Milton finds relief in conquering Kokoda Track

Source: GEEJAY MILLI

CONQUERING the Kokoda Track in five days was quite a relief and achievement for paralympian Michael Milton who had embarked on the feat a week ago.

Milton had come on an earlier trip where he had walked the track in eight days, this time the feat included the coast-to-coast cycling from Buna to Kokoda in the Oro province and the 96km track to Owers’ Corner.

He then continued with the final leg of cycling from Owers’ Corner to the yacht club in Port Moresby.  “It was really tough, I’m feeling really tired but it feels good,” Milton said.

“The track was a wonderful experience starting from the north coast, it was an amazing feat for five days,” he added, whilst passing through the Sogeri turn off.

Losing his left leg at the age of nine did not stop Milton from reaching out for his dreams, which he has done for the last 30 years.

Milton has competed in four winter Paralympics and the Beijing summer Paralympics where he won gold as a cyclist.

Accompanying him where two of Milton’s friends and tour company, Kokoda Spirit, owner Wayne Wetherall, they were later joined by Wetherall’s 15-year-old son Blake for the cycle from Owers’ Corner to Port Moresby; Blake has walked the track seven times.

The coast-to-coast mountain biking is the new part of the Kokoda experience that was included in the package, with the first expedition in 2006.

“To expand tourism, we must make people realise that it is not only the Kokoda section that consists of the track, but the coast as well,” Wetherall said.

However, Wetherall was disappointed with the work of conservation that took place along the Efogi section of the track, “the building of wooden staircases and supports are taking the look away from the track, this is not an Australian track, tourists come here for the PNG experience, the track must be maintained in its original state,” he said.

Bikes and boots in coast to coast PNG challenge
By News Online's Brigid Andersen

Snake bites, landslides and breaking bones in muddy, mountainous terrain are just a few hazards along the way when trekking from Papua New Guinea's north to south coast.

Now throw into the mix some cycling, the Kokoda trail, an eight day deadline and doing it all on one leg.

Paralympian Michael Milton, who lost his left leg to cancer when he was nine years old, heads to PNG tomorrow to begin the journey along with an Australian and PNG guides.

"We'll be starting up on the north coast at Buna where the Japanese fleet landed during World War II," he told ABC News Online.

"We're going to be mountain biking to Kokoda, the village, which I believe is about 120 odd kilometres. It's going to take us about two days.

"Then we swap the wheels for the boots, walk the Kokoda trail in five days and then back on the bikes for the last day which will be from Ower's Corner at the south end of the track down to Port Moresby."

Because Milton will be making the 291-kilometre trek on one leg, he has had to make some minor modifications - firstly to his bike.

"I took the left peddle off. [Otherwise] it's just a normal mountain bike I bought in the shop," he said.

"I've got my crutches set up so the base of them is a little bit like a ski pole, with the pole actually sinking down into the mud to prevent any sliding and then a basket to stop the crutches sinking too deeply into the mud."

Despite this, Milton is not worried about being left behind on the trip.

"If I get good grip I'm generally maybe 10 per cent slower on the uphills, but probably more than that faster on the down hills because walking with crutches and pivoting at the shoulder means that you have an extremely long stride," he said.

More adventure

Milton is no stranger to adventure; he has won 11 Paralympic medals, including six gold. He has competed in snow skiing - for which he holds the Australian open speed skiing record - and cycling.

He has hiked Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak, and has cycled from Sydney to Brisbane.

But he says Kokoda, which he has trekked before, is a trip that cannot be undertaken lightly and proper preparation and packing is essential.

"Your first aid supplies are going to be a pretty comprehensive pack of stuff that's going to cover acute injuries, cuts, lacerations, snakebites, stuff like that," he said.

"Secondly, if there's some more serious stuff going on then some pain control medication and things like that [are essential and working] with a reputable company.

"I guess in the end the most important safety tool you've got is a satellite phone, because if things do go awry you want to be able to call for help."

Milton says his already rigorous training regime has been stepped up in the lead-up to the coast to coast trip.

"I'm generally pretty physically active just because it's a part of my lifestyle after being a professional athlete for so long," he said.

Another challenge on the trip for Milton will be taking the right food to sustain him. He was diagnosed with Oesophageal cancer in 2007, which has left him with just a third of his stomach.

Despite this, he is looking forward to mixing his assortment of grains from South America with some local cuisine - and a few pancakes which he says the local guides like to cook up for breakfast.

Milton says meeting and working with the PNG locals is just as important as the physical element of the journey.

"It has many elements to it. I've spoken a bit about the physical challenge and the physical element to it. But there's an emotional element to it there as well," he said.

"Learning about the history of the campaign that Australia ran during the Second World War against the Japanese.

"To me one of the highlights of my last trip was getting to know the local guys, the guys your working with, who are trekking with you and coming along, the guys who have an amazing history and very different culture."

Big fear

He says the recent Australian deaths on the Kokoda show how tough the trek can be and highlight how important preparation is.

"My biggest fear is at this stage is not completing my goal. We've got a pretty tough program," he said.

"It's going to be an intense nine days of physical activity and my biggest worry at the moment is that the training that I have done is not enough."

Milton, who is married with two children aged three and 10 months, says he has put his wife through some worrying sporting moments in the past.

"My wife understands that doing this thing is a part of me and a part of who I am and a part of what I love doing," he said.

"I'm sure if you ask her when she was most worried - that's probably standing at the bottom of a mountain in France watching me trying to ski it at over 200 kilometres per hour.

But he says despite the risks, the reward of a cold beer and warm bed makes it worthwhile.

"I believe there are inherent risks in what I do but I believe the greater risk is not doing them, not following who you are, not doing what you love to do," he said.

"Kokoda is a fantastically rewarding place to go. There's no doubt it's hard, there's no doubt it's a challenge, but the feeling when you get to the end of it, you're back at the hotel, you've got a bed to sleep in instead of a tent, a beautiful pool to swim in and stay cool, a beer in your hand.

"It's an amazing feeling to get to the end and that's an experience for me is a part of it."

WALKING Kokoda isn't challenging enough?

Australia's fastest skier and legendary Paralympian, Michael Milton, has just returned from Papua New Guinea where he mountain-biked and walked from the north to the south coast, a distance of 293km, in just eight days.

The Kokoda Spirit Coast to Coast adventure included three days on a mountain bike and five days walking the Kokoda Trail, a trek that Milton has done before.

He and friend Wayne Wetherill from trekking company Kokoda Spirit and two others started their journey at Buna Village on the beach, near Poppandetta on the north coast of PNG. From there they travelled for 120km and two days on mountain bikes, crossing 23 creeks and rivers.

"The terrain was fairly flat but the surfaces we were riding on changed all the time - from pot-holed bitumen to boggy sand in a matter of minutes. It was hard and hot riding but frequent rests made it a lot easier.

"Many of the bridges along the route were washed away during the cyclone in 2007 so we did a lot of swimming but we weren't complaining. It was such a refreshing break from riding," said Milton from his home in Canberra where he is recovering.

Arriving at Kokoda Village early in the afternoon on day two, the team wasted no time starting the walk and took just five days to reach the southern end of the Trail at Owers Corner.

"The first time I did Kokoda in 2006 it took eight days. This time we did it in five so it was really hard and also much wetter. The humidity and the rain really takes its toll on my hands and walking with crutches in mud when you're sinking and slipping all the time makes it that much harder.

"At camp the night before we were due to get back on the bikes for the two-day ride to Port Moresby, my right hand was so sore and weak I wondered how I would change gears," explained Milton.

He did manage to get back on the bike to ride the 80km into Port Moresby, complete with police escort.

"I'm not really sure what the police escort was for but it made us feel like rock stars. When we arrived at the yacht club, we rode straight into the sea. It was a great feeling and an enormous relief when it was over and we could finally have a shower and sleep in a real bed," said Milton.

He hasn't come home unscathed though and is still waiting for some nerve damage in his hand to heel. It's a serious injury for a man who walks on crutches. Was it really worth it?

"Absolutely. I had a great time. I love to test my body, probably even moreso since my cancer diagnosis and surgery two years ago. Life is short and I'd much rather die riding my bike or walking Kokoda than sitting in front of the television."