Well we have now been back just over a week. It seems longer since the trip.

I am very happy to have taken part in this MIC walk for such  an admirable cause.

I also want to say that enjoyed meeting and making friends with everyone on the trip. I know I did not get to really know everyone from team 1, but did get to know all the members of team 2, Team Ultra.

I also want to say a special thanks to my covert secret team. You Know Who You Are. 

All the very best to everyone.

Les, AKA “The Puppet Master” ha ha

Saturday. As usual up at 5am b/fast and on the track. Again we let team 1 get a half hour start. 

My quote for the day. 

To quote that eminent professor Bill Murray from Ghost Busters 1.  “We Came, We Saw, We Kicked Ass”.

Today will be a short walk approximately 3 hours. We waded through Goldie river.  

Friday. this is the last main day on the track.  Our first kick was up Ioribaiwa Ridge, then up and down a series of slopes until we headed down a steep decline to Ua-Ule Creek and some 22 times of criss-crossing this winding water way.  Then up to the top of Imita Ridge and back down again to our last camp site at Uberi. 

At Uberi we met up with team 1 again and although we had tomorrow to go everyone saw this as the beginning of the end.  

Thursday up at 5am set off at 6am arrived at Ofi Creek just after 2pm. 

My quote for the day. 

“It’s not about the times you stumble along the way. What counts is that you make it at the end of the day”. 

We started the day with both teams holding a dawn ceremony to commemorate World Suicide Prevention Day. 

Team 1 left first and we followed about 1/2 an hour later. 

We stopped at Nauro for morning tea.  

 
Then we climbed the infamous 9 False Peaks of the Maguli Range. 

We then went down hill initially very steep then gradual for a while ending in a very steep decline befor we reached our camp site and Ofi Creek.  

Wednesday quote “Life is what happen while your busy making other plans” John Lennon 1980.

At Mission Ridge Chad pointed out how the Australians deployed themselves holding back the continuing push by the superior Japanese numbers. The Australian 2/27th.  And the remaining 2/14  and 2/16th. dug in along the ridge.

As we arrived at Bragade Hill team 1 was getting ready to pull out. We wished them well and then went to the hill. Chad gave an overview of the events that took place here and 4 of our team gave a reading. Below is what I read. It was a memorial for a young West Australian.

Tuesday. Started out at 6 am arrived in our camp at 5pm.  Today we walked to the Kokoda Gap then we climbed to the highest point on the track, Mt Bellamy at 2250 meters. Then down to 1900 Creek for morning tea and on to the Moss Forest past Kagi junction.

Monday. 1 of the guys had a really bad night and after due consideration of his condition and the fact that he could be heli-vacted out today but could not after that for about 2 days. The medical team and Chad made the decision to evacuate him. He was very upset about that but he knew he could not start walking today. 

Sunday. Our normal routine would be that we would get up everyday at 5am, pack up, have breakfast and head off by 6am. Today we got up at 5am had breakfast then Chad and Matt gave a brief history  about the first attack on Kokoda by the Japanese forces on the 28-29th July 1942. We let the first team head off at 6am. At around 7am we set off. 

  
Saturday. Got up at 2.50am had a quick shower then down to the foyer. We stowed our cases and put our Passports in a security box. Had a coffee and left at 3.30am on the bus to the airport. Our flight was due to leave at 6.30am, it left at 7.50am. The problem was that about a dozen could not get on the flight. Initially they were told it would be tomorrow before they could get a flight. Luckily and due to a lot of pushing the issue they did manage to get them on a flight at 12 noon approximately. 

  
Brisbane airport at 7.30am getting ready to book in. Most of the group have been training together for weeks. For the rest of us this is the first time we met. 

After arriving in Port Moresby we booked in at the Crown Plaza for the night. We then had a trip briefing and repacked our rucksacks. Dinner and then to bed early as we have to meet up in the foyer at 3.15am.