking or you will end up A over T. I have such an advantage over big Mick (6ft 3 in) coming down hills. My little feet fit into tiny nooks that he has no hope of fitting into. But it is quite funny really looking at all of our body types and watching how we approach things differently. A huge tree trunk may have fallen across the narrow track. Mick steps over them with his long legs, I try and climb over them, or sometimes it is much easier to duck under them.
We all attracted some leaches today, obviously because everything is so wet. No mozies- it is way too cold for them. Large crossing at the famous Eora Creek. The porters tied a rope from one end to the other to help us cross. Thank goodness I have great balance, but a bit more tricky because everything is very wet and slippery.
We arrived at the camp site at Eora Creek. No hut except a shaky looking small open shelter. We arrived here ahead of schedule. Torrential rain for the next 3 hours. Rusty helped me erect my tent in record time. We are saturated right through to the skin. I am shivering and my back is now aching from the cold. I need to get dry quickly. Threw my stuff into my tiny tent. The floor is already quite wet from when we erected it. I tried to dry it off before sitting down but the wind is blowing the rain up and under the fly, through the fly screen straight onto my only clean clothes. I had reservations about this tent B4 leaving home. Within 10 mins I am sitting in puddles trying to quickly repack my stuff into plastic bags and back into my back pack. A few more minutes and the inside of the tent is saturated, I have dry clothes on with are getting wetter by the minute. I am freezing, this is CRAP. I crawled out of my tent and asked Russell if I could share his tent tonight. There was no other alternative. Mick and Stu did not even bring a tent, and the porters will be huddled together and under a hut- so small and shaky which is supposed to be a shelter! The weather is still wild. The porters erected a tarpaulin for Stuart and Mick and cut of branches from the trees. They put the branches around the sides of the tarpaulin to try and keep some of the rain out. We made small fires under the shelter. Everything is wet. We are trying to find something to hang our back packs up as we are on a bit of a slope and the trenches keep filling up the water is running through the shelter. Russell’s tent is looking mighty good!! Everyone is assessing the priorities- get dry and warm first. Some of the poor porters climbed back down to Eora Creek filled up the pots with water to boil for hot cuppas and to prepare for dinner. As you can imagine they are really cold and wet. What do I have to complain about? I think about the poor WW11 guys. I feel like such a wimp. I would never have imagined things could turn so quickly.
Eventually the rain stops we eat and begin a long process of trying to dry out the most essential items- our boots and some of our clothes. I dry out my rain poncho so I can put it on again, I do not have enough warm clothes for this type of weather. I have on one cotton top, thermal longs and a thicker thermal top. After the porters helped sort us out a bit, I try and reorganize my stuff. Everybody’s stuff is everywhere. We all gradually stopped shivering and filled our bellies with snacks. I am feeling much more comfortable. The porters are absolutely amazing. They put themselves last all the time and they have really shown that today.
My crappy tent was re erected under the tarpaulin for Mick and Stu to use. It is still very wet inside but it is a better alternative for Mick and Stu who have nothing to sleep on except their roll ups on the wet ground. ( My tent is 1 ½ man, and Mick is 6 ft 3 in, plus Stuart!). I am very grateful to stay in Russell’s tent- which is squashy but definitely 5 star compared to everyone else’s sleeping arrangements.
Had dinner, stood around toasting our wet stuff (gee I would kill for a chair!), rinsed our plates, got organized for bed. Nothing else to do.
I am amazed that the porters can tell me with confidence that the light showers we are now having will not turn into anything heavier than that. How do they know?? They are always so right!! I feel very confident and safe in their hands.
Bevan (our official guide) came up to me to see if we could spare any first aid. He said Gail (one of the trek owners and organizers) did not give them any!! I cannot believe this. Here we totally isolated in the dangerous jungle, and the porters have no first aid training and no first aid kit. (Radio contact is only possible when on the top of a ridge in good weather.) I attend to a few cuts and will do their blister preparation in the morning. Some cannot even afford half decent socks, a few are in runners and 2 have no shoes at all!
BUT Greyford has a huge bandage on his shin. I ask him to take it off, I am scared at what I will find. He has a huge weeping suppurative (pus) messy cut. I am totally disgusted. I cannot remember ever seeing anything this bad except in text books. Apparently this happened 2 days ago. Can you imagine the possible consequences in these tropical conditions. It is so difficult to get anything clean. I supervise him whilst I teach him to dress it properly. I am worried about infecting myself as my cut finger is very open and looking pretty average. (I took my disposable gloves out of my first aid kit back at home as I needed to reduce my luggage to fit everything in.) I think Greyford should be on antibiotics. I will recheck tomorrow and everyday. I check with Russell, Stuart and Mick to see how much first aid we have between us. This is only day 3, what if we really need some of this stuff for ourselves. I try not to think about some of the infections some trekkers have picked up whilst on the Kokoda trail. Be positive, at least we have access to first class medicine back in Australia, these poor Papua New Guineans are lucky to have a nurse come and visit one a week due to their rural location.
I am beginning to realize what these porters do and feel for them. There is not enough food for them judging by the way they except whatever we don’t want from our daily food packs. All they get given is rice and dry biscuits to walk the Kokoda trail!! They are not even supplied with proper foot wear, no first aid training let alone a first aid kit! If they complain, they get the sack as there is always another young man to volunteer and take their place. These guys are the lucky ones to have a job. I am angry. I hope not all of the 28 trekking companies are like this. I settle down in a dry tent, very very grateful for all that I have.
AM- I am feeling fairly exhausted from not much sleep- about 1 ½ hours.