Trek the Kokoda Trail Travel Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Kokoda Track’

Back Track Team 17 has just returned from completing the Kokoda Track.  This trek was specially  designed to finish in Kokoda on the eve of  the first ever Fuzzy Wuzzy  Day  celebration on November 3 2010.

The inaugural Fuzzy Wuzzy Day was planned by the PNG Government in consultation with the Kokoda Track Authority, The Australian Government and the local Kokoda people. After the tremendous success of the first Fuzzy Wuzzy Day, it is  now destined to be a regular feature on the PNG  Calendar of Annual National Events.

The reasons for having this special annual celebration are many. Most importantly is that the Day celebrates and recognizes the special contribution the PNG people made during the war, especially in performing roles as carriers for the Australian troops fighting along the Kokoda Track. Not only did the local people,  carry supplies for the Australian troops the Fuzzy Wuzzy angels carried the sick and wounded on make shift stretchers under unimaginable conditions back to safety in Port Moresby. The carriers were affectionately called Fuzzy Wuzzy’s because of the “Fuzzy” hairstyle many of them sported at that time.

Many, many wounded and sick Australian soldiers owe their lives to the  Fuzzy Wuzzy’s heroic and loyal efforts.

When Team 17 walked into Kokoda Station we could not believe the welcome we received. This normally sleepy little settlement was jam packed with 1000’s of people.  As we trekked into the centre of the village where our campsite is located , people lined the Track cheering , ORO, ORO ORO, which means welcome and threw flowers.   Ten minutes before arriving  at Kokoda ,our Team stopped in the jungle and  all our trek crew dressed up in their traditional clothing and the trekkers adorned themselves with flowers and headdresses made from Jungle materials.  We wanted to arrive demonstrating that we had come to be part of the fun, but the reception we received was completely unexpected and overwhelming.  Our lead guides were beating drums as we marched in and the amazed look on all the faces of our humble trekking Team, trekkers and crew, because of the reception we  received was something I will never forget.

Back Track was the only trekking company that participated in Fuzzy Wuzzy day 2010.
A somber moment appreciated by us all was when the Australian Flag was raised, reenacting that special moment in Kokoda Track Campaign history when General  Vasey raised the flag on recapturing Kokoda on November 3, 1942.  Soc Kienzle  (son of Bert Kienzle, famous for his leading role organizing the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels) , attended Fuzzy Wuzzy day as a special guest.  Soc is the custodian of the original flag General  Vasey raised.

We finished off our Kokoda Trekking holiday  back in Port Moresby 2 days later with a crew end of season party which all the trekkers attended as well.

In 2011 we have planned for 2 trek Teams to be at Kokoda for the Fuzzy Wuzzy day celebrations. Team 14 will depart Australia on the 25^th October lead by Gareth Ward and will finish in Kokoda on  November 3 as it did this year. In addition, a second Team (Team 14A) lead by Jim Drapes will depart Australia on 01 November and commence their Kokoda Track trek in Kokoda on November 3.  Both Teams will meet  in Kokoda and join in the celebrations  together.

The Fuzzy Wuzzy day celebrations for 2011 are going to be bigger and better, with plans to ensure that our trekkers will actively participate in the sports and singing events.  We are hopeful of having the best tug-a-war team and sing sing team at Kokoda.

We would love you to join us and our tug-of-war team,or choir.  Check our dates and trek itinerary now on our website and get in quick. One Team is already nearly fully booked.

With so much interest  in our war history and so many Australians wishing to visit the battle fields  where our soldiers fought and died, Back Track has a number of new trips that cater for this interest.

Celebrating Anzac Day on the 25 April 2011 on the Kokoda Track is an option we have available.  We have 4 Teams all converging on the remote sacred summit of  Brigade Hill  on the eve of Anzac Day in 2011.  Here we will all camp  and at dawn on Anzac Day, we will all get  together for a special Anzac Day ceremony.  After the ceremony each team will continue on with  their trek  team and complete the Track.
If you would like  to be part of something special for Anzac Day we welcome you to join us.

The Kokoda Track Maintenance Committee was formed to define what it was that has drawn 20, 000 trekkers to The Kokoda Track since 2001, and once defined, ensure that this experience – The Kokoda Experience, will be preserved.

The Committee consists of a small team of  trekking guides, historians, local Kokoda Track land owners and is chaired by the CEO of the Kokoda Track Authority.

All committee members have a long history of involvement with trekkers walking the Track and most importantly a desire to ensure that the magic experience that trekkers have while walking the Track, defined as the Kokoda Experience, is protected and maintained for ever. A Back Track director is a committee member.

The inaugural meeting, agreed, that a trekker will have had a true Kokoda Experience if on completion of their trek they have:

• An accurate understanding of the truly remarkable war time story of Australian mateship, courage, endurance and sacrifice. The epic story slowly unfolds each day as your Trek Guide relates the war stories on the exact locations where history was made.
• An appreciation and respect for the remarkable jungle eco system the Track encompasses. The plants, orchids, trees, the wildlife, birds, the creeks and rivers, nature in all its most beautiful jungle clothing. To live- eat, sleep and pass through this natural wonderland for 9 days while experiencing the sunrises, sunsets, the rain, the heat, the cool dark jungle is for most trekkers a once in a lifetime experience that is exhilarating and rejuvenating.
  Note: Currently the Kokoda Track and the entire Owen Stanley Ranges are considered so unique that they have been presented for listing as a World heritage area.
• An appreciation of the culture of Australia’s nearest neighbor. The Koiara and Orokaiva people who inhabit the 23 villages along the Track corridor are the direct decedents of the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels who carried to safety and cared for our wounded soldiers. Interacting with their culture in the villages and with your PNG trekking crew who live along the Track is a highlight of the Kokoda Experience.
• And last but definitely not least, the Kokoda experience is knowing that you have faced and conquered your own physical and mental challenge and with your fellow trekkers depart PNG having had a once in a lifetime experience – The Kokoda Experience.

In practice, the Kokoda Experience will be preserved by initiatives that will ensure:

• all the war time relics that remain along the Track and in the jungle and all important war time sites are preserved and protected.
• the jungle, trees, waterways, camp sites, tracks etc are preserved and where damaged, plans put in place to repair or rejuvenate. All future development should be environmentally sensitive and only enhance the jungle experience. A yardstick of our success will be when the “moss on the rocks” has rejuvenated at the Track crossing over Ofi Creek. The moss at that crossing has disappeared over the last few years due to environmental damage from trekking.
• all stakeholders including trekking companies, land owners and all the village people along the Track corridor understand that the financial benefits of the Kokoda Track Industry is dependent on total cooperation and understanding of the importance of maintaining the Kokoda Experience for trekkers.
• a licensing system is in place to ensure that trekking companies maintain a minimum standard and have correct insurance cover, provide all necessary safety and emergency equipment and have emergency evacuation procedures in place. The true Kokoda Experience must be a safe experience for all trekkers.
  Note:Though it will not be compulsory for trekking companies to have Australian Trek Leaders to obtain a license, the Kokoda Experience for all trekkers is greatly enhanced and safer by having a properly trained Australian Trek Leader accompany a trek Team.

Back Track Adventures is committed to the above initiatives and will be participating in every aspect of the plan to maintain the Kokoda Experience for all trekkers yet to trek the Kokoda Track.

For more detailed information visit our dedicated Kokoda website:  trekkokoda.com.au

Despite the overall 54% downturn in trekkers booking on the Kokoda Track in 2010 in comparison with the 2009 numbers;  Back Track has experienced an  increase in bookings for 2010 and has not followed the downturn experienced by the trekking industry . Our 2011 forward bookings are also very encouraging.

We can only thank our past trekkers for this as the vast majority of our bookings have come through referrals from past happy trekkers. Thank you to all our past Back Track trekkers who have recommended our company to their friends.