THERE is no point trying to sugar-coat something that can't be sweetened.The Kokoda Track, renowned in Australian military history, is an unforgiving and hostile place.The challenges it presents to those who trek it are as much mental as physical — and it is the mental that brings most people unstuck.Rising before dawn day after day for eight days, pulling on wet socks, muddy boots and a sweat-soaked and smelly t-shirt in preparation for what you know will be a knee-crunching, muscle-killing day of steep climbs and slippery descents plays with the mind. The humidity is relentless, the rain torrential. Even on a dry day, the sweat soaks you through. And nothing dries in the humidity. Even so, some 3000 Australians a year trek Kokoda and almost all are changed by the experience.Mick O'Malley, founder of Geelong-based Australian Kokoda Tours and a veteran of 15 treks himself, says the reasons are varied."For many, it's the physical challenge, for others, it's a pilgrimage in honour of a family member who served during the war."Invariably, he said, trekkers come to know it for its emotional impact."That takes about 95 per cent of people off guard," he said. "We've had blokes who are six-foot-six and 100kg of muscle, but they've struggled mentally and emotionally. It's as mentally demanding as it is physically."Yet despite the hardships, trekking Kokoda is one of the most rewarding experiences a person can undertake.O'Malley recently led a group of 26 trekkers as part of the North Ballarat Roosters Kokoda Challenge, the second the club has undertaken.The photo galleryThe group included club CEO Mark Patterson, City of Ballarat CEO Anthony Schinck along with accountants, financial planners, a consultant, supermarket proprietors, an ex-AFL footballer, an Australian Navy officer, a nurse, a police officer and others — 25 men and one woman (yours truly).Ten days (eight on the track), no phones, no email, no niceties. How would we cope? Actually, very well. The levels of fitness varied, but the determination and motivation was on par. We were there for ourselves, but also for each other. The lack of modern technology allowed us to focus 100 per cent on the task at hand — and on each other. We would get each other through. And we did — through support, encouragement and a whole lot of laughs. Nearly everyone had at least one bad day, and on that day, you knew you could count on others to get you through.In camp at night, it was time to debrief, to share the tough bits and laugh at ourselves. A fine system was put in place early, where the smallest and silliest of deeds could earn a five kina ($2.50) fine, all profit for our indigenous guides. Five kina for a fall (plenty of those), five kina for making it across a ranging torrent of a fiver, but for falling into a trickle of a creek. Five for ? (ASIDE: I must say, as the lone female, I'd got some funny looks at home when I told of my upcoming all-male expedition. But I give credit to my travelling companions who afforded me first-shower/toilet privilege each night and who never once let me feel alone or excluded. Were they the perfect gentlemen? Far from it. But that made it all the more fun and their wives, girlfriends and mothers at home can be very proud of how they conducted themselves.) The group members agree that it was the mental, moreso than the physical, that tested their mettle.Almost every step on the track requires concentration. Lose focus, even for a second, and you risk falling — on your backside if you're lucky, down a steep ravine if you're not. If that happens, the only way out is via helicopter.Concentrate for that amount of time and you very quickly become mentally fatigued. Add into the mix the conditions the day-to-day slog and the emotions run raw.There is no easy day on the track. First-time trekkers wait in vain for the "slow day" - the day when the path will be comparatively flat and dry, when a cool breaze will bring some relief, when it's only four hours of trekking, not seven or eight or nine. That day doesn't come.There are parts of the track that are no wider than the pack on your back. Look up and you can't see the sky for the mountains that rise before you. Look down and all you can see is lush jungle foliage slipping away at a reflex angle that would make a maths teacher proud. This is not a place for vertigo to set in.What's worse, the up or the down? Both are bad. Climb up for two-hours straight, with your lungs sucking deeply for every breath and your heart pounding in your chest and your body cries out for a downward stretch. Negotiate the slippery downward slopes for an hour and your knees and feet start screaming for the respite of a hill.The saving grace through all this were our team of "Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels". Nicknamed by the Australians during World War II, the indigenous PNGs were a godsend during the war and are still so for those who trek.These men, women and boys scoot up and down the track with apparent ease. Some wear shoes left behind by trekkers, some are barefoot. One wears but a single thong ("why throw out a perfectly good thong just because its partner is broken?"). Ereul "Mudman" Senisi, our head porter, can do the 96-km track in less than 24 hours. That's not a boast. It's just a fact of life. Lizzie, his wife, has done the track 27 times. Again, not a boast. Just their life. Porter Pete's fuzzy, once-black hair has turned grey. He's the oldest porter and has lost count of how many times he's walked the track.Young Simeon, aged nine, joins us half-way along the track in bare feet. He's travelling from Kagi village where he was visiting his grandparents to his home in Port Moresby. We nickname him the apprentice and he laughs his way along as if he's done it a dozen times. Most likely, he has.We learn the signs quickly — when the porters rush past you, you know there's a tricky bit ahead. And there they are, offering a hand, pointing to a stable spot on the ground, or grabbing a pack so you don't lose balance as you cross a fast-flowing river.Quick as flash if you lose your footing, one of them has grabbed your pack and stopped you falling in the mud or down a slippery slope. Angels indeed.A highlight for many was meeting Mr Ndiki, one of the last surviving Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels from 1942. It's not known for sure, but Mr Ndiki is said to be 106. He's wheelchair bound, but still alert. He lets his son tell his story, then sings a traditional song for the trekkers in honour of our "fathers, grandfathers and uncles" whom he had known 70 years before.Some are surprised by how easily their emotions rise to the surface during the trek. Day after day, hearing the stories of the Diggers who fought — and in many cases, died — on the track, takes its toll. Stories like that of Corporal John Metson, of the 2/14th Battalion, who, when shot through both ankles at Isurava, decided he couldn't be a burden on his mates. Rather than be carried out on a stretcher, Metson bound his hands and knees and crawled for three weeks through the jungle, only to be captured and killed by the Japanese.Or the story of Melbourne brothers Butch and Stan Bisset. Both had seen action in the Middle East before being sent to Papua New Guinea with the 2/14th. Both were shot at Isurava. Stan suffered superficial wounds, but Butch's were fatal. He died in his brother's arms and was buried in the jungle.Two of thousands of stories the track could tell. Some trekkers carried close their own stories of family members who'd served, trying to imagine them in this place, at that time, against those odds. Any wonder tears come easily as trekkers put their own woes aside and wonder at the sacrifice made by so many young Australians. Our whinges on the track were nothing compared to what our forefathers had endured.Those who say the track is "easy" (and there are some) are either arrogant or naïve — or both. It downplays what the Diggers endured and suggests that their motives for being there are selfish rather than selfless. Yes, the very fit could trek Kokoda with relative ease, but to do so without being touched by the memory of those who went before them suggests they are emotionally bereft. Mick O'Malley says those who complete the trek belong to a special club."Only those who have done it can really understand what it's about," he said.And he's right. Like childbirth, you never really know what it's like until you've done it.

Angela Carey trekked Kokoda as a guest of Australian Kokoda Tours. For more information, visit www.australiankokodatours.com.au

WHAT THEY THOUGHTJames Grant, MelbourneMy journey began trying to get an insight to what the diggers went through. But it became a lot more then that. Through the people you meet trekkers, porters and in the villages.(especially the kids) It becomes a culmination of small events and that added with the mental and physical aspect of the track, leaves you with an enriching experience you can take with you everyday for the rest of your life. Ash Harrison, BallaratIt was an experience you could never forget both mentally and physically. To see what the Diggers would have gone through in the war was unbelievable. It is hard to explain to people how the trip was in one word, but it was good to see what my grandfather went through.Nathan Ryan, BallaratThrilled to be asked to walk the track with my brother Ben, I soon found myself on a voyage of discovering brotherhood in its many forms. Sharing the discovery of the track with my brother, where so many Australian soldiers found brotherhood amongst strangers from all over (including the native Fuzzy Wuzzys) was a quest I will always treasure. In paying my respects to the fallen Aussies, I found it symbolic to be amongst a group of strangers (Aussies and Papuans) that over our 96km journey forged a fellowship that we now share no matter the varied paths we walk."Terence Wallis, Toronto, Canada"This was not only the adventure of a lifetime, but a very personal journey for me as I raised both awareness and funds for Cancer Research in the memory of my dad who passed away earlier this year. Life is too short to let it pass you by and this trip brought this message home to me loud and clear." Chris Packer, Ballarat"Experiencing the Kokoda Trail has been an inspiring, exhilarating and incredible journey. Literally 12 months in the planning, preparation and execution, I consider completing the trail to be a significant triumph both personally and as a group whilst also being a sombre and emotional reminder of the personal sacrifice so many made for their country. Lest we forget those who did not return and of our personal journey to honour them."Ben Ryan, Mt ClearI had orginally wanted to do Kokoda for the physical challenge and to pay respect to our forefathers for the sacrifices made on our behalf, but it became so much more. Kokoda was one of life's most satisfying adventures, it challenged us all physically and mentally at an individual level. To have tour leaders with such knowledge of the war and deep respect for the locals made the adventure so satisfying and to complete the trek with such great group of people and the friendships formed will always hold specials memories for me.Anthony Schinck, BallaratAs I reflected on my journal writings of the experience I constantly pondered "could I have done what they (Aussie soldiers) did". We all had our personal reasons for taking on the challenge. I was inspired by my young son Oscar, who showed me how hard one little person can fight and how resilient someone can be and then inspired by the stories from the track. Kokoda was the perfect challenge as it personifies the values of endurance and courage. I want to be able to take on these challenges and show my kids and those around me what it possible. Of course achieving a challenge like Kokoda would simply not be possible without the mateship and support of those sharing the experience. The words of encouragement from someone trekking behind me, the recognition of making it up a steep climb, the conversation with mates to pass the time all add much needed fuel to the tank and helped inspire me to finish. I just hoped I was able to have the same impact on others.Mark Patterson, BallaratThe friendships I developed throughout the journey will be life long, we have shared a very special experience that only those who have trekked Kokoda can truly identify. For me too it's about being able to share the most difficult physical and emotional challenge of my life with Cath (wife). We will continue to reflect upon this together and it will be a special bond we will uniquely share forever. In a small way now I too have a better understanding of what our Diggers endured in 1942 — this too is extraordinarily humbling and we all shall be forever thankful to those who fought for us in the most difficult of circumstances — lest we forget. Barry Standfield, LeongathaKokoda was a once in a lifetime experience that I find difficult to aptly describe. The spectacular scenery, ruggedness and ultimate challenge of successfully completing the track was an overwhelming experience that will live with me forever. A true test of both physical and mental strength that leaves you with an underlying belief that anything is possible. Fantastic and highly recommended.Ron Verlin (Ballarat) and son Aaron Verlin (Canberra)As a father and son experience trekking Kokoda was an amazing journey. To share the core principals of Courage, Mateship, Endurance and Sacrifice together whilst gaining some understanding of the extreme challenges our troops faced is difficult to describe. Words like "life changing" are simple but true. We are very grateful to have had the shared opportunity through the North Ballarat Football Club annual trek.Justin Kroussoratis, Ballarat"To me walking the trek was one of lifes most amazing experiences, and whilst putting myself through the toughest physical challenges yet, I also gained an incredible insight into the history of the Kokoda war and more so a clear understanding of the events that took place prior to a successful victory although at the expense of far too many Aussie soldiers(heroes).Justin Abrams, BallaratKOKODA — can only be explained as a life changing experience. To shadow in the footsteps of heroes and pay our respects to the Australian and Papua New Guinea brave soldiers who fought so valiantly to protect our country (Australia). Kokoda is such a sobering challenge both physically and mentally and certainly extends individuals to go past their comfort zones and accomplish extraordinary achievements that they never thought they could. It is truly a remarkable achievement to have finished Kokoda and I am so proud of all our trekkers and hope they now understand the Courage & Endurance & Mateship & Sacrifice that went before them.Craig Darrell, Ballarat"Without doubt, the hardest thing I've ever done both physically and mentally in my life. As a result of that incredible difficulty and the personal challenges to be met along the way, I will always consider finishing the Kokoda Track to be one of the greatest achievements of my life." I guess I went into this originally as a personal challenge and some what a promise from my father to go back and thank the locals who helped them during the war.My personal challenge was quickly put aside and my thoughts of my father as a twenty one year old experienced. My father was awarded a Military Medal during the landing of Lae." John Bartlett, CorowaIt quickly became evident after the initial shock was the physical and mental aspect of our trek. I can still remember the last post at 'isuarva' battle site on rememberance day and thinking this is more than 'my' journey but the enormous challenge these diggers faced under horrific conditions. You could almost feel these guys with you. I carried my father's memoirs with me through the trip and often looked at them at night trying to comprehend what it was like 70 odd years ago. As the journey unfolded I could feel my father presence with me. Without doubt a really amazing experience and one I will cherish forever. I think every Australians should know about Kokoda.Leigh Marriott, BuninyongKokoda is an emotional and physical experience. It provided the foundation for my emotional understanding of what our forefathers provided this country. Respect for others and the need to work together has never been more clearly portrayed through a physical journey. How did they fight in that terrain, that is still unknown!Angela Carey, Lake WendoureeAn extraordinary experience made all the more special when shared with such a great group of people. While we were physically prepared for the challenge, I don't think any of us realised how emotionally and mentally draining it would be. We thought of the Diggers every day and wondered at their capacity to keep going in the face of such trying conditions. We did it tough, but not nearly as tough as they did. They hold a special place in Australia's history for very good reason. May we never forget their sacrifice.