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Dear Wayne,
Thank you for the email
I had just sat myself down at the computer to send you an email as your email arrived!
What a fabulous experience I had on the walk.
The Trail was a huge challenge for me and I really questioned my ability to complete the walk from Day 1.I wanted to write to your company to acknowledge the wonderful staff of our PNG led crew who were wholly responsible for getting me to Kokoda and day 8!
Ruben, John, Max and Mr Bug…. what amazing people you have working for you.
The professionalism, care and compassion of these men, and the entire crew of porters, was exceptional.I was ready to be Helicoptered out by the end of day 2! however John, the calm presence, kept me going and got my mind into the right state where I started to believe I could make it to the end.
It was slow going for me because I found the “Downs” very hard. Confidence was in hindsight probably my biggest barrier ( what I thought I couldn’t do and what I actually could do) John and Ruben never rushed me or made
me feel I was slow, even though I was a good hour to hour and a half behind my little group coming into camp. The concept of “Julie time” became ours, and when the terrain got particularly bad the other guys would appear from
nowhere and get me through. As John predicted by day 4 I found my Trekkers feet and settled into a wonderful experience of the Trail, the villages and the beautiful people, the awesome vistas as we topped an ascent.
I thoroughly enjoyed the PNG peoples view of history of the trail, as I have read extensively about the Kokoda campaign before taking the trek and continue to read more now I am home ( currently reading The Bone Man of Kokoda about
Kokichi Nishimura ) and feel It offered a balanced experience from all sides of the conflict. The respect of the trail is evident in all the porters and villagers and the privilege of walking the trail was deeply moving.
The sense of achievement on day 8 coming into Kokoda was an awesome feeling.So I guess I wanted to write to you, so you could pass on my thanks to the crew:
for getting me there! for looking after us so beautifully! and for taking such pride in their work!My Husband and I will be recommending Kokoda Spirit to everyone and anyone, and who knows we may get back and do it again…..mmm maybe not this year tho ha ha.