In addition to your Trek Leader (from Australia), our Head Guide and Trekking Crew are an essential part of every Team trekking the Kokoda Track. All your Trek Crew will come from the villages along the Kokoda Track. You will on occassions meet their families (wife, brother, sister etc), as you pass through or stop in their home villages during the trek. They are the direct family of the original Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels.
Administration
Back Track operate their Kokoda operations from both Brisbane and Port Moresby, PNG. In the office in Brisbane are Ray Baker, Jim Drapes (top left and right) and Peter Jeffery (bottom left). Ray and, Jim both lead teams across the Kokoda Track and Peter successfully completed the Track in 2010. Nick Huleva (bottom right) is our Operations Manager in PNG....
Head Guides
Each Team is guided over the Kokoda Track by a local Head Guide and Management Team. The Head Guide’s expertise and experience and leadership qualities has earned him the role as Head Guide. With assistance from his Management Team of Cook and Leadman, he supervises and is responsible for all the Trekking Crew and Trekkers Personal Porters. He appoints the various crew members to the daily roles such as, lunch site set up team and evening camp set up team. He will also oversea the crew attending to all meal preparation and acts as the liason between the Trekking Crew and the Trek Leader.
Your Trekking Crew
There is a ratio of 1:1 trekking crew to trekkers and trek leader.
The Trekking Crew carry food, mess equipment, tents and other camping equipment. They also watch out for all trekkers during the course of the days walk. During each days walk, they will assist at river and creek crossings and especially on difficult sections of trail and generally look after the welfare of all trekkers at all times.
Trekkers Personal Porters
For an additional fee, you can obtain the services of a Personal Porter who will carry all your gear on the Track. We strongly recommend this service if you are unsure of your ability to carry a heavy 15 kg pack over steep and treacherous terrain in uncertain weather conditions. By hiring a Personal Porter you provide good paying work to a grateful villager and you will only have to carry a small day pack with your water and daily needs. Your day pack will only weigh 5kgs. Your Personal Porter will walk with you and assist if required.
Important note: If you hire a Personal Porter you still must train as intensively as if you were carrying all your own gear. The fitter you are the more you will enjoy the experience. Even with a Personal Porter the trek is physically and mentally challenging.
Two trekkers who are travelling and booking together may hire a Personal Porter between them and in this way lessen their load and share the cost. Not recommended in all cases. It is usually best that you have your own porter.
Pack for Personal Porter: For trekkers requesting a Personal Porter, an 80 litre on loan pack is provided as part of the Porter cost. Your pack will be available in Port Moresby the day before you commence the trek.
Remember, this is a holiday as well as a physical and mental challenge. Putting too much pressure on yourself by attempting to carry a heavy pack without pack carrying fitness or experience may seriously detract from your enjoyment.
Interaction with your Trek Crew
You will be introduced to your Trek Crew and your Personal Porter, if you have requested one, on the first day before you start walking. The introduction ceremony is simple. We all line up, trekkers and trek crew in two facing lines. You then pass along the line and shake everyones hand in turn This is a very polite ceremony which usually erupts into much laughter and noise as we all struggle with pronouncing each others names. Needless to say, it will be impossible to remember every name. The ceremony ‘breaks the ice’ and starts the process of cementing the trek party into one Team. Your trek crew may speak a little or a lot of English, however, they will understand English very well. They are not necessarily shy, however, they usually look to the trekkers to start the conversations especially on the first day or two.
Our practice of having 2 trekkers on a rotation basis assist at meal preparation time also helps build a bond with the trek crew. Though there is usually very little for us to do at meal time, the fact that we make the effort and are there and available to assist affords you an excellent opportunity to talk with the crew and learn a little more about them.
You will soon learn that your trek crew love their job and they especially like walking with Teams who are prepared to mix freely and speak with them.
Much of the ejoyment of walking the Track is derived by good interaction with your trek crew. Back Track Trek Leaders always foster and encourage good relations between trekkers and crew. Your Trek Crew are wonderful people.
