Loredana Citraro is a Kokoda Track veteran. The 39-year-old has made the 96 kilometre trek three times since 2009 and will do it twice in 2015 in June and September as expedition leader.
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Ninety-six kilometres in nine days doesn’t seem such a big ask, but as someone who knows what to expect, Loredana says the biggest mistake trekkers make is to underestimate the amount of training and level of fitness required. Those who think their normal fitness routine will be sufficient to tackle Kokoda will find things tough she says.
“When training you need to do lots of mountain hiking to get used to the altitude and to help with foot placement as there are a lots of tree roots and muddy conditions and if you don’t have the experience it can get very tricky for some trekkers.”
With peaks along the way reaching up to 2,000 feet above sea level, the need for hill fitness should be a no-brainer, but even with all her training Loredana was still caught out by the steep mountains her first time.
“The first time I did the trek the steep hills and mountains were a real surprise as you just don’t realise until you get there how hard they are,” she said.
“It’s so steep and goes forever. You need the mental capacity and strength in self to keep going, to just keep putting one foot in front of the other.”
- Loredana Citraro
Loredana’s fitness was average to good when she decided to do Kokoda but she still upped her training by trekking every weekend in the hills behind Carins.
“I added a shorter hike mid-week as well as continuing with the usual jogging, walking and weights I had been doing.”
Kokoda’s challenging terrain includes excruciatingly steep ridges that often approach a perpendicular where hands must assist feet to climb. These ridges plunge into even deeper valleys as you make your way on the narrow, rocky, often muddy, track that must be handled with great care.
Loredana cites the section of the track called The Wall as one of the most difficult to negotiate.
“It’s so steep and goes forever. You need the mental capacity and strength in yourself to keep going, to just keep putting one foot in front of the other.”
While the mountainous countryside poses one challenge there are many others. Imagine if you will, in many places along the track, a sheer drop on both or either side and river and stream crossings set to test your balance with slippery, high suspension log bridges over fast flowing water.
Add a less than hospitable climate of often searing day time heat, 100 per cent humidity and plummeting temperatures at night. Along with sweat, regular tropical downpours will ensure you’re wet, or at the very least damp, most of the time.
At the higher peaks cloud may descend to envelope walkers in a thick mist so watch that next step. The narrow track is largely covered by a canopy of dense rainforest dripping with moss and leeches and your small, but constant companions will be thousands of mosquitoes.
Loredana says a sobering reminder of the difficulty of the trek are the many plaques for the fallen along the way - trekkers that is not diggers.
In her experience while some trekkers have succumbed to heart attack, heatstroke presents an even greater health hazard.
“We get a lot of people from Victoria and NSW on the tours and they just aren’t used to the humidity. You sweat a lot and must drink lots of water, but not too much as this can cause problems too.”
She estimates she goes through about four litres of water a day on the track.
“Many times it brings out the best in people and you get a real sense of what people are capable of."
- Loredana
Walking usually begins at 6am and continues all day to 5pm. While guides don’t see the trek as a race Loredana says it is important to be able to keep up and cover the distance required to get to the next camp before it gets dark.
“After dark it can get dangerous with tree roots, rain and mud. It gets dark quite quickly and you can fall and slide while some parts of the track are very narrow and you can roll down either side and it’s hard to get back up.”
Papua New Guinean Porters give enormous support and help to members of the group. Each hiker can hire their own personal porter who will carry their camping pack, weighing up to 20kg, while they carry their own 16kg food pack.
“The porters are amazing and you really get a sense of what the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels were like for the soldiers," Loredana says.
Porters seem to appear to help their person when they are in any sort of difficulty she said. On a recent trek a woman in her 60s had a fear of falling, especially during river crossings so her porter was there for her the entire time. He went first on river crossings, held her hand and got her through every challenge.
Porters look out for the trekkers by finding walking sticks to aid them through treacherous conditions.Throughout the journey porters turn the sticks into works of art with carvings.Trekkers can purchase their stick as a memento for 50 kina or $25 Australian at the end.
Loredana has established a strong, caring relationship with porters her company uses. Part of the journey takes the group through the village of Nauro which many of the porters are from and trekkers are able to see them at home.
All villages along the track are very welcoming to trekkers offering local craft, such as the traditional bags (billum) and food for sale.
First world problems and life dramas seem to vanish as trekkers experience first hand happy villagers living in wood huts without power, electricity or running water. For Loredana this is one of the best aspects of the journey and one of many things that keeps bringing her back.
Another huge drawcard for the Kokoda trekker is the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of Australian diggers and to get an understanding of what they endured. As leader, Loredana recounts the history of the track and the war experience of Australians along the way.
The story of Private Bruce Kingsbury is one of the best known. Kingsbury earned a Victoria Cross for an act of valour when he rushed forward, firing a Bren gun from his hip through chaotic Japanese machine-gun fire, and succeeded in clearing a path through the enemy.
Kingsbury died as a result of a snipers bullet shortly after and the official memorial for Australian soldiers at Isurava is adjacent to the site.
The memorial, towards the end of the journey, is one of the highlights of the trek. It features four Australian black granite pillars, each inscribed with a single word - 'courage', 'endurance', 'mateship', 'sacrifice' - representing the values and qualities of those Australian soldiers who fought along the Kokoda Track.
As with the Australian soldiers Loredana finds these qualities coming to the fore in people who take on the challenge of the trek.
“People surprise me on the track. On a recent trip one of the trekkers was really struggling - it was too much for him. He got diarrhea and was not eating and was getting weaker. As a result one of the other trekkers decided to carry his pack for him.”
This man went on to complete the trek with the help he received.
“Many times it brings out the best in people and you get a real sense of what people are capable of,” Loredana says.
Top tips to get you there and back:
1. Start your preparation at least three months before your trip. Trek up steep hills and mountainous terrain to increase you cardio fitness.
2. Take two sets of clothing, one for the day time wear and one to change into at night which you can also wear on the plane out.
3. Do hire a local porter who will provide you with physical and mental support.
4. Go with a group that suits your fitness level so that you can all keep a similar pace. If you are an older trekker, groups of people 60 or 70-years-of-age are available.
5. Make sure you remain hydrated by drinking up to five litres of water a day.
6. Use insect repellent, anti-malaria tablets or both. Vitamin B is also known to ward off mosquitoes.
Loredana Citraro is a guide with Merv Hains’ company, Kokoda Track Experience. She will lead her next expedition in 2015. Click here for more information