Thank you Kokoda Historical,

After walking the Kokoda track in August 2012 with Kokoda Historical, my partner Mick (whom I met on the Kokoda Track) and myself decided to take on Shaggy Ridge in the remote Finisterre Ranges located in the NE of PNG.

After arriving at Onge village in the Ramu valley we sorted and packed all our supplies and headed off to our first camp at Aginau village at the foot of a very impressive Shaggy Ridge. Following a constant ascent up this monster the next day we settled into our camp literally in the clouds, surrounded by this inspiring background of beauty and night set in within no time.

A tropical thunder and lightning storm pushed us to early retirement ahead of another steamy night, right on the spectacular southern peak of Shaggy Ridge.

I honestly cannot explain just how rugged and remote this trek is and definitely not for the faint hearted however it’s absolutely stunning scenery along with the rich historical significance of what happened there during the war and the sacrifices our troops made constantly playing on our minds as we walked made it something we will never forget.

Familiar night sounds of the jungle came rushing back from our Kokoda trip some being new but never once intimidating, actually very intriguing. Our morning camp site was shrouded in mist and excitement as wafts of smoke from the boys fire swirled around between the jovial routine of packing up.

We encountered an extremely windy morning for our 6.5 kilometre walk along the razorback foot wide grassy slopes of Shaggy Ridge to start our 97 km adventure and set off into the unknown. There is a sheer drop to the valley floor below that is just too long and steep for words, making village huts below us look miniscule.

There are ample war relics lying around from live mortars, mortar carriers, grenades, helmets, Japanese mountain guns and ammunition to the rubber soles off Japanese boots along with numerous weapons pits and what we believe to be the barbed wire fence that was surrounding the Japanese held position on McCaugheys’s Knoll.

As no trekking company has trekked from the starting point at Onge village across Shaggy Ridge and through the Mindjim valley gorge to Bogadjim (which is approximately an hour’s drive by vehicle to Madang) for many years the track was completely over grown in places and therefore had to be recut as we walked.

Our wonderful group of local boys worked amazingly hard every day to ensure our safety and that we had a fantastic time. Most nights they set up our camp in the rain and magically started a comforting fire from wet timber.

The soothing sounds of them all laughing and joking under cover around the camp fire was beautiful. Occasionally we would be blessed with some sweet singing and frog mimicking as well.

As daylight broke, winding our way through this spectacular countryside we could hear the raging Mindjim river in the distance. Arriving at this awesome riverside our boys carefully observed its dangerous movements for there is always the possibility of flash flooding through this gorge along with landslides. We will never forget the power and force of such a river.

For the remainder of that day and the following days we crossed its depths numerous times each time with careful consideration from the boys - hand in hand to the safety of the banks opposite and then brace yourself for the next one. At times all our gear had to be carried over separately as the current was far too strong to carry it with us. These crossings created a lot of antics and laughs for the boys and us too.

After countless hours of beautiful waterfalls and sightings of the large elusive prehistoric looking Hornbill (Native Bird), tropical flowers, butterflies and walking through two abandoned villages (Paipa and Saipa) where if the local people had been present the young children would never have sighted white people, we were looking forward to our first bath (waswas) in 4 days.

A suitable camp site was selected then briskly cleared with bush knives and tents erected again in the pouring rain. As we headed off down the freshly cut track which had also been prepared for us to the most spectacular little pristine stream you’ve ever seen.

Just knowing that we were in the middle of nowhere far from civilisation was amazing - something you wished would last a life time. Fading light pushed us back to camp where we ate our dinner around the fire and enjoyed a delicious pineapple from the Lae markets carried by the boys. Now this was a treat!

Arriving in the large hospitable village of Mabluk we were met by a wave of smiles and handshakes. For the next few hours we entertained a lot of children who watched us in awe with little shy giggles while we unpacked. Their antics while watching us brushing our hair was a highlight and also our white feet that had been submerged in water all day from river crossings had them fascinated!!!

We had a guided tour of this traditional village closely followed by our giggling friends including the aromatic Coco bean house and just village life in general which was very memorable. As our adventure slowly came to an end with our last day of walking and one last welcoming village that invited us with open arms there were many mixed feelings.

The boys had done an unbelievable job and there is no way we could have completed this journey without them or our very knowledgeable guide Reg Yates from Kokoda Historical.

We are aware that very few people get the chance to walk this whole route therefore Mick and myself would like to thank Kokoda Historical for the privilege to do so in this unique paradise.

Numerous photos and words will never do this wonderful place justice. You really need to see it to appreciate its true beauty.

Thanks

Mel and Mick

Kokoda 2012 / Shaggy Ridge 2013