After a long flight with a double ‘red-eye’ from Switzerland, I touched down in Papua New Guinea. I’m on assignment for the next three weeks with the Papua New Guinea Tourism Authority to promote adventure travel to the country. Josh was on board with me and flew in from Australia on the same day. With one night of rest at a hotel in Port Moresby, we packed up our gear and headed off on an 8-day trek along the Kokoda Track.
The arduous hike takes trekkers through the jungle, staying in remote villages along the way. No electricity, no cell connection and lots of good vibes were in store for us.
I’m currently still exploring Papua New Guinea and will write a huge blog post about my experience on the Kokoda Track and everything you need to know about organizing a similar experience for yourself. For now, I’ll share with you some of my favorite photos from the trek and also a few notes I wrote down throughout the trek that will give you some insight into our experience. These are just small moments or thoughts I had throughout the 8-days that I thought would go well with this photo-set to give you a small taste of the Kokoda Track before the in-depth blog post comes a little later.
Most of the moments I mention below aren’t paired with the exact moment in the photograph but I tried to pair them with similar moments to help represent the thought.
THOUGHTS FROM ALONG THE TRACK
The kind of guides who carry two guitars along 100km of slippery jungle trails.
Torrential rain falling outside just a few feet away while sleeping in an open-air hut
History that makes you wonder what could have been if things had ended a different way.
The kind of guides who give out biscuits from their 80L packs to locals along the trail.
Campfire songs that have been passed down for generations.
The kind of guide to give me his shoelace when mine broke.
Those moments where you see someone smiling and you can only see the good in them because that’s all there is.
The kind of rain that weighs you down but has you feeling as free as ever.
Torrential downpours in T-shirt’s, muddy shoes and smiles.
River crossing after 20-minutes on the first day in our shoes and water up to the hips.
A rainbow to finish the first day, very wet day on the track.
Our guides playing the guitar during a steep 1000m climb on slippery clay while we battle our way up with trekking poles.
The kind of guides that get greeted by everyone on the trail.
The pure joy of achieving 100% of your clothes supply in dry-state.
The first step of the day is into a wet, soggy boot, there are 19,000 steps to go until it’s coming off.
The trail that doesn’t have a single 100m stretch of flat walking.
A huge appreciation for the sacrifice of those before us in dire conditions on the trail we enjoy today.
Isurava memorial had me inspired, sad and proud all at once.
A freezing cold bath in the river that lasts the minimum possible time it can take.
Popcorn delivery on a rainy afternoon post-hike on day 5.
A nice unexpected waterfall requires a cannonball on day six
Warm feet by the fire with a coffee under the tent as it storms on the outside
After 10 hours of hiking, we make it into camp 30 seconds before the storm hits
