DAY 2 TREKKING: KOKODA TO ALOLA

Tuesday 21 April

The crew were up early and gathered under the Kokoda arches for a group photo before heading off into the PNG jungle. They trekked out of Kokoda past the village Kovelo, Hoi before they tackled the first ascent of the trek, the “Deniki” hill, and this was a tough one, which left a few second guessing themselves! They had a brief break there and then trekked out of Deniki, through the choko vines on their way to the village of Isurava and it was here that the 39th battalion were finally reinforced by the 21st brigade. They played with kids & gave out some presents before a briefing on the history of the campaign here and then continued trekking onto Isurava Battle site where they held a moving service at the four pillars. (Courage, Endurance, Mateship & Sacrifice) Here they paid their respects to our returned and fallen soldiers, and listened to some podcasts from soldiers of the campaign who made the incredible and ultimate sacrifice, such men as Corporal John Metson, Charlie McCallum, Lindsay Bear, Bruce Kingsbury and more…

The track was fairly dry and the weather was good for most of day however, a few trees over the track slowed the group. The clouds are starting to roll in so, they decided to pull up camp early and stay at the memorial for the night. Tomorrow will be big day as they add on an extra 90 minutes onto the journey.