Heroism no longer required on Kokoda Track
The following article was written by Mick Ryan of Killara and published in the Sydney Morning Herald on August 20, 2009:
‘Surely I cannot be the only one to come back from the Kokoda Track and wonder what all the fuss is about. I do not dispute the bravery and sacrifice of the fallen, or the significance of the battles fought there. My concern is with the modern trekkers and the mythology being cultivated about what a superhuman feat it is to walk from Owers Corner to Kokoda in peacetime.
‘Peter FitzSimons refers to “clinging by your fingernails to a mountain while your failing, flailing legs try to propel you up” (”Fatal choice doomed trekkers”, August 13). What? Where? Ladies, don’t be put off walking the track if you are concerned about your manicure. I can assure you, you need not break a nail. He says “there are few greater challenges” than the track. Believe me, there are plenty. Anyone who completes the Oxfam Trailwalker, held in the bush around Sydney each year, would have no trouble with the Kokoda Track.
‘FitzSimons says Joe Hockey saved Kevin Rudd’s life at “the falls” near Templeton’s Crossing, and that somewhere on the track (not the track I walked), you have to go “from rock to rock in that torrent for as long as a kilometre”. Do the maths. If “Kokoda is capricious”, “survival might depend on a matter of millimetres” and 6000 suburbanites a year are playing that game of Russian roulette, where are all the body bags?
‘The best demonstration you could have of what a crock the physical challenge is would be to gather everyone who has walked the track in one place, in their underwear. In that group would be 13-year-old schoolchildren, delinquents with substance abuse issues and plenty of overweight executives. The group I was in included an overweight 56-year-old who had recently quit smoking.
‘But what about the people who have died, or who needed to be airlifted out? I suspect if similar numbers undertook week-long treks in the Blue Mountains, carrying their camps, you would have similar casualties, if not more.
‘I don’t mean to trivialise the Kokoda experience. It does take one out of one’s comfort zone. Maybe that’s the rub. Maybe the fat and fortysomething Kokoda walkers have comfort zones that are just too comfortable.
‘I find it sad that people with a genuine interest in the history, who would appreciate seeing some of the significant places on the track, might be put off by exaggerated tales of the superhuman qualities needed to get to Kokoda this century. They need to be put off only if they don’t like camping’.
Mick Ryan Killara
August 20th, 2009 at 9:58 pm
It seems like Mick Ryan trekked across the shorter eco-tourist trek in daylight during the dry season. This is the direct route across the Owen Stanley Range and is much easier than the original wartime track. It has been used by the local population walking between Port Moresby and their villages since the end of the war and avoids much of the more difficult sections of the wartime track.
I have trekked Kokoda 56 times since 1991 – during the wet and dry seasons and by day and night. During our leadership programs we have had to use rope and harness to cross flooded rivers at night. We have clambered down near vertical hillsides with only vines and tree roots to steady ourselves – one trekker dislocated her shoulder during one traverse. We have taken hours to move only a few hundred metres as we cut our way along the warime track at Templeton’s Crossing.
Fitzy was on a trek I led – his challenge was not made any easier by the size of his immense frame. I can recall the struggle he had on a couple of the mountains we traversed on the wartime trail – I suppose that is one of the reasons he was able to write his epic novel with such feeling. This would not have been possible if he had followed Mark’s footsteps over the easier eco-tourist track.
But Mark is right about not being the only one ‘to come back and wonder what the fuss was all about’ – thousands of others also take the easy option across the Owen Stanley’s and are probably just as unfulfilled as Mark!
August 21st, 2009 at 10:15 am
Mick,
It certainly seems like you are disapointed with your Kokoda experience and that is a shame. Had you been fortunate enough to walk the wartime track and in the wet season you may understand what “all the fuss is about”
I also walked the Oxfam trailwalker in Sydney and as far as i am concerned there is simply no comparrison to Kokoda.
The only way I know how to explain to you my experience of trekking Kokoda and how different it clearly was to yours is to share a snippet of my trek diary:
‘So off onto day 2 and still excited about the journey we are on, a little tired but mostly ready to tackle the day ahead, however if there had been any warning of how the 13 hour day would turn out I think most people would have headed off in the other direction. Day 2 has become legendary with our group to the point you could just say day 2….to anyone in our group and they will cringe at the thought. Today’s trekking started out walking along some of the most beautiful river scenery & lush rainforest and the golden staircase which heads up beside a sheer rock face and is the most challenging trekking you will come across and an wonderful feat to get to the top lathered in a sweat and impressed you managed to make it up an incline I don’t dare try to put into words. The rest of day 2 is going to be a hard one to explain. Given the very wet conditions we ended up trekking in a state I would say is not a normal experience of the trek so please if you plan to do the trek don’t be turned off by what I have to say. I find myself traversing across the mountain in the rain and I need to concentrate so hard on where each foot is placed that I can’t tell you what else was around me or for how many hours I was in a state of terror for my safety. It was so slippery under foot you had to be ready to grab hold of any vine or tree as you made each step as there was no guarantee where you put your foot would not give way and leave you sliding down the mountain side. It took every ounce of effort and every muscle to take each step as you used your hands and your feet to hold on in any way you could. In fact as darkness came upon us it took a long time till I felt safe enough to get my head torch out and it had to be done as fast as possible as the person behind you could easily slip and fall whilst waiting. In saying that reminds me we were all so close together to follow in each other’s footsteps but not a word was spoken and I can’t even tell you who was behind me. Wilson’s torch decided it had had its day so we were surviving on my head torch between us for what seemed like hours and hours. At the time and for many days after I would say to you that was the worst experience of my life, but now it is starting to become one that has greatly affected me as I realise that for those few hours I was in complete survival mode where every ounce of me was set on getting me to safety and I would say terror was just under the surface. It’s is one of those occasions where you could sit down and cry your eyes out but that is not an option so your body takes over and puts you into survival mode. Perhaps now I have a very very small understanding of how our soldiers felt when they were in the same situation and then add the very real fear of jungle warfare and starvation they experienced. Perhaps that night was actually a gift to have a tiny understanding of how they felt. There was a moment where my feet went out from under me and I reached out to grab a tree trunk not much stronger than a vine and both my feet were dangling off the side of the mountain into the darkness where I couldn’t see where I might land if I fell, and through my mind went the thought that if I let go I would not be rescued for hours and it gave me the strength to pull myself up, gather my fear and keep moving forward. I knew at the end of that night at some time I would come to a tent just for me with a dry sleeping bag and a meal, yet those soldiers went for weeks without food, had no dry place to sleep, no change of clothes and had to be on guard 24/7 to try to make it out alive. They had to carry so much more gear than I did and had to look fear and death in the face every minute of every day. So now on reflection I am grateful for the dreaded day 2 for the lessons it gave me’.
August 21st, 2009 at 9:14 pm
You only get out of the trek what you put into it! I have completed the wartime trek earlier this year at the age of 60 following my father’s service there in 1942, and I can say that it was the greatest experience of my life mentally, physically and especially emotionally. Even though I had trained for a significant time prior to the trek, I found parts of the track gruelling due to the weather at the time preventing us from crossing a very fast flowing river at the point where we intended to cross. This meant a long and dangerous adventure through the rushing water and across many rocks in the dark, aided by the wonderful porters who made our trek just that much easier.
I believe that if anyone comes home from the trek without a feeling of full satisfaction and emotional exhaustion, then you must have missed something along the way! I am now a much stronger person for the experience.
August 21st, 2009 at 11:53 pm
Mick,
It is a shame you have come away from such a potentailly life changing expeirence with such disappointment. Perhaps if you had have done the 155km wartime trail, you certainly would not found it so easy. Walking the original wartime trail is definately not for those who are looking for a bush trek, 13hr days, tekking at night and as Zoe mentioned, the slips and muddy terrain with nothing more to grab onto than a tree vine is high challenging and dare I say part of the amazing journey I had the privelege to be apart of. Walking over the top of Imita Ridge and Iorbaiwa is no mean feat, sludging across Lake Myola is a mighty effort, a 4hr slog up Brigade Hill and all the time realising that our diggers did this with bugger all supplies and less than satisfactory support from the Australian govt.
To you Mick I suggest you do some more research and take the challenge to do Kokoda again, but this time don’t take the scenic route.
August 22nd, 2009 at 12:24 am
I don’t know who Mick Ryan is, whether he is a phlegmatic superhuman athlete like Sylvester Stallone (most likely), or even whether he is Australian. All I know is that he missed the point completely and should stick to Oxfam walks for charity. Kokoda was a complete waste of time for Mick Ryan.
August 22nd, 2009 at 2:53 am
Mick, Mick, Mick, I’m sad you didn’t get out of it what many did … it was hard, even some of our fittest looked shattered at times … physically emotionally and spiritually it was challenging … I got to the end with the most amazing sense of achievement, respect for those that had nothing wandering through the sludge that stuck to your boots with their own porters by their sides … and we had better weather than most … I’m not here to say people won’t make it, just that it ‘aint as easy for most … unlike Mick …
August 22nd, 2009 at 3:13 am
Charlie,
This has obviously reflected on the quality of the tour group he was with. In hindsight I was very luck to go with A.K as I saw many other groups along the trip complain about not getting the things we got to see and do while on the track.
Either he’s very fit and arrogant or weather conditions at the time were perfect and haven’t lived up to his expectations that he read about in these books. I dare you to invite him out to one of your trips in the wet season next year for some re-education and make him eat his words.
Keep up the good work
Andrew Watson
August 22nd, 2009 at 7:47 am
I think Stuart sums it up succinctly – you missed the point Mick! I walked the track 2 years ago and Zoe’s words brought the memories (highs, lows, exhilaration and fears) flooding back. I didn’t walk the eco-tourist track so I can’t compare it to the war-time track, but walking the war-time track today is a great feat and challenge and a privilege to do so. Apart from the fact I think you’ve got it totally wrong Mick, shame on you for writing this at a time when 13 people lost their lives recently attempting to get to the track – how do you think your attempt to trivialize the walking of the track will affect those families and the families who have lost loved ones whilst walking the track – you should have kept your opinions to yourself Mick.
August 22nd, 2009 at 8:44 am
Each to their own – what he missed is his problem (or misfortune) – the only danger with this character is that people might be encouraged to attempt the trek under-prepared. PS Hi Stuart.
August 22nd, 2009 at 9:08 am
Mick,
Firstly, I suggest you trek Kokoda again! Trek with Adventure Kokoda, their knowledge of the war is unbelievable! nothing like what you’d read in any book or get from any other trek company.
Secondly do the 155km wartime trek with Charlie Lynn in the pouring rain! and if you come back feeling unsatisfied again then perhaps you are a bit arrogant!
I did the 155km trek 2 months ago and I am 22 years of age and am fit and trained constantly for 6 months before Kokoda and still found it mentally, emotinally and physically draining and believe it or not the weather was good!
Charlie I hope you take Mick on his next Kokoda expidition! ( and dont forget to take him past your new camp! that might slow him down a bit! )
August 22nd, 2009 at 9:23 am
Hi Charlie,
I agree with the others – it’s a pity this guy didn’t have the same experience others have had. I also followed Zoe’s example and looked back at my daily diary.
“Day 4
Trekked Menari to Brigade Hill and thru’ to Efogi.
First climb called the “Wall” – there’s a good reason why! Second climb Brigade Hill. Halfway up Brigade Hill I’m counting steps to keep my mind on moving forwards and upwards. I find I’m walking behind a guy who’s younger sister was in my high school year 34 years ago! Go figure – six degrees of separation or what!
Never done anything so hard! Strange being on the Hill where Uncle Bret died. I cried as I sat on my own wondering what it takes as a 23 year old to lead your men into battle knowing you won’t come back. Peter Davis (trek guide) showed me the location where they believe he led his company against the Japanese. Got a photo of me in an Aussie weapons trench, possibly where D company took off from. I retreated into myself.
Two huge climbs – my legs are getting better but the climbs are ball busters. Stopping for lunch I feel shattered, ditto at the end of the day – we are hiking for about 7 – 8 hours up and down. Everyone is in the same boat and taking it a day at a time. Tomorrow going through to Naduri.
Day 5
Trekked Efogi to Naduri – relatively short but still excruciating. Felt weaker today I think because of the climbs yesterday – not helped by another ball buster of a climb out of Efogi, having first got to the bottom of the valley. Currently only thinking of getting to the night’s camp knowing the day has been done.
Everyone in the same boat – just happy to get to night camp in one piece. Dennis (Geelong supporter) is carrying his own pack and struggling – it must be hard as this guy has muscles in his shit! – no wonder the Cats are leading the table this year.”
Thanks to operators such as Adventrue Kokoda this experience is open to all (and to those reading this, no I didn’t get a free trip, they are one of very few operators who actually take you through a true Kokoda experience).
regards,
Guy
August 22nd, 2009 at 9:44 am
Mick Ryan certainly has no respect for a a trek that at times can be unforgiving. His comments do not reflect the hardships that not only the modern day walkers endure but also the great sacrifice that our brave soldiers went through in their endeavour to at that time prevent the fall of P.N.G. to the Japanese. Ther is no doubt in the minds of most of those who have walked Kokoda that it certainly is no “walk in the park”.
Mick you are wrong, it is a challenge, and it is difficult in places, it is wet and muddy with incredibly steep ridges and slippery down hill challenges (sometimes on you backside). The river crossings are dangerous and fast flowing, and do require concentration to cross.
Im sorry Mick that Kokoda did very little for you. I know that it gave a great sense of achievment to me and i feel very fortunate to have walked in the footsteps of the brave.
August 22nd, 2009 at 9:55 am
your supposed to walk the track not fly over it mate
August 22nd, 2009 at 10:02 am
Although poorly delivered, Mick has a point. If you want to trek Kokoda you CAN. Many people (including myself initially) tried to talk my 63 year old father out of doing it, fearing for his health. I watched him train diligently to the point of no longer needind diabetic or blood pressure medication. Although one of the oldest in our group, he was an inspiration, finishing stronger than me on a number of days. His obvious thorough preparation and determination to get the most out of every muddy up and down hill step made it an experience I will never forget.
It is not for everyone. You have to want it – but if you want to do it enough you can. Train hard, believe in yourself, pick a reputable guide and go for it. The wartime track with Charlie Lynn is second to none.
August 22nd, 2009 at 10:19 am
Dear Mick,
I agree with you that walking the “Kokoda Track” is no mean feat, and average people with a genuine interest in history should not be put off by “superhuman “efforts required.
However, I should clarify this with I would regard myself as much fitter than average for my age, I run marathons. I walked the Trail in the dry season, all rivers were easily traversed on the log bridges, we were able to follow the trail through creek beds rather than have to cut a path because of swollen creeks .
I chose to carry my pack and found it particulary difficult and slow going downhill. I wonder if Mick used a porter? I found the first three days very strenuous.
I’m in a unique position ‘Charlie will atest’ that I can say walking to Imita Ridge is easy on the main track, but much harder, steeper, and technically difficult on the wartime track, having done both on the same trek.
It seems Mick missed the whole point of walking Kokoda, which is for the emotional attachment, and history.
He should stick to the oxfam !
August 22nd, 2009 at 10:42 am
To all whom dispute good ol Mick’s words,
Leave the poor boy alone will ya!
He is obviously still in a state of delusion, Gee’s it’s hard watchin Kokoda trekkin on getaway.
Feel the love,
Tim
August 22nd, 2009 at 11:08 am
I feel a bit shocked by Mike Ryan’s comments to tell the truth, as I struggle to believe he could do the Trail and still say what he has. What does it say about him if he can go through such an ordeal as the Trail offers and then comes back with these kind of remarks? Is he just arrogant or plain stupid?
I’m sorry to hear that this has become an issue, and I’m sorry to hear that people have the ignorance to slander essentially what Kokoda stands for for some trekkers; the personal challenge. Mike might be really fit for all we know, and then take a look at some of the people who do the trek and how hard it is for them. I did it with two 60 year olds, one of whom sadly had to be evacuated. I would at least like to see an apology from Mike, because obviously he hasn’t truly experienced what the Trail is all about.
Regards,
Owen
August 22nd, 2009 at 11:37 am
Mick,
Anyone can walk the PINK route mate, be a real man and walk with adventure Kokoda and we will see how tough you are
August 22nd, 2009 at 12:37 pm
Thank you for drawing the article to my attention. I am 69 years of age & completed the treck just 2 weeks ago with yet a different company again Execuitve Excellence, & we all speak highly of the companies we have travelled with.
I have nothing but praise for EE. & their complete professionalism from the remote training all the way through the actual treck history etc.
This was not the 150klm. but 98klms. It could not be “the scenic route” you refer to – yet we were lucky, it was the dry season – & it was increadably scenic , it’s just a matter of finding the time to relax the constant concentration on doing the job at hand & walking “safely” – but it still rained every late afternoon, usually as the tents are being erected.
I am still recouping from mostly the emotional aspects – the physical took about a week, but have never felt better & a great feeling of personal satisfaction.
I have nothing to compare this experience with – I believe it is the best thing I have ever done, & my life has been extremley fullfilling & prettty cram packed, but am not looking to out perform my achievement – it at this stage.
I guess Mike – we are all different & that is not a bad thing – I reckon just do it again with a different group!
Cheers John.
August 22nd, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Hi Charlie,
I sure that Mick didn’t do the walk that we did., In fact he wouldn’t even being looking at the Adventure Kokoda Blog, as its not pink.
I’m 60 and did the walk in April this year with Zoe, and had 8 days of rain, and trekked 155kms. I’m amazed that he ( Mick) did this walk and is still so ignorant about the Trail and its meaning to most Australians. I feel most upset about his comments.. go and do a proper trek Mick.
August 22nd, 2009 at 1:25 pm
I’m absolutely astounded by Mike Ryans comments – did HE walk the real war time trek 155km’s in 9 days in the wet (obviously NOT!!!). As most people do this trek to try and a slight understanding of what our diggers fought for not to mention what conditions that fought in – i find it quite sad that this gentlemen has not experienced what we have all felt doing to real “War Time Trek”.
From the first 1hr we started into our trek – it rained for 9 days (every afternoon until early am the next day) you could set your watch by it. I was also on Zoe’s trek – and yes day 2 was an absolute life changing experience – if we had a choice for a chopper to pick us at 8.00pm on that night after a 13 hour trek – i would have been the first to put my hand up. I have and probably never will experience the conditions we had to trek in that day – sliding down mountains – your footing not be able to crimp onto a piece of solid ground – complete mud – carrying a 16kg pack- not knowing how far you were going to keep sliding down until you grabbed a vine or a tree stopped your fall and this was in complete darkness!! Yet we still had a hot meal waiting for us and a dry tent to sleep in that night – again luxury to what our men had at war!!! Every day we started in daylight and finished wet – exhausted – and in darkness – this was no manicure trek for us (including the men!)
If Mike had done he’s research to find the best company to trek Kokoda with – I have no doubt he’s whole experience of Kokoda would be complete reverse. When you trek with a company who has the military history, the facts, walk the real trek and knowledge of the where these diggers actually fought – where they died – and how they died – he’s letter to the Sydney Morning Herald would be of how proud we was to walk this trek – and how thankful he is today to live life the he has.
We had 5 evacuation on our tour – and all of these trekkers were fit – it was the conditions of the track unfortunately saw their experience came to an early end. I myself would wake every day and ask my angel’s just to get me to next camp in one peace – no injuries – just let me finish this trek as it was my way of saying thank you brave heroes who fought and lost their lives here.
Charlie – I would love for Adventure Kokoda to take Mike on the “Real War Time Trek” – as he may come back with an appreciation of what this trek really means to Australia – as i know this trek had an impact on my life and the way i live today!!!! – Thank you Charlie
August 22nd, 2009 at 2:20 pm
Can’t believe that someone who trekked the epic would go on to say how easily they didn’t understand what the fuss was about. We were lucky, the weather was good and the season not as hot as it could have been and yet, with all of that, there were many times my body screamed in pain and my mental strength drew on every last strand I had. The Oxfam walk is tough, but in reality, it is the same thing over and over, the Kokoda Trek is so much more than that. The changing landscape, the difficult terrain, the sheer climbs and the muddied descents intertwined with the ‘bridge’ crossings made very step one to be wary of.
We had it easy…you don’t conquer Kokoda; you begin to understand it. Sure, a shorter day, a porter carrying my gear and a navigation of an easier aspect of the trek would have made me feel a little underwhelmed, but going through the villages, learning of the significance of the trek and experiencing only a minute portion of the difficulties of our bracve soldiers, makes any simplistic reference to Kokoda as disappointing.
Here’s a tip to anyone thinking of the journey; do the WHOLE trek, carry your gear and do it within a reasoable number of days and night walking without dosing up on painkillers – I’m sure, the attitude Mike expresse woud be slightly different.
August 22nd, 2009 at 2:23 pm
Hi Charlie,
Mick Ryan here,
Thought if you are going to respond you may as well get the uncut version. (Below), I am sure you are aware the smh can edit the hell out of submitted letters and I am happy to give you as much ammo as you need.
So there is a “easy route”. Lucky the Japs didn’t know about that one.
Calling me a “wacker” make you feel better mate? Since I am in the phone book and Susan Allman can easily put you in touch, does that fit the definition of coward? Maybe you aren’t. I don’t know you so I won’t leap to that conclusion at this point. Get my drift?
So apart from making assumptions about me and my Kokoda walk, all wrong by the way, I notice you don’t really have an effective rebuttal to my contention that where “survival may depend on a matter of millimetres”, it is truly remarkable, improbable even that 6000 suburbanites per year would make it with so few casualties. It’s just maths. I still think getting them all together in their underwear, including me sadly, would be worth a thousand words too.
Are you sure you got a handle on the issue here mate? Fair question I think since you can’t even remember my name for three paragraphs?
I stand by my opinion that a lot of people, Fitzy, in particular, knowingly exaggerate the difficulty of getting to Kokoda over the wartime trail, seeing all the significant points along the way.
Now if you go beyond that with your “leadership program” and set up all sorts of challenges for people who are more into selfish goals like personal development rather than enlightenment about our military history, may I be so bold as to make the point that you can set up such courses and dislocate your client’s shouders just about anywhere. Did she have to pay extra for that or was it a freebie?
Apart from a tendency for exaggeration I make no other criticism of your friend Peter F and applaud your defence of your mate. I have good mates too who are prone to bullshit now and then and I do not hesitate to call them on it when I think it appropriate. Apologies for comparing your mate to Paris Hilton, a low blow I concede.
I walked the trail some years ago with a group similar in make-up I imagine to the one you did with Fitzy. It too was with a writer, Paul Ham, and resulted in an excellent book. One which I believe is being used by the ABC at the moment to make a docu-drama or some such. We weren’t on an eco tour and to my knowledge didn’t miss any of the significant wartime sites including a side trip to Myola, made more enjoyable by virtue of the fact that we were able to dump packs for that section. It felt like we were flying. What pussies we were not to carry them out there and back.
Do you not think it sad Charlie that some people who may really get into the history may be put off making the journey whilst others who care about “personal development” and in some cases I’m sure, care nothing about WWII events, make the trip instead? Do you really think I’m wrong that some people are put off visiting the site of their grandfather’s demise because of the type of over hyping to which I refer? Do we have any common ground?
Not surprising that your fan club would chirrup away about what a bum I am on your blog page, but know that in the wider community, including other kokoda walkers the typical response has been, “spot on mate”.
If any of your “leadership program” graduates want to buttonhole me about how hard it was for them, I think they are missing the point. How hard it was for them is limited only by your imagination. You could deliberately give them dysentery for example that would sort them out, or are you saving that for your Burma railway experience?
Anyway mate, don’t work yourself up too much. Someone great said something to the effect that they may not agree with what I say but they would defend to the death my right to say it. Now isn’t that the true legacy? Isn’t that what men died for?
I repeat, I do not mean to trivialise the Kokoda experience, it does take you out of your comfort zone. Some more than others no doubt.
I imagine you see yourself as a leader. Hopefully your response in the smh which I look forward to reading shows the dignity and honesty befitting a leader a little better than the rant on your blog does. I would respectfully suggest that if you have made statements about my experience in your letter to the herald which you now, (on Saturday), know to be untrue, it would behove a leader to have corrections made prior to the smh going to print on Monday.
Cheers, Lukim yu,
Mick R
August 22nd, 2009 at 2:28 pm
Dearest Michael,
If one is able to walk the trail without any physical issues, such as dehydration, gastric problems, headaches, foot rot, prickly heat and or crotch rot then apart from the long days, heat, rain and being constantly wet from sweat, the trail is a walk in the park.
That is, if the park has 60 degree sloping hills, mud up to knees, tree roots that trip and tangle, muddy slopes that cause you to fall on you’re a@#!, vines and palms that can ripe you hands and face.
One should also consider the emotional aspect of the trail. It must be said if you had read any books on the topic or had any connection to the military or ex-service personnel then this may also have had an effect ones experience or maybe not.
Yeh, it is so easy I am going back in 2011.
August 22nd, 2009 at 3:21 pm
Mick,
I feel sorry for you, obviously a self absorbed person who does not see the bigger picture. I trekked this year over the ANZAC period, we infact trekked 162Km and our first camp was ‘Charlie’s camp’ , wow what a start to our journey, wet everyday, muddy , steep inclines and downhill , what a treat- but I would not change a thing.
Mick you must have missed the point of trekking kokoda whilst filing your fingernails, I was not physically drained at any stage as I am a pretty fit person, but emotionally and mentally it was bloody tough. Mick how could you disreagrd the whole thing the way you did? I mean did you play footy with the local kids when you got into camp, did you give them a skipping rope and teach them to skip, did you smile back at their beautiful faces when you walked past them or were you too stuck up to do that- this was part of the whole experience that has changed my life forever.
And fair dinkum mate how dare you ask where the body bags should if it is that tough you inconsiderate person, that is the worst thing I have heard in a long time and very disrespectful to anyone who lost loved ones on the track, be it in WWII or recently, it made me feel sick.
You need to walk with AK and get the history behind the track, we were fortunate enough to have Ralph Honnor’s niece share her stories with us on the way- and I carried my pop’s picture with me in his memory, all these things made my experience worthwhile and the best thing I have ever done ion my life.
Keep up the fight Charlie as wankers like this are not worth a grain of salt!!
August 22nd, 2009 at 3:21 pm
PS Mick, I did not think I was a hero doing the track- maybe that is the difference between you and me.
August 22nd, 2009 at 3:49 pm
So my comment of 3:21 still awaiting moderation and two comments gone in since.
Not very Aus mate.
August 22nd, 2009 at 4:17 pm
The first time I trekked with AK in august 2007, I was fat, unfit, unprepared, naive and I struggled physically the entire way. Not only did I struggle physically but I had already mentally given up before I began, and one more than one occasion asked the trek leader to call me a helicopter (no joke!)……. However through encouragement from the trek leader and the porters, I learnt some very tough lessons and I did infact complete the trek.
I chose not to leave my experience there, but returned with AK again in May 2008- a completely different person. While I would like to say that the main difference my second time around was my physical preparation (i trained and trained and trained….) I cant say this at all. Instead, the overwhelming difference was my mental endurance, consciously offering mateship to others, sacrificing my own comforts and securities, and developing courage to step outside of my own tiny world in comparison. I dont believe Kokoda should be a physical competition. Instead, those pillars at Isurava that display Courage, Endurance, Mateship and Sacrifice were for me all about the mental challenge of Kokoda. I am now indeed a richer person for having experienced Kokoda in ALL its physical, mental, emotional and spiritual facets. It teaches each person a different lesson, and therefore I feel sorry for anyone who can walk away from Kokoda and say they are unchanged. To me that just says they werent open to its lessons, and are poorer for not having experienced such a powerful journey (mental or physical or otherwise).
August 22nd, 2009 at 4:23 pm
Hi Charlie,
Just reading some of the comments posted on your blog re; moi.
Classic stockholm syndrome you got happening here mate. Kudos.
The ONLY thing these people should be addressing is whether or not people, particularly certain journos exaggerate the peacetime expeditions and clearly they do.
I am in awe of the wartime Kokoda Story and what was achieved there. In that respect I did not come away from PNG unfulfilled at all.
In terms of the walk, I did not come away unfulfilled. At no point did I say it was easy just that it’s difficulty as a journey in the footsteps of the diggers today is often exaggerated and it is.
I acknowledge considered opinions of those who disagree with my standpoint.
As to the personal abuse contributors. They are doing the Charlie Lynn brand a disservice. If they claim to have undergone a character building experience. What pieces of work they must have been before Kokoda.
Cheers
Mick Ryan
August 22nd, 2009 at 4:46 pm
Hello,
To all my real fellow trekkers,
I can only say that i was literually gutted to think that a person who i will only assume is not an aussie, could make a comment such as this. I too have done the wartime trek with adventure kokoda , my leaders were chad & bernie, and i learnt so much much more about the campaign & track than i could have ever expected to do so. We walked from kokoda to owers via myola 2. i walked last year at the end of the wet, every true trekker knows exactly what zoe means about the terrain, I can’t help feel emotional everytime i think of papua, the people , the scenery, the hardships, Like watching my friend bob walk on raw feet for 2 1/2 days, and he’s almost 60 mate ( i would have carried him if i had too. thats what the track is about. ). I was 1 of 3 people that carried their own pack out of 14, i felt physically, mentally & emotionally buggered everyday. you just have to get some gravel in ya guts and keep on goin ( thats what the diggers did.) And finlally, i bet that he never even went to bomana, if you can come out of that place without some emotion, or tears , than your just not human .
I can’t wait to go back !!!!!!!
p.s. I wish that more about the track & amp; just how close we were to losing australia was taught to our kids.
August 22nd, 2009 at 5:10 pm
You have my email address. Would you care to let me know why my posts have not been accepted. I would have thought that moderation of comments would be to prevent swearing and threats and so on. Not to prevent the free speech that men died for us to have. I am being misinterpreted and abused here and you are too cowardly to let me have the right of reply. I am guessing you, the moderator are not Charlie himself, but are you really under instructions to only let one side of a story through? I thought Charlie was better than that.
August 22nd, 2009 at 5:21 pm
Unfortunately we all go to Kokoda for different reasons. I initially went to undertake a physical challenge (I was on the trip where one guy had a broken collar bone and another dislocated a shoulder during the walk) but came away with a profound understanding of what Kokoda is really about…no matter what trail you take there is something far deeper than walking the track!
Did you consider a bloke called John Metson while on your journey Mick ~ he did it on his hands and knees for three weeks, as both legs were shot out, until the enemy caught up with him and killed him. His rationale for not having help was so his mates could stay on the front line to gain some time and allow the wounded to get to the next staging point…I think they call this ‘Mateship’.
Or did you stand at the place where a bloke called Bruce Kingsbury won the VC by saving his mates and possibly creating a turning point during the war…I think they called this ‘Courage’. Also did you stand in front of his grave at Port Moresby and see what age this kid was!
Or did you stand in silence at Surgeons Rock and contemplate what went on there and the commitment the doctor had to those injured and how he would not go until the last man was gone. He had to be physically moved to the next staging point before the Japanese over took the area…I think they called this ‘Sacrifice’.
Or did you consider what it was like for all those Soldiers (young men) who stayed on the track for months – years fighting for your right for freedom and the ability to have a holiday on the track…plus write what you want!….I think they called this ‘Endurance’.
Did you stand in front of those 4 Granite stones at Isurava and think about what they meant…because I have a new understanding of what the words meant. You see I did the track and learnt something profound…how great the human spirit really is and that it should be celebrated.
I was given a task at the end of the track by my guide John Nadler a little bloke with a huge appreciation for those that went before us. The task was find a Digger and say thank you! Well I did, as it was a bloke who lived in the Street I grew up in fought in the region…I called in one day and told him of the track and showed him the photographs. I then said “Jack I want to say thank you for what you did”…well this 92 year old man said nothing at first but a tear ran down his cheek…he straightened up said thank you and changed the subject but in that moment of reflection I got a glimpse of something deep…the pain of remembering his mates.
So Mick your not a man for doing the track and finding it easy because none of us did it like them…the real hero’s…and I am sorry for you that you missed the point.
August 22nd, 2009 at 5:24 pm
Charlies right, poor old Mick is a wacker. Perhaps he expected to be hailed some sort of hero for walking the track and was’nt. Mick’s like the rest of us ex-trekers; not heros, we just go something out of the experience. Still; he could always join up now, there is plenty on.
August 22nd, 2009 at 7:00 pm
Mick – So you returned from Kokoda wondering ‘what all the fuss was about’ and in saying so you do trivialise the experience.
I did the trek two years ago, aged 60, and found it the most challenging, life-changing experience I’ve ever had. As a long-distance horse (endurance) rider and cyclist, I thought I was ‘walk fit’. Although we had virtually no rain, it was a hard slog all the way and there were moments when I doubted my ability to complete the walk. What got me through was the support of my fellow walkers and the wonderful porters who appeared out of nowhere to offer physical support whenever it was needed.
It’s not something every woman would choose to do – the ablution ‘arrangements’ were often testing to say the least, and there’s little joy in putting on damp clothes day after day, but comfort zones are there to be tested. If there was any consolation, it was the realisation that the diggers did it tougher.
Mick, maybe you need to accept that everyone has their own experience and in my humble opinion, Kokoda ain’t for the faint-hearted!
August 22nd, 2009 at 8:41 pm
Ok, here’s the thing Mick, what you said “not the track you walked” is absolutely entirely right. You must have been on some different track to the one I walked in July this year.
My name is Ben Kelly and I am aged 16, I am currently undertaking my Silver Duke of Edinbrough Award and the Kokoda Track was my Adventurous journey component.
Also, my father and I trained very hard for 6 months before I walked the track and, not to brag, but I doubled my fitness level.
I was by far the youngest member of my trek and let me tell you I did not find it ‘easy’.
So with this in mind, let’s do a bit of correcting shall we? “13-year-old schoolchildren, people with weight issues and delinquents with substance abuse issues” They’re your exact words aren’t they? First of all I am not a 13 year old school child, I am a year 10 student completly my School Certificate. Secondly I am not overweight, with all due respect, I most likely have a higher fittness level than yourself. And finally I am most certainly not a delinquent with a substance abuse problem.
So where’s my description in your cross section Mick? Correct me if I am wrong, but I think I seem to have found a hole in your argument.
If you can seriously say to the thousands of trekers who have walked the Kokoda Track, that you have no recollection of puffing at the top of a hill, or rather, mountain, or flopping in your tent, tired at the end of the day, then SOMEBODY CALL THE MEDIA! I THINK WE’VE FOUND SUPERMAN!
Mick, the track is something that needs to be respected, and if you think that you will earn respect by stamping on it, than you are sadly mistaken.
So Mick, do us all a favour and hang the cape and blue tights up, no one thinks big of you.
August 22nd, 2009 at 8:52 pm
Hi mike,
I spent 20 years serving with some of the finest soldiers in one of the best units. One of the reasons I did this was that I believe people should have the freedom to express their point of view without the fear of reprisal.
Now that you have had your 15 mins of fame I think it’s time to let it go.
August 22nd, 2009 at 9:12 pm
Walked it with AK in 2008 when I was 58 -after having survived a heart attack a few years ago. We had good weather and YES I employed a porter and am not ashamed to admit it (Thanks “Harrison”). I have trekked Overland in Tassy and Milford in NZ however in my opinion these do NOT compare with Kokoda which is consistantly challenging and if whilst walking you picture the history it is fascinating. If we learn anything from Micks blogs I guess we have to think of the blokes who back in 1942 died on the Kokoda so that we could be free – free to be able to have a difference of opinion. As for Kokoda Trip Organisers, A politician once said “If you try to please everybody you will end up pleasing nobody”.
August 22nd, 2009 at 9:17 pm
Mick,
You seem to think the ‘leadership programs’ are for people who are more into selfish goals like personal development rather than enlightenment about our military history,”
Thats a total misunderstanding, as I have been on one of these “leadership Programs”. I did not volunteer for my own selfishness or personal development, I went because I was selected because of I had demonstrated a capacity for leadership within my community, and for acknowledging the wartime heroes in the Kokoda campaign.
I was a 17 year old when I treked the “whole” kokoda trail. Although I could be described as a fit, youthful, energetic and naturaly athletic young women, I found it difficult and challenging, so how can you personaly say its a walk in the park?
I’m assuming you’re older than myself and you obviosuly didn’t undertake your trek in the same conditions as many who have, trekking for over 16 hrs a day, in the dark, raining and slippery conditions. To those who have trekked under these conditions it nothing like walk in the park.
Our leadership program, which included complete historical wartime stories and informative sessions, including a Dawn Service and reflections on Brigade Hill, allowed me to appreciate the life I live and the significance of the war. Although I am only 17 I can tell you that the experience has changed my life.
I feel that your public statement has offended many, like me, who have trekked the historic wartime trail. You cannot compare it to a trek in the Blue Mountains.
Kokoda is a once and lifetime experience which I would recommend to anyone… It cannot be compared to anything less.
Regards,
Kimberley Counter
August 22nd, 2009 at 10:05 pm
I disagree with you Mick. I’ve walked the track a few times since 2006 and have seen elite athletes crumble and old ladies grind away until the jobs done. I think it’s very dangerous for one to say it’s not that hard, that anyone can do it.
I still cringe when I remember passing some very large unfit-looking people on the slight grade out of Kokoda to Hoi, red pained faces, huffing and puffing and hearts working overtime. I kept an ear out for news of a tragedy on the track but luckily only heard that a group had turned back. I took a couple of mates one time; one of them lives in another State to me – when I asked how his training and preparation were going he said if Joe Hockey can do it, I can. What do you reckon was going through my head when he passed out halfway up the hill to Ioribaiwa? Yes he did make it to Kokoda but it was a slow and painful trip and one he or I won’t forget. I have lots of stories of this nature but I think you get the picture.
I think the reputation the track has is fitting; generally it makes people get more physically prepared. Lives are too precious to risk – if it wasn’t known as a hard, demanding track I think regrettably you would soon have your body bags filled.
August 22nd, 2009 at 11:05 pm
Now Dave Sherry and a few above actually are engaging the topic in an intelligent way. You make a good point Dave and of course I would qualify my observation that some people exagerate the track to include yours that it shouldn’t be taken lightly. Remember people, that the ONLY assertion I made was that there is some exageration. Some of you are reading all sorts of other things in there. There probably should be some mandatory physical examination that people should pass to prevent avoidable medical emergencies. I don’t think absolutely everyone could do it. Now again I say, I have said nothing to dishonour diggers and I went out of my way to acknowledge that it wasn’t my intention to trivialise the track. I do not regret going to KoKoda it is a good memory for me, I appreciate the history, I do not wish anybody any harm while there, but I stand by the main theme of my letter as printed in the smh. Again I say, do the maths.
August 22nd, 2009 at 11:07 pm
Oh deary me Mick! Having spent a quarter of a century in the Australian military serving my country, of course I agree with your sentiments regarding the right to an opinion – and I too would defend to the death your right to express that opinion (Evelyn Beatrice Hall, for your info). With regards to the remainder of your comments, expressed so eloquently in more returns than Dame Nellie Melba, I side with the rest of the trekker/bloggers who, like me, have been so completely brainwashed by Charlie Lynn and Adventure Kokoda – NOT!
August 23rd, 2009 at 7:33 am
KNOB! congratulations on finding the trek so easy. Maybe we should take one of those diggers medals and give it to you. I suppose you got the reaction you wanted. “Australia’s new controversial writer”, some say he is brave and honest with the audacity to write such material and others might even say he is existential but, most say, he is that idiot from Killara that lost all his friends because not only he couldn’t see what it means to walk the track but he went on to write absolute nonsense about his view on the walk.
With your advice people will think its too easy and there would be more casualties, especially since it appears as though you happened to walk the easiest trek that anyone has ever done. Maybe you should write the new on what to pack. I’ll help you start 1: umbrella 2: (I’m sure you took yours, but for everyone elses benefit) Makeup. 3: Finally, don’t forget your nintendo. Next time, go in the wet season and get a rifle, then get some friends (if you have any) to start shooting at you. Just to make it a little bit more difficult. Cya ya superman. good luck getting people to ever take you seriously ever again.
August 23rd, 2009 at 10:21 am
Oh Johnny. So I don’t know what it means to walk the track and you come back with not even the self respect to put your whole name to your inane abuse and Stuart dubs me Nellie Melba because I have the temerity to respond to some of the posts yet he agrees with EBHall. (Ain’t google great?) Well which is it Stuart? Nellie or Evelyn?
Again, sigh? There was only one issue raised by me that you should be concerning yourselves with. ie; Do some people exagerate and do the numbers refute said exagerations.
Assumptions about which trail I took, (The real one), assumptions about what I got out of it, (Plenty), and so on are irrelevant. Also irrelevant are your reasons for doing the trek and what you got out of it as far as what appeared in the smh is concerned.
The only question I was asking really I guess, is, Are we, Australians, prone more to understatement or overstatement. I would say understatment and I guess the numbers even here support that. There are 40 or so posts in response to Charlies invitation to comment yet how many people are there that have done AK treks?
My answer I think is that yes in general we still are more comfortable with understatement but in some cases you’ve got to let the baby have the bottle and let it slide if someone wants to tell you any slip was death.
Sayonara.
Oh and for all the Johnny’s out there this is my last post and last visit here so go your hardest guys. That’s the spirit. Oh no. He said last post. Jehovah, jehovah. (google it stuart).
August 23rd, 2009 at 3:24 pm
Thank you Charlie for all the hard work you have done over the last however many years to improve the track, to make it easier for people like myself to trek along. Without people such as yourself and others who have been involved with the KTA we would not have long drops along the way, great camping facilities and other little comforts that all added to a fantastic experience.
Thank you Charlie for taking kids from different racial backgrounds, kids with substance abuse problems, or who just don’t understand where they are from and show them why we are the lucky country. The type of history and experience taught to these kids in 10 short days far outways anything they will learn at school and from media outlets such as books. Kids these days are not taught enough Australian history in schools- including about Kokoda and how close the Japs got to our shores. You know Mick they might be lucky to get 1 weeks worth of classes to be taught about Kokoda- yet spend along time learning about the pyramids- shame.
So blokes like Mick are really selfish in their thoughts and comments but we know we are all better for the experience we had be it with AK or Kokoda Spirit or EE- whoever, we have learnt about our past, ourselves and our futures, I just feel sorry for Mick who obviously has high standards for himself and everything he does, look at the bigger picture Mick and see the great work these people do in preserving our history, spreading their knowledge to young people who would never have got the experience otherwise, then for you triviallise what expereicnes they have had and the way this trek may have put life into perspective for them, humbled them and taught them how to respect others and themselves- they will be better people now, not drug taking delinquents as you say.
The biggest problem is the way you trivialise the word hero – no hero ( except you) walks the track today, the diggers are the hero’s, but even ask them if they think they are hero’s and they will respond in a humble manner and say ‘ no, we just did our job!’
August 23rd, 2009 at 4:43 pm
How sad that this blog has turned into mudslinging and hostile defence of ones published opinion. It seems to me that if free speech is supported, then you have to know how to both give AND take Mick- preferably using an educated argument.
Not that I feel the need to particularly defend anyone, but as far as the personal attacks on Charlie go (and therefore at the risk of being told Ive been brainwashed as well…..) I can only say that although I havent trekked with Charlie and Ive only met him briefly, that he is a passionate and self activated individual. He has worked tirelessly to improve conditions for the Trail, the villagers, trekkers, fought for recognition of those fuzzy wuzzy angels, and to preserve the spirit of the diggers who went before us. I cant see where Charlie himself has made personal attacks on Mike in this blog????? And correct me if Im wrong, but comments take time to be moderated prior to posting (im sure Charlie is a busy person and isnt just hanging out waiting to see if Mick posted a reply)- and Im sure that the comments which popped up prior to Micks were from people who have previously posted on other blogs (prior moderations) and therefore automatically posted??
As far as Adventure Kokoda, well I would like to hear from anyone who has trekked with AK and not got anything out of it on any level. The entire journey was worth it for those above who have cared to post a reply and defend their experience and journey- and leaves me in no doubt that (perhaps) whichever company you would go with, it is worthwhile which is why so many people choose to trek more than once. Why would you do something twice if you thought there were greater challenges out there? You get what you pay for with any trekking company, so if Mick took the cheap and easy option then he could expect a cheap and easy experience- which sounds like what he got. Im glad I reasearched who I wanted to trek with (I did my homework), and am not disappointed. For Mick to judge peoples motivations for doing the trek in the first place (whether personal development, leadership program, physical challenge, interest in history or to retrace the footsteps of a family member)… well I think regardless of your reasons, you will end up with all of the above if you choose the right company to guide you and are open to its lessons. You just cant buy the rewards of Kokoda anywhere and the understanding that comes with it is priceless.
I just find it amazing that for someone who later defends himself and says he did infact get something out of his trek (even if it wasnt a physical challenge), and brags about having walked with an author himself (like that makes a difference)- that Mick has no idea of the difference between the wartime track and the eco-tourist track. That he is at best undereducated on the military campaign and the wartime experience (instead repeatedly drawing attention back to peacetime…), so what exactly did he learn from his Kokoda experience then? Certainly doesnt appear to be anything associated with military history because there aint no passion in his words in any of his replies!
Maybe if Mick really wanted to say/ask “are Australians prone more to understatement or overstatement” then he really should have said THAT instead of what he wrote?! Mick also says that Charlie has no rebuttal for his “survival may depend on a matter of millimetres” comment quoted from FitzSimons. Well allow me to reflect on my own experience trekking, when trying to find the original Golden Staircase, a near vertical, muddy, slippery slope, in the dark, and actually fearing for my life…..grabbing hold of weak and breaking vines to stop sliding metres downwards and landing on rocks or spiked painful plants. Well, millimetres mattered in that instance. But I dont suppose Mick even knows that the “Golden Staircase” isnt the actual location other trek companies say it is, and therefore he wouldnt have completed that part of the trek? Like I said….. undereducated? Isnt it best to stick to the topics you know back to front before you go publishing your unfounded opinion in newspapers?
anyways….
August 23rd, 2009 at 5:27 pm
Thanks Narelle – I wasn’t able to respond yesterday as I had a full day’s meeting with Mike Luff, Deputy Principal of Port Moresby Grammar School, who is visiting Sydney to be with his elderly mother.
We took the opportunity to discuss the further development of our Kokoda Bursary Program at the school; to review the progress of the two students Jill and I are sponsoring; to review the progress of our ‘Bring a Buk’ program which has placed more than 2000 new books into the school library over the past year; to review our plan for distributing other books from Port Moresby Grammar School to nearby provincial schools; and to discuss the leadership program I wil be running for Port Moresby Grammar Year 11 and 12 students in November.
I was therefore away from my computer until late in the afternoon.
As you can see from my previous blogs I do not censor contributions – apart from spam.
Mick has had his say on the public record and I have provided trekkers with an opportunity to respond. I have published all of Mick’s responses and will continue to do so.
I have said on many occassions that people from all walks of life trek Kokoda for many reasons. They digest the experience in different ways. Some will tick the box and move on. Some will decide to do something as soon as they get back (go and meet digger and say thanks!). Others will action an idea that was seeded in their mind during their Kokoda journey years later.
The only common theme from the journey is that the impact of the experience will be positive.
And that is the legacy of Kokoda lest we forget.
August 23rd, 2009 at 6:04 pm
Mick,
I love this country, however we are breading and importing more and more dickheads that have no idea what life is about or what our forefathers went through to give us the beautiful place in what we live.
Look like your one of those dickheads.
August 23rd, 2009 at 7:58 pm
I can only think that this guy has had his 15 mintues of fame. I threw up for 3 days and kept walking only on the encouragement of my mates – that is what it is about. To compare it with anything is just ignorance.
I am fit and always have been, so comments about overweight and over-aged is irrelevant – the experience may not change your life but it makes you appreciate what you have.
May we never trivalise the efforts of our soldiers or the experience we all had. To suggest it is a walk in the Blue Mountains makes me think of the gym junkies who I see at my local gym looking at themselves in the mirror all the time. They miss the reason for training and I suppose miss the reason for walking Kokoda.
August 23rd, 2009 at 8:09 pm
Oh Mick you just don’t get it! because if you did you would not have written a letter to the SMH. I have walked many treks & trails here and overseas and none have had the same impact on me as Kokoda.
August 23rd, 2009 at 8:45 pm
Fellow Trekers,
November 2007 I had the honour to walk, crawl, slide and enjoy the challenge that Kokoda put before myself and my group. Led by Chad S & Peter D ( born leaders ) we stood at the Isurava Memorial, stood beside Surgeons Rock and paid our respects along the Track. I do not care much for Mick Ryan’s comment, I know what I was challenged with and how bloody hard it was for me and my fellow trekers. We walked for a few hundred metres in a flowing river for the simple reason that we could not climb the bank as it was too high and steep. My porter was the man that was beside me at all times to give me a little encouregment, lift, steady hand, I do hope that Mick had a porter.
I saw where my father was blown up at Owers Corner and paid my respects to him and fellow band of Soldiers who helped make the FREEDOM we have today.
I was 60 then and trained hard and I made it over the Stanley Ranges.
August 23rd, 2009 at 9:25 pm
Hey Mick,
Mate I have got to get a copy of the route you took…if there is an “Eco Tourist” Track, why didn’t some-one tell me about it. I walked the Track back in 2003 & had spend 9 months preparing for it. By the end of Day 2 I was nearly stuffed and crying for Mummy. I have little or no memory of one of the Villages we stayed at & there was no Rum Bottle in sight!! Overall an incredible journey into an important part of our History.
Thanks to Charlie Lynn for all he has done to make us more aware of the achievements those brave Australians & Papuans performed in 1942. This surely was our finest hour…..
August 24th, 2009 at 4:41 am
Hi guys
At first I’ve spoken out with raw emotion. But I’ve been thinking about this email Mick has written and I’ve been trying to work out and find what Micks response was based on. I don’t know if it was published the way it was from SMH editing or if it was the original email submitted but I agree that it should have been reworded and referenced better. At the bottom of this response are three links to news articles I think were behind Micks email and might help put this into context better.
At the moment I can’t work out what title was in reference to. I’ve had a look but there are no articles out there that I’ve seen that refer to people who walk the track these days as heroes. I agree with Fiona here and i don’t consider myself a hero just because I’ve walked it nor did anyone when i got home call me one. The only hero’s were the ones fought in WWII and all of them have my ultimate respect.
Peter’s *news articles* don’t talk about people walking the track as being hero’s. He may have been dressing up the article to describe his and Rudd’s experience, that’s only something I’ve seen all reporters do everyday. In this case I can exactly relate and understand what he’s trying to get across. I myself was very nervous on day 1 trying to climb up parts of Imta Ridge in the rain along a narrow edge and a very steep drop to the side, had I slipped I thought I would have been killed. I was getting dizzy and vertigo and I was locking my hands onto what ever I could hold.
Peter actually quotes himself to using some poetic licence in his book:
“”I have had to occasionally take out my poetic licence and, for example, postulate what the final thoughts of a man who had just been shot might have been. But as much as possible, I have stayed with what is on the historical record . . .”"
-Peter FitzSimons
Kokoda – Book Review – Reviewer Christopher Bantick – July 31, 2004
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/07/28/1090694021479.html?from=storyrhs
As far as being physical, I disagree with Mick. It was one of the most physical challenges things I’ve done in my life and I loved every second, I had to put a years training and prep for it. I’ve done some hiking when I was a kid and hadn’t found anything in Australia that recreates that experience. Whether or not it’s the hardest war track is a different debate and I haven’t walked all them yet so I can’t say.
I’ve heard of people doing the bull dog, black cat and the Sandakan death march and have said that it was just as hard as kokoda, and there many other non war tracks out there that are only for the insane like the snowman trail in Bhutan.
The main thing about kokoda is the significance of what was going on in at that point in time and the impact it had. I also disagree with Micks point about it stopping people who are interested from going. Only the people who aren’t interested wont go. And at the end of the day what I learned from John Nadler was its 90% attitude and 10% physical.
When I told my mates that I was going they asked me how long and how much was it? I told them that I had spent about 8k for the trip and gear etc and it was for 10 days. They were all dumb founded by the economics of it. For themselves they couldn’t justify the trip or reasons for doing kokoda but they could justify the 4k they had just spent on a drunken contiki whirlwind of Europe for a month. For me I’m keen on military history and I had a family member serve in the 2/25th. I’d also done a Anzac dawn service in Gallipoli in 2005 and I’m currently planning a trip to Europe to see where a number of my family fought in Ipres in WW1, I have a great uncle who disappeared and is the on the wall at menin gate.
At the end of the day as much as I disagree with Mick, we’ve got to respect his right to an opinion. I’m a bit saddened by some of personal abuse put out there. Please keep it constructive folks.
Andrew Watson
References
————————————-
Article 1
And we shall remember them – August 15, 2009 – Peter FitzSimons
http://www.smh.com.au/world/and-we-shall-remember-them-20090814-el8c.html
Article 2
The pull of the track continues to inspire – Peter FitzSimons – August 13, 2009
http://www.smh.com.au/national/the-pull-of-the-track-continues-to-inspire-20090812-eify.html
Article 3
Fatal choice doomed trekkers – Lindsay Murdoch in Port Moresby and Jonathan Dart – August 13, 2009
http://blog.kokodatreks.com/2009/08/20/heroism-no-longer-required-on-kokoda-track/comment-page-1/#comment-1478
August 24th, 2009 at 7:19 am
There’s one in every crowd.
Mick you must be it. The attention seaker.
I live in the Blue Mountains and trained there for twelve months. I walked and climbed every track hill and nook and cranny. After walking Kokoda track the Blue Mountains are a walk in the park. I am glad I did not have you on my trek Mick you sound like one of those who know all but know nothing. I think Mick is one of these city lunchtime concrete pounders. Mick you did not say if you had learnt anything about our war history.
Thanks to Chalie and his leaders Chad, Rowan, to name a couple for knowledge about the history of Kokoda.
August 24th, 2009 at 7:36 am
It appears Mick regarded the track as some sort of athlete’s event. Yes I am one of those 50 something blokes who struggled up and down the mountains and had my fair share of falling over in the mud. I am glad I took the opportunity to walk the wartime track and those extra bits. We walked in October – it was wet and hot. I took the opportunity to pay my respects at the various battle sights we visited. I believe we have a better world because of the sacrifice our soldiers and the locals made. For me it was not a race or an endurance test – it was a great experience that enriched my life! Unfortunately Mick, it appears you missed that experience as your focus was elsewhere.
August 24th, 2009 at 9:39 am
I think many of you are missing the point of Mr Ryan’s initial piece. He erected a straw man: When Peter Fitzsimons wrote that one might “[cling] by your fingernails to a mountain while your failing, flailing legs try to propel you up” (”Fatal choice doomed trekkers”, he was not intending his reference literally. Fitz, as his readers know, depends on exaggeration for emphasis – he is a rugby forward after all; and is rather light on for vocabulary (sorry Fitz, I’m being emphatic).
The same applies to his contention that “survival might depend on a matter of millimetres”.
What is interested me is the strength of Mr Ryan’s reaction to that rather obvious hyperbole (again, sorry Fitz; I’m being emphatic).
I cannot imagine why Mr Ryan thought that an underwear parade (why not nude?) of past participants would be relevant to his perception of the strength or extent of the physical challenge. What one may deduce is that Mr Ryan does not regard himself as being one of “the fat and fortysomething Kokoda walkers … [whose] comfort zones … are just too comfortable”. He may be right, but I think his treatment of the topic fails for the very reason he criticises Kokoda.
I have not heard or read anyone say, write or otherwise claim that it is (literally) a “superhuman feat … to walk from Owers Corner to Kokoda in peacetime”. One of the real points of walking the track now is that overweight 56 year old persons who have just quit smoking can make it – they are so inspired by the tremendous selflessness, bravery and endurance of the 2/14th Infantry Battalion, and the many other companies and battalions, not so long ago, that they can and do overcome their present circumstances, and make the walk.
Of course, another point of walking the track with the many tour groups who offer these trips is to meet like (and not so like) minded people, in very stressful circumstances (no exaggeration there, I hope), where friendships flourish. It’s both unfair and unworthy to argue that if you don’t mind camping, you can do Kokoda. I and my two sons met ten other trekkers earlier this month, and two great guides (both ex-army) and – a point of which Mr Ryan says nothing – many PNG natives.
I now count among my friends; and I have no doubt that many of these friendships will endure life long: we shared an experience that I found very physically challenging; we learnt about the batles from clinically delivered, matter-of-fact military briefings, sitting where fought and died boys the age of my two sons, who sat beside me; and we yarned about our lives, our successes and our failings.
Mr Ryan is not to be criticised for omitting any mention of the PNG porters who carried our gear. I will remember for a long time the quiet, young Josus, aged 18, who held the hand of a woman trekker in our group, for most of the way over the hard stuff. He was paid to carry gear, and to be this lady’s personal porter. He was not paid for his quiet and gentle courtliness. These traits were, I found to my delight, common to his people; especilly the people of the villages, away from the urban centres. That was another lesson I was grateful to learn on the Kokoda track.
For these reasons, I think Mr Ryan’s principal point was misplaced: he has mistaken fond hyperbole of people such as the entertaining and widely travelled Fitzsimons, for literal contentions. And, when generally denigrating the common experience of walking the Kokoda track, he has himself underplayed the difficult of the physical effort necessary, and missed many (if not all) of the principal attractions.
Still, as my new mate John Baily has noted, differences are to be respected.
Steve Russell
August 24th, 2009 at 10:20 am
Firstly I’m Michael Ryan not the Mick Ryan everyone has been blogging about. I did the trek with AK 3 years ago and have a father that was with the 2/2 during the war and it was an experience that I can’t describe. That’s why journo’s like Fitzy write books about places like Kokoda, because I can’t, and yes he uses ‘poetic license’ as it makes for a better read. Everyone has a different way of describing the challenge of Kokoda, mabe Fitzy should have checked with the other Ryan to make sure it was correct.
August 24th, 2009 at 10:21 am
Mick – I walked the full track with my 15 year old son in 2006. He went there as a big kid and came back a young man. You’ve had your say and you’re banging your head against a wall. I suggest you pull your head in before you do it any more damage and move on to some other cause that just might be supported by sensible people. By the way, your throw away lines on the Burma Railway and ‘Sayonara’ were beneath contempt. What a shame so many brave Aussies died in order to allow you the freedom to trivialise them.
August 24th, 2009 at 3:01 pm
The one positive Mick Ryan will hopefully achieve from his letter is a more unified fight by the Australian public to have the Kokoda Campaign given the recognition it truely deserves.I ventured with AK 903 in April this year(thats the one Zoe mentions with day 2 the highlight) to satisfy the research that my daughter and i had done for a project on the role of a Medic.Having read and researched most available literature the Trek itself and information that both Charlie and Peter our Trek Leaders spoke along the way really gave us both the closest insight to complete this project.Give Mick a miss and use our voices and whatever else is required to get fair recognition for our soldiers and their families. Its never too late.PS Thanks Zoe it sent a shiver down my spine as i read your diary excerpt.
August 24th, 2009 at 3:59 pm
I trekked with A K in July last year, led expertly by Charlie Lynn, and all I can say to you Mick is… THANK GOD YOU WERE NOT ON OUR TREK, WHAT A PAIN IN THE ARSE YOU WOULD HAVE BEEN!!!
August 24th, 2009 at 6:14 pm
Hi Mick, Jacquie here, at the time I walked The Kokoda in 2006 I was a 37 year old executive with very well manicured nails, living in Suburbia. So what! Who made you Judge, Jury and Executioner?
The Kokoda experience was amazing and I reflect upon it to this day, the terrain, flora, fauna and most importantly the great privilege to walk in the footsteps of the brave Australians who gave their all for my freedom.
On my trek with Charlie Lynn as Trek Leader, we had all shapes, sizes and ages. The level of pain and suffering varied for many reasons not just those detailed in your letter, in fact the fittest amongst our group struggled the most mentally, in their minds as they were athletes it would be a walk in the park and that was not the case, their learning was on another level entirely.
I loved every step of my trek, enjoyed what I learnt about PNG, WWII, myself and others. I have travelled extensively and enjoyed many great experiences and to date no other trip has been as fantastic as walking The Kokoda.
It offends me that you belittle the experience and trekkers that have walked The Kokoda and I trust that you will take the opportunity to cross over The Kokoda again as I feel great pity for you having missed out on what was for me my most amazing experience to date.
I would be happy to join you on another trek to ensure that you receive the full Kokoda experience.
In closing my experience and the next steps that I have taken is best summarised by:
“When you go home tell them of us, tell them for their today we gave our tomorrow”
August 24th, 2009 at 7:02 pm
Mick,
You must be a really strong, physically superior human being. Everybody must live in awe of you. Oh, to be in your presence. I can only dream of such of an honor. Clearly the brave men who served in Kokoda would have fared much better had they been as awesome as you.
I am surrounded by mere mortals like myself – who found walking the Kokoda Treck an incredibly challenging experience.
I think you should demonstrate your superhuman strength to the rest of by taking a flying leap off the Opera House.
Cheers,
Kellie
August 24th, 2009 at 11:08 pm
Mick,
Your unbelievable! your comments & statements leave a bad taste in my mouth .
I walked the Kokoda trek in April 2008 with Charlie and would do it again and this time with my kids.
Before I left for this great adventure, I had no idea on what I was about to encounter or feel. To this day the emotions are still very strong and very raw. I walked with a great friend who had wanted to walk the trek for her own reasons, I simply put my hand up at the time and thought what an experience.
Then I started researching what I was about to embark on and read many books, including the one from Peter Fitzsimmons and I can tell you it left me in tears and emotionally charged. I really didn’t know anything about Kokoda until I started reading Peter’s book and many alike. I didn’t know or understand our history and was shocked that such a vital part of all of us wasn’t being acknowledged in our schools and that my children have no idea of our true history.
Like many I trained and I trained hard for over 12 months. I didn’t doubt my ability to make the trek but I wasn’t prepared for the emotional journey that took place over 12 days. Charlie’s knowledge of the wartime trek and the history blew me away – Charlie had the ability to lead you to a place that made you believe you were with the diggers – you felt their hardship, their sacrifice and guts and how scared they would have been. I walked with a great group of people who each had their own reasons for trekking and I learnt during this trek and with each individual what endurance, sacrifice, courage & mateship was all about. Everybody has their own story to tell and their own memories, but I feel sorry for you Mick, as you obviously don’t have the ability to understand these feelings and are obviously one of these yobbos who have to gloat “how easy it was” – I find you insulting and disrespectful – you obviously gained no understanding of the history and didn’t embark on the emotional journey that we were all so lucky to experience.
Our group was the first to walk the Golden Stair Case in over 65 years and what a privilge and honour to have done so – thank you Charlie – for sharing the experience.
In closing, all I can say is thank God you weren’t on a trek.
August 25th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
Mick Ryan if iyou got little out of the trek then I give you my pity. I enjoyed the challenge of the walk, the joy of meeting the people and the the good people I walked with, even the lively political debates we had at times not to mention all the “lump in the throat eperiences”.
Thanks Chad for a great time
regards Tim Goodsell
August 25th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
Well said Jodie!! Just because Mick did it easy does not give him the right to belittle every other trekkers experience. The Diggers all coped with their own demons of sickness, hunger, fear and loss of their mates in varying ways but one thing stood solid regardless of the degree of difficulty they were facing and that was their total committment to each other in mateship. The mateship that bonds all Kokoda Trekkers in the legend of the Digger. That is those Trekkers who truly react to the sacrifices made by our Diggers and their families back home and come home with a deeper knowledge of the strategic importance of Kokoda as it played out in 1942, to the lives we currently enjoy. These thoughts are supported by the legendary B. Rowell also.
Kind Regards to all. Gary and Bernie.
August 25th, 2009 at 8:39 pm
Mr Ryan,
Perhaps the reason you felt the track did not live up to its reputation is because you yourself fell victim to the accounts of others. The track affects everyone differently and just because you felt it was not that difficult, does not mean that it isn’t difficult.
Perhaps you over-assumed the level of difficulty; and because you had the state of mind that the track is damn near impossible, when you completed it and your expectations had not been met because of the state of mind you had put yourself into, you felt that you had been lied to.
I am 17 years old and I returned from Kokoda last month, I trekked with Adventure Kokoda under the leadership of Chad Sherrin, Bernie Rowell and Gary Blackwood MP. I found the track to be very demanding, but achievable. Perhaps that is where you are becoming confused, Mr Ryan. The track is not easy, the track is not impossible. It is a continuous test of mental and physical strength, but it is achievable.
Just because people who are not physically fit, and of a mature age can complete the track, does not mean that the reputation the track has is a lie. I pity that you have come back from Kokoda, with such a negative view on the track itself. I understand that you appreciate the significance of the track to the defence of Australia, and what sacrifice the diggers had to make whilst fighting on the track.
However, when you write such articles in the newspaper, using such denigration and emotive language, you should expect that people will become angry and pursue you. I believe you knew very well the consequences of writing such an article when you had it published. Were you legitimately trying to see how many other people felt the same or were you just acting out in a fit of attention seeking behaviour trying to start a fight? After your replied post on this blog, I am leaning towards the latter of the two.
You critisise Charlie for his comments towards you, and yet you then go and proceed to make denagrative comments towards him. Hipocritical don’t you think? So don’t come onto this blog acting all self-righteous and preaching your gospel, when you are quite prepared to then go against what you so proudly preach.
In closing, I would like to just re-iterate that the Kokoda Trail is not an easy thing to do. It should not be taken lightly. Comments like “Ladies needn’t worry about their manicure because you won’t break a nail” is nothing but complete bullshit. Anyone with half a brain who has trekked the track will know that.
Boot in, sock up and get over yourself Mr Ryan.
Thats my two cents!
August 26th, 2009 at 10:26 am
Very well said Luke. Once again you have vindicated our confidence in you as a young man of great integrity who has given himself an excellent chance of success in life, no matter what the challenge, including Kokoda as you proved in July. Cheers. Gary.
August 26th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
Dear MICK,
Things getting tough that you have to resort to other things, My name is Michael Ryan NOT mick as everyone else is blogging (see blog Aug 24 at 10.20am) yet you refer to yourself as Mick with your bolg Aug 22nd at 2.23pm and there after.
Perhaps you need to get your story straight!
again feel the love
Tim Dalwood (or Timothy i will answer to both)
August 26th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
Dear Mick (or Michael, I’m not of a mind to really worry about that!)
With all of the care and compassion I would like to convey to another trekker, I would like to question, Did you actaully walk the track or merely look at photo’s of it?
Without attempting to be rude, it seems that your perception of difficult is somewhat skewed. Should you be a marathon runner or an elderly gentlemen discovering the history of the war, the Kokoda track is no ‘easy feat’. The track is not about being impossible, if people believed that, then they wouldn’t do it. The track is supposed to be a gruelling and difficult journey, but not everyone is going to find it as hard as others.
If you found kokoda too easy, then the question is whether you spent your time focussing on just getting to the other side, ignoring the other trekkers, and looking only to yourself, rather than helping others. Everyone forms bonds on Kokoda, and the fact that you returned wtih such negative outlooks seems to speak to you not enjoying yourself at all or forming any bonds…
Just weeks ago I did the treck with Charlie Lynn. I didn’t find it easy. I fell off a cliff edge and had to be dragged back up by several porters. We walked at night and had to struggle to see and to stay on our feet. I have come back, and told people of the diifficulty I had, and had them think, Gee, that would be a great experience. It doesn’t matter what you say, it’s important that people are aware of what happened on the Kokoda track all those years ago, and even more important that the word gets out about just how important that fight was and the significance that everyone, including the locals played.
Great, if you want to make it seem like its not worth doing by claiming it ‘too easy’, then you go ahead and do that. The only thing you’re doing is succeeding in making yourself look ungrateful for the experience you had, and discouraging people from having an experience that they most probably WILL enjoy. Nice job.
Did you take a porter? If you didn’t then I suggest you find a compnay who doens’t take the ‘eco tour’ or the ‘pink track’, and instead does the actual route. Its an extra 40km or so, but for someone who obviously found the first track so easy, it shouldn’t be that much difficult. If you’re that concerned about it not being difficult, challenge YOURSELF instead of INSULTING others. We all enjoyed it, we all found it an extremely enlightening experience and have changed becuase of it. If you coudln’t find it within yourself to simply admire the history and the magic of the Kokoda Trail, then I feel sorry for you because you obviously have a very poor outlook on life, and are not going to be able to enjoy the simple things in life.
If your life consists of taking on challenges, simply to return claiming them too easy and not worth doing, then it could be suggested that you really don’t have anything better to do with your time and need to find something better to with yourself. Your discouragement of people in walking Kokoda is disgusting and you should be ashamed of yourself for trying to seek attention in such a blatantly pathetic manner.
Here’s to you learning the subleties of when to keep your mouth shut, when to know what you’re talking about, and when to simply give it a break.
Sincerely,
An extremely furious TEENAGE trekker,
Sacha Reason.
August 26th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
Dear Mick,
I have made 25 crossings of the Kokoda track and still find it physically and mentally tough. And am still moved by the history of the track. All I can say is thank god in 1942 there weren’t people like you!
August 27th, 2009 at 6:29 am
Dear Mick,
You may rightly feel that you have been given a ‘wacking’ that you don’t fully deserve.Having seen the difference in interpretation possible between an original letter and an edited version there is a lot that can slip through the cracks.
In defense of some of your critics it must also be allowed that they view their experience through very personally tinted lenses.I struggled monumentally with the physical challenges of the trek. But within a reasonably short time that was all good. Being a 50 something fat bastard is not all it’s cracked up to be.
I still, however, have not come to terms with the emotional devastation of confronting the history of the sacrifice of our defenders. I am having difficulty typing this now as the kaleidoscope of images is still difficult for me. We were exceptionally lucky to have John Nalder as our guide. He is a man of integrity with a depth and breadth of knowledge of the history and current local circumstances that made our experience so much more than just a physical challenge.
We met Charlie along the track. In person Mick he is not a bad fella. Maybe a touch of the politicians curse but a very genuinely comitted advocate for Kokoda as part of our Australian history and also as a very fair minded advocate for establishing an equitable and compassionate relationship between Australia and PNG as neighbour states.
For every one who makes the crossing it is an individual experience. As you have correctly noted the right to an opinion is one of the principles that was at stake during that campaign. Along with many others that we also take for granted at our peril.
I’m in the phone book too, in Wagga Wagga. Stop in for a yarn if you’re passing. We might not agree on everything but the beer is always cold and good argument never hurt anyone. I don’t know anything about the Oxfam walk but if you like a challenge there are some walks down here that will get your attention.
Off to work . Have a good day everyone because at the end of the argument we are still in the best country in the world.
Blommie
August 27th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
Its a shame that our friend went to that wonderful place and all he got out of it was another theme in his life to cry about, some people will never be happy. You could never understand what it was like for someone who understands the history, hardship and the blood and guts it took those men so many years ago to do. Next time mate, go for someone else than yourself.
August 28th, 2009 at 10:51 am
Tim, Sorry to pour water on your blog but believe it or not there is more than 1 Michael Ryan in this world.
I am from Cronulla, not Killara and I did the trek in ’06 with a good mate with the AK Group. Our group was quite large with 47 trekkers and over 80 porters and thank God there were’nt any people like Mick Ryan of Killara on the trek.
The trek has had a profound impact on me as there’s hardly a day goes by that I don’t think about it, we’ve also formed friendships from the trek with people from all over Australia and who we catch up with each year.
If Mick Ryan from Killara ever decides to do it again he might think about how hard the Track is, my Dad was in the 2/2 Btn and they started at Port Moresby with over 800 men and by the time they reached Buna they were down to 80.
Guess what Mick Ryan, the Track is still claiming casualties after 67 years because it’s a hard tough and dangerous environment.
Cheers
Michael Ryan from Cronulla
September 3rd, 2009 at 4:16 pm
Gday Mick,
Im not going to bag what you have said its your opinion and your entitled to it, what i will do is suggest that the difficulty of the track should not be measured in body bags or casualties, what is a fact is that people HAVE died recently due to the lack of personal care and responsibility of the companies they are trekking with , i mean did we not lose enough Australian lives in 1942 . Today there are probably about 3 companies who do it right they have , satalite phones , medical kits , radios, doctor boys, and a rear base system in moresby who can arrange evacuation and insurance issues , to trek with these companies you obviously have to pay more the sad part is alot of Aussies are trekking with companies who are cheaper and dont provide these services and when something goes wrong lives are lost , ive heard stories of trekkers being left in villages because the carriers dont know what to do with a severly dehydrated person , i mean left for the next group to come along and hopefully save them can you beleive it ! what we need to do is make people aware of these risks , cheaper is not always better .Therefore my question to you is if you are influential enough of a person to have something published in the sydney morning herald then why not publish something along the lines of what i have mentioned , let people know of the dangers trekking with sub standard companies we dont need any more lives lost whether people trek the wartime track or the eco track, thanks mate looking forward to hearing your thoughts
September 14th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
A week ago I returned from a superbly run trek (AK922), led by the amazing Peter Davis.
We had a small group of 5 fit trekkers, and dry weather for 9 out of 10 days. We had sensational porters, and because of the group size and fitness levels, we did extra side trips in addition to the 155km trek.
Was it tough? Yes – at times it was exceptionally tough.
Could anyone do it? Yes – with a company like Adventure Kokoda, and leaders like Peter who understand people and their limitations, combined with the right physical and mental preparation, and a will to succeed, most people could do the trek.
It is a shame that (through editing or otherwise) Mick Ryans assertion that “I find it sad that people with a genuine interest in the history, who would appreciate seeing some of the significant places on the track, might be put off by exaggerated tales of the superhuman qualities needed to get to Kokoda this century. They need to be put off only if they don’t like camping” seems to have been overlooked.
I don’t think you need superhuman qualities to complete the trek either (unless perhaps you have 10 days of rain like recent trekkers experienced). And I too think it is a shame that some people might be put off by newspaper hyperbole of the difficulties.
It’s unfortunate that Mick’s article inflamed so many people – but it exactly that sort of polarising journalism that newspaper editors look for to sell papers. I personally don’t like the way his article reads – nor the sarcastic and personal attack on Charlie he followed up with in this blog.
We probably should remember too, that Mick more than likely walked the Kokoda Trail in 2004 or 2005 (given that Paul Ham’s book was published in 2005). So his memory of the difficulties he faced has no doubt faded, and he can only remember the good parts (Walker, Skowronski, Thompson – Life is Good and Memory Helps to Keep It That Way, Review of General Psychology, 2003, Vol 7, No. 2, 207-210). So he may not be able to accurately remember some of the feelings, like that of just following the feet in front, hoping this would stop, of the need to fall into the creek at the end of the day exhausted, of 7:30PM coming around and needing to be in bed asleep. The feeling of elation on getting to the top of that hill that we all, at some time, thought might beat us. The amazement that the spademan (Warren in our case) could keep on walking in the rain and mud, up and down impossible terrain, in THONGS, while we struggled behind him like ducks in a row with our trekking poles and $250 boots.
I, like many reading this blog can still vividly remember those feelings. Maybe Mick didn’t keep a diary, or didn’t read it before making his comments.
But, can almost anyone complete the trek if they use the right trekking company and complete the right preparations? Probably. And is it a shame that people are put off from experiencing what is undoubtedly the most spiritually moving time of their life, because of newspaper hyperbole. Undoubtebly.
So Mick, to an extent I agree with your message. Shame about the delivery.
September 15th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
Well Mick Ryan you must have had a different experience to our trekking group!
Twenty of us set out on the 7th July 2009 to follow in the foot steps of the 39th Militia Battallion on the Adventure Kokoda ‘Battle Fields’ Trek route and after ten gruelling days covering in excess of 130 kms I definitely do not share your view of the Kokoda Trail.
To put it mildly this was the toughest Physically, Mentally, & Emotionally that I have ever done!
The Trail/Track tested us all in the wet, dry, sole destroying climbs and desents, as we followed the fighting withdrawal and the hard won battles when the Australian (AIF) forces pushed the Japanese back to the northern PNG coast.
My group of ten from the Goulburn Valley trained for over three months in the gym, at home & work, and in the bush around Rushworth and Bendigo (where the 39th was raised in 1941); but this hard work only “just” afforded us with the physical strength to complete the trek but did not assist with the other emotions that we all experience!
I think you really need to revisit your own journey as YOU DID NOT walk the Kokoda Trail that we did!
John Lloyd
‘Jack Lloyd Memorial Trek’ – July 2009
September 21st, 2009 at 3:52 pm
Wow, I’ve just scanned through this blog, and netted it all out to this: yep, Charlie was right in the first place… Mick: you are a wacker.
October 5th, 2009 at 9:36 am
Another death today. Four deaths this year. Mick Ryan you are a tosser of the highest order. Justify your rant to those four families.
Tim Goodsell
October 5th, 2009 at 9:46 am
I wonder whether he did it at all. Did he carry his own pack and food rations? And he should have elaborated on the route that he took. I bet the only path he took was from the tour bus to a tree to take a dump before heading back for a round of beers. I guess newspapers have to publish all kinds of rubbish these days to sell their rags. I’m glad I read all my news online now. Saves trees too!
October 6th, 2009 at 11:10 am
I am a shearer. Not blowing any horns but my job requires a high level of fittness. The university of South Aust. worked out a shearer uses, in one day, the same energy an athlete uses to run a half marathon. I walked the kokda track 4 years ago in my prime and it was the hardest 8 days i have ever done.
October 11th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
My husband is on the battlefield trek with Adventure Kokoda at this very moment, and all your passionate responses have blown me away. Wow, I am in total awe of you all (excluding this ungracious bloke named mick or mike) and my husband. You have all opened my eyes to what he must be going through – slugging through the mud and tree roots with a heavy pack strapped to him.
I confess I have been worried sick about him, especially with all these unfortunate sad deaths that have been plagueing Kokoda. But all you good passionate people who have written in have made me realise what he is going to get out of this experience – a deeper understanding of what the soliders had to put up with for prolonged months on hand and I’m sure he will come back with him an amazing sence of accomplishment that will be with him forever, that is all certainly evident with you all that made this difficult but rewarding trek. It sounds utterly life changing. Poor Mick or Mike must have missed the experience on some point of his trip (I won’t say journey)!
September 3rd, 2012 at 9:17 pm
Hey guys, I’m currently doing a tourism assignment and if anyone has walked the Kokoda Trail I would appreciate it if you could email me so i can get your opinion on a few aspects of the trip.
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
My email is claytonmorgantefox@hotmail.com
It will be greatly appreciated guys, take a lot of stress off of year 12!