David Crow

I’m sure we are all the same…our preparation for Kokoda generally focuses on getting ourselves fit enough for what lays ahead…the Kokoda Track. Getaway really helped us prepare and the regular “walks” in the Dandenongs were a great way to get fit but also invaluable to gather information from others who have done the Track. However when I look back after having completed the track, it’s not the track I particularly remember, except of course for actually completing it. What I think about most are all the extras that we experienced….the things that Getaway “under promise and over deliver” on. Instead of the Track being the goal, it finished up being the vehicle for some fantastic experiences. Yes we were lucky…we had 15 people who all got along well together, we were all of equal fitness and we only had one afternoon of rain (it was good to experience some rain) so the Gods smiled on us. Today, as I think of the experience, I remember the expertise of our leaders, their focus on safety and health, the regular stirring of emotions as we learnt about the diggers and tried to understand what they went through, the very emotional services at Isurava and Brigade Hill (yes there were lots of tears all around), the relationships we formed with our personal carriers, the visits to the Northern Beaches and the wonderful people we met, playing games with the village kids, the Orphanage we stayed at in Nauro, the carriers lining up and high 5’ing us as we arrived pretty weary at camp each night and of course climbing those damn mountains while listening to the great singing voices of our carriers. The list goes on. We passed many other trekking groups along the track…we may have been biased, but we all felt ours appeared to be the best organised and happiest group we saw. Kokoda was a great life experience for me….I’m really pleased I chose to do it with Getaway… they provided me with an experience that exceeded my expectation.