Coast to Coast Michael Milton

PNG coast to coast trip
21/10/2009 10:56 PM
Trip report on the Coast to Coast Challenge PNG
Our schedule was always going to make this a tough trip for me but I am always up for a challenge. The plan was to ride from the north coast of PNG at Buna where the Japanese fleet landed, Ride to Kokoda, Walk the track and then get back on the bikes and ride down to Port Moresby. The bikes would be flown from Kokoda to Moresby and then driven up to Owers Corner for the end of the walk. We had 8 days for this schedule which meant that we had only 5 days to walk the Kokoda track. Most of the commercial trips do the walk in 8 or 9 days so we would be walking long hours and pushing the pace.
Day 1 - A magnificent sunrise over the ocean and a night in what is called a guest house saw the start of our trip. The guesthouse is a wooden frame with a thatched roof and some walls. This one had the end of it over the water and was an amazing place to stay. A real mattress and mosquito net meant that I had a good night's sleep. The ride was 80km and about half rough dirt and half potholed bitumen. It was hot and open but a swim in a creek every couple of hours felt good and cooled things down. The highlight of the day was crossing the kimuzi river where the bridge was washed out in a cyclone in 2007. We crossed with all our gear and bikes on tyre tubes with local guys swimming them across. A night in the village of Pisa and another swim and wash was the end of our day.
Day 2 - Early starts are always in order when sleeping in a tent. Pancakes for breakfast and we were off again. Some 25 river crossings for the day with about half of the bridges washed out meant we were in for some fun. A swim in Eora creek meant that we were now in water coming straight off the Owen Stanley ranges and we felt the difference in temperature. 40 km's on dirt and we were in Kokoda. On the way a long drop toilet that collapsed just as I was preparing to do my business was a lowlight for me. We also had a 2 hour stop in Oivi where we went looking for Sam Templeton's remains after some new information was uncovered during an interview in Japan. Lunch in Kokoda and we started the walk. I always knew this would be the hard part for me on crutches but hard is not a bad thing. 2 hours gently climbing and then 1.5 hours steep climbing and we were in camp at Deniki.
Day 3 - Porridge for breakfast by torchlight and we were off with a schedule to reach the village of Eora Creek. Mostly due to some gastro problems we made camp around 4pm in Alola. It was a tough day walking a long day while sick. Not too many highlights for me this day. We did however stop at Isurava where one of the key battles was fought in WWII. You can't help but feel solemn respect and thanks for our soldiers who helped make our country at a place like this. The motto of the track is on 4 large stone pillars at Isurava. Courage, Endurance, Mateship, Sacrifice.
Day 4 - We all woke up feeling better and made a plan to try and get over the top of the range at 2190m and down to camp at 1900. We were trying to travel light and didn't bring sleeping bags so sleeping higher meant that we might have a cold night but we couldn't do anything about that now. We saw a few other groups this day but didn't do more than say hi to them. We walked into camp right on dusk at around 6:15pm after walking for 12 hours with about 1 hour breaks all day. It was long and tiring and finishing for the day felt great. A very cold swim and wash by torchlight was another interesting experience as was sleeping in all my clothes including my rain jacket with hood up.
Day 5 - 1900 to Menari. Another long day with some stomach discomfort for me. Through the village of Efogi and up what I thought last time I walked the track was the toughest climb of the trip. The hills on the track are constant, they are hard and rough and relentless. They are not much easier down as it is slippery and steep. Chocolate donuts at lunch was a great surprise and went down well.
Day 6 - Menari to Iorbaiwa. I was really starting to fatigue and started to have some hand problems this day. Numbness in some parts and bruising in others made walking on them hard. We caught at group this day that had left 2 days before us so that was a boost to the ego. Spring rolls filled with 2 minute noodles and canned vegies actually taste good in this environment. This day also had the longest single hill on the track up the Maguli range. 2 hours constantly up hill rising over 500 vertical metres. They call it the 9 false peaks as there are 9 flats that all look like you are at the top. A huge thunderstorm at Ofi creek meant we only had a quick swim to minimise the risks of being washed away in a flood.
Day 7 - The last day walking. Doesn't it feel good to know that you are going to make it and the hardest part is over. The whole crew was betting on what time I would arrive at Owers corner with the spread of bets from 2:10 till around 3:30 in the afternoon. I wanted to beat the first bet so I tried to keep an even but fast pace for the day. In the first 2 hours we crossed over 20 creeks. Sandals were the order of the day. The final hurdle is a 45 minute climb up from Goldie river to the finish. Last time I was there Goldie was chest deep and murky brown and we crossed hooked onto a rope line. This time it was a beautiful creek about knee deep and clear. You can imagine this place would have been heaven to the diggers coming off the track. The salvo's were there and a nice wash. The atmosphere of this place was great and that combined with knowing you are nearly done made me a happy camper. 2:01 across the finish line and I won the bet too.
The walk wasn't the end of the day though as we got to the top, had some lunch, put the bikes together and got riding. It was nice to be back on the bike for me but some steep hills kept us working hard. Camp at 5 meant that we would have a short next day to the finish. Another thunder storm just after the tents were up gave us a nice sunset, the way the guys got the big tarp set up on poles in about 5 minutes was a very impressive bit of teamwork.
Day 8 - 15km on dirt road before another 45km of sealed road and a swim in the ocean. From the start of the bitumen we had a police escort. Lots of people beside the road supporting us lifted our spirits for the day. The road had some potholes to keep us awake but the trip had lots of fast descents and was lots of fun. A 1 hour stop to look around Bomana cemetery added a solemn touch but then it was off to the finish line. Some games were played on the bikes for KOM points but it was about the challenge and we all crossed the finish line together where some of the guys on borrowed bikes rolled into the sea while we dropped bikes on the bank and jumped in. Beers were had by many and it was then off for a nice shower and an afternoon eating as much as possible and lazing around the hotel pool.
All in all an awesome trip that I would highly recommend to anyone after a challenge. The trip was run by Kokoda Spirt (http://www.kokodaspirit.com/) They are keen to run it again so send Wayne an email if you are interested.

Visit http://www.kokodaspirit.com

Coast to Coast Challenge.

WALKING AND WHEELING KOKODA
WALKING Kokoda isn't challenging enough?
Australia's fastest skier and legendary Paralympian, Michael Milton, has just returned from Papua New Guinea where he mountain-biked and walked from the north to the south coast, a distance of 293km, in just eight days.
The Kokoda Spirit Coast to Coast adventure included three days on a mountain bike and five days walking the Kokoda Trail, a trek that Milton has done before.
He and friend Wayne Wetherill from trekking company Kokoda Spirit and two others started their journey at Buna Village on the beach, near Poppandetta on the north coast of PNG. From there they travelled for 120km and two days on mountain bikes, crossing 23 creeks and rivers.
"The terrain was fairly flat but the surfaces we were riding on changed all the time - from pot-holed bitumen to boggy sand in a matter of minutes. It was hard and hot riding but frequent rests made it a lot easier.
"Many of the bridges along the route were washed away during the cyclone in 2007 so we did a lot of swimming but we weren't complaining. It was such a refreshing break from riding," said Milton from his home in Canberra where he is recovering.
Arriving at Kokoda Village early in the afternoon on day two, the team wasted no time starting the walk and took just five days to reach the southern end of the Trail at Owers Corner.
"The first time I did Kokoda in 2006 it took eight days. This time we did it in five so it was really hard and also much wetter. The humidity and the rain really takes its toll on my hands and walking with crutches in mud when you're sinking and slipping all the time makes it that much harder.
"At camp the night before we were due to get back on the bikes for the two-day ride to Port Moresby, my right hand was so sore and weak I wondered how I would change gears," explained Milton.
He did manage to get back on the bike to ride the 80km into Port Moresby, complete with police escort.
"I'm not really sure what the police escort was for but it made us feel like rock stars. When we arrived at the yacht club, we rode straight into the sea. It was a great feeling and an enormous relief when it was over and we could finally have a shower and sleep in a real bed," said Milton.
He hasn't come home unscathed though and is still waiting for some nerve damage in his hand to heel. It's a serious injury for a man who walks on crutches. Was it really worth it?
"Absolutely. I had a great time. I love to test my body, probably even moreso since my cancer diagnosis and surgery two years ago. Life is short and I'd much rather die riding my bike or walking Kokoda than sitting in front of the television."
You can read about Michael's eight days in PNG in more detail by checking out his LATEST BLOG.
Photo: Michael leads the pack as they head away from Kokoda towards Port Moresby and the end of their journey from coast to coast.

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Kurt Fearnley Crawls Kokoda

Paralympian Champion Kurt Fearnley is to crawl the Kokoda Track with Kokoda Spirit Managing Director Wayne Wetherall and 14 of Kurt's family and friends.
Kurt has just returned this week from winning the New York Marathon. This win completes a perfect racing year for Kurt with wins in London, Perth, Sydney, Chicago and now New York.
Self-belief is what powers this Paralympian.
YOU'VE never known the simple joy of walking. You've never broken into a jog, jumped up and down or even stamped a foot in anger. You're attached to your legs, physically and emotionally, but as a working part of your body, they're redundant.
So, in your late 20s, what do you decide to do? Complete the Kokoda Track, all 96 slippery and steep kilometres of it. How? By crawling.
Meet Kurt Fearnley. Come November, over 12 days, this is what he will be doing. He may be wheelchair-bound, but to call him disabled would be a disservice to his character and strength of will. He has shown he is more than able to take whatever the world has thrown at him.
The Newcastle-based man is one of Australia's best athletes. In the past three Paralympics - in Sydney, Athens and Beijing - he and his racing wheelchair have won three gold medals and six silver and bronze. He has won gold at the world championships.
From 2001 to 2008, he raced in 32 marathons, winning 22 and finishing in a place on the other occasions, including three straight wins in the New York marathon. He has pushed his body to the finishing line in a chair with busted wheels and broken frames. His will to succeed is indomitable.
It has always been so. Growing up in the small town of Carcoar, NSW, west of Bathurst, no sport was beyond him, no obstacle too large, no goal too high. He played rugby league (last line of defence) and competed in the high jump. He believed in himself. This was nurtured by his family, who, from the day he was born with agenesis, believed in him. The agenesis meant his lower spine did not develop in the womb. He has feeling in his legs, but they cannot support him.
Fearnley is the youngest of five children. After his birth, parents Jackie and Glenn were told that he would not live a week. Perhaps, it was suggested, they should not even take him home from hospital. But, Fearnley said this week, "within the family, they said if I'm going to live a week, I'm going to live a week in the family. They took me home."
Twenty-eight years later, he can reflect that "family has been pretty much everything. They are the ones who made me what I am."
Carcoar now has a Kurt Fearnley Park. He is proud of the acknowledgement, linking as it does his roots with his achievements on the world stage. "My grandfather came over from the UK - just after World War I, after he lost his dad - directly to Carcoar to become a farmhand," he says.
"He met my grandmother there and they had 11 kids, and those 11 kids had an average of five or six kids.
"Now there's a little park in the centre of Carcoar called Kurt Fearnley Park. If I was to tell my grandfather when he came out here that in the middle of town a little patch of land would be named after his grandkid, I'm pretty sure he'd be pretty proud."
It was such strength of community that propelled Fearnley on his path. The town raised $10,000 in two weeks to buy his first wheelchair. He has never looked back, except to say thanks. "All of a sudden - it seems all of a sudden but it's 10 years' later - you're winning the Paralympics in Athens."
You are also planning to crawl 96 kilometres. After the stock response of "are you mad?" the athlete gives his reasons for tackling the Kokoda Track. They can be likened to two streams - one of knowing your nation's history and the other of knowing yourself and those around you - that flow into the one river of mateship.
Says Fearnley: "For me, a lot of my job is to race for Australia, but you need to pause and think what it is that makes us who we are. Australia has such a tie with Kokoda.
"The history of the guys who fought there has always intrigued me. It is also a chance for me and my family and friends (12 are travelling with him, and adventure company Kokoda Spirit is involved) to get together to experience something unique and challenging and positive. Kokoda is all about mateship and looking out for each other. Everyone says to me: 'You're mad, what are you thinking?"'
Fearnley puts it into perspective. During World War II, "people were crawling down there with legs missing, with limbs missing, with bullets shooting at them, with dysentery, with malaria, with an army on their heels - so whatever happens to us, no matter how tough we seem to be having it, people have had it far worse".
Fearnley is also tackling Kokoda to raise awareness about men's health issues, in particular depression. In this, the tie is much more personal.
"I lost a family member to depression," he says. "Blokes in the country find it hard to talk to other fellas. If you're in a position to turn to your friend, to turn to your brother, your cousin, you can ask for help. So much more can be accomplished - even the toughest of tasks. Even a guy in a wheelchair can feel confident enough to crawl the Kokoda Trail."
Confidence will, of course, only take you so far in a jungle. Fearnley is training for the physical challenges. "Ninety-six kilometres, that's the daunting thing," he says. "The rivers and the logs, they're just speed bumps. I'm going to rely on the people around me so that I can get that far. I have to trust in the people around me to make sure they can keep me going."
He will have special wrist braces, hand pads, knee pads and shin pads, and he is doing as much crawling now as he can. "I'm crawling through mud, I'm crawling up and down the steepest descents I can find - crawling between 10 and 20 kilometres a week - and then I'm doing as many stairs as I can do, between 50 and 100 flights of stairs a day.
"There's stairs just outside my house. I put the headphones in and I just go up and back, up and back, up and back. I can knock out 60 stairs in half an hour if I put my head down."
He has spoken to as many people as he can who have done the trek and the "one amazing thing is that every story is completely different". He expects the journey to change him. "It will be something that will alter the way you see things. It is about as far away from my comfort zone as I will ever have been."
The wheelchair has transported Fearnley into worlds he dared not dream about as a child. "It's the strangest thing, going from being a kid crawling around the hills of Carcoar to now, and I don't really know which country I'm going to be in week to week."
Syria, for instance. Fearnley is a board member of Australian Volunteers International, based in Melbourne. In February, he visited a refugee camp to speak about life with a disability. He spoke of his family and how important it was to encourage a child to believe.
"If they get their kids to feel confident, anything can happen, they can do absolutely anything on the planet and to see these mums' and dads' eyes open and then start crying, it was incredible."
It was the message his family told him when he was young. It's the message that powers his belief in himself and which he will take to Kokoda. You could call it an inspirational Australian crawl
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Kurt Fearnley Crawls Kokoda for Movember

NEWS FLASH
Paralympian Champion Kurt Fearnley to crawl across the Kokoda Track with Kokoda Spirit.
This trek will be shown on the Channel 7 Sunday Program on Sunday November 22, 2009
For regular updates click on http://www.kokodaspirit.com/blog.html or http://www.kokodaspirit.com/kokoda-forum.htm
You can also check out Kurt’s links on
http://kurtfearnley.beinvolved.com.au/
http://au.movember.com/news/view/id/85/category/national
Visit http://www.kokodaspirit.com