Life after the track

Let’s get this straight – the track was bloody hard!   That being said the more we walked the fitter we became, so it was quite strange in that once you found your rhythm you tended to just get it done – day after day.   Although at times I must admit we resembled mountain goats more that humans, with our heavy packs and the constant grinding climbs, not to mention that we smelled as bad if not worse!  

There was no easy way to get off the track once you were on it, unless it was a dire emergency and even then it was going to be hard - heaven help you if they had to call a chopper and airlift you out.   Not only was it difficult to get a reception of any consequence on the Global Satellite Phone when under the deep canopy or on some isolated mountain ridge or perhaps in the depths of a far flung creek valley, but it was also going to be a very expensive proposition to get a chopper dispatched.   The only real way out was a simple…..one foot in front of the other until you were done – no secrets to that.



Cooking hut at Deniki - our first meal on the track



What do you think was the number conversation topic on the track?   Pretty much always the first and most pressing conversation centered the topic of food! Surprisingly this topic would’ve likely been the same one our fathers, grandfathers and uncles had 70 years ago when they fought along this very same track, so I find it quite ironic that after all these years nothing really has changed, except no-one was trying to kill us, oh and that our gear was all high tech and that didn’t have any pressing place to be…..but other than that it was almost identical J   Given that we didn’t have the number of “dingos breakfasts” as I’m convinced they did during their time on the track we were still craving food after just a couple of days.  

For me it was around day three, and facing a lunch comprising of crackers, highly processed cheese and dried sausage yet again, with likely rice or noodles for an evening meal, possibly with some curried vegetables, it was all starting to get a bit repetitive (sorry Mick – and no, I’m not paying a 5Kina fine for complaining about the food!)  This brought on my first real cravings for some type of food or drink.   As we chatted we found that there were a few of us in the same boat.   Of course there were the standard few that said they couldn’t wait for a “nice coldie” (beer in Australian), but generally it wasn’t beer that everyone craved.   How strange I thought, especially for a bunch of Aussies!     

The conversation almost always centered on our first meal at “home.  “What was it going to be?”  Actually I had two cravings and for some reason my first craving were fish and chips of all things.   I actually couldn’t remember the last time I had fish and chips, but there you have it.  My “chaser” for this delectable meal was definitely going to be a fresh fruit smoothie – my god it sounded so delicious and so alluring that it had my mouth watering just at the very thought of it.    I knew exactly where I wanted to get my fish and chips from as well; I could picture the fish and chip shop as I spoke about it (the one on Pleasant Street near the Bunch of Grapes hotel in Ballarat near my sisters).   My best mate Craig’s passion was definitely pizza; Ralphy wanted roast lamb and others a nice big steak.   Such different cravings I thought – I guess that’s the spice of life isn’t it?   Everyone wants something different.  The problem was that we each conversation it only made us hungrier and so we had to almost stop ourselves from talking about it lest we get grumpy cos we couldn’t get out preferred foods.   This became much harder as we got closer to the end of the trip.

Taking a well earned break on the Kokoda Track

These conversation threads often occurred when we were on a well earned break or after another epic climb, and so when we'd heard Mudman say “packs off” it was a god send!  I’d sit there just like everyone else, completely knackered, often sitting in sheer exhaustion with heads bowed, others drinking in large and sometimes urgent gulps of water or Gatorade to quench the never ending thirst, or yet others were stripping to the waist to shed anything that promoted further sweat.   Collectively we would all shake our weary heads as what we’d just accomplished.   During these breaks my mind had a propensity for wandering and I clearly remember asking myself, on more than one occasion “what was life going to be like after the track?”   Okay, some people might think I need serious help – yes, I did do a lot of talking to myself over the course of the trip but in a good way, not in a scary, crazy, loopy sort of way……yeah, I can read your minds!  J

I must admit so far the expedition had been a wonderful respite from the frenetic pace of life that I’d left behind just a few short days before, and a most welcome break particularly from all the email, phone and text messages that I’m inundated with on a daily basis, but would it be different I thought?  

Part of me just wanted the constant physical challenges and pain to be over with, but surprisingly the more days that passed the more I wanted the experience to slow down so that I could absorb and take in every second of the adventure, every sound and every smell (well technically not all the smells…), but you get my drift.   I knew that in a week from that moment I’d be back at work sitting at my desk wondering if it had all been just all a dream.    

One of the many Pandanus palms
that  was 100's of years old

I'd definitely miss the beauty and the exotic nature of our environment here, surrounded by rugged mountains and swiftly running creeks, the thick jungle and the striking flora and fauna particularly the colorful butterflies that covered us at times when we rested.   What an extreme I thought to myself, especially coming from a huge bustling city like Melbourne or Toronto (Ballarat not so much!)   You probably couldn't find two greater extremes on the face of the planet - from these mega cities to the wilds of Papua….and back again.

The trip was a once in a lifetime and “wouldn’t have missed it for quids” but what would I miss most?  I think it was time to think, the peace and tranquility of the jungle and the sounds of my heart beating and my lungs breathing in that refreshing mountain air…….that’s what I’d miss most.   

The sounds of distant life in a far off land