This morning we break camp, but leave our packs behind to walk up to Crater Hill.
We were walking through the final arena of the fight for Shaggy Ridge, with a fierce battle fought over January 1944 and pass several mountain gun sites on the ascent.
We climbed from the saddle in a north easterly direction, following in the footsteps of A and D company of the 2/9th. There were two other companies also trying to dislodge the enemy, attacking from the northwest and the southeast.
The jungle has since reclaimed the land after being decimated by relentless artillery shelling and bombing.
When we reached the summit, it was evident how important this position was to the Japanese, with excellent views of most of Shaggy Ridge and the eastern flank falling down to the Faria River valley. We take some time to savour the views of Shaggy Ridge, then descend back to camp to regroup and set off towards Mouska Village
We head from the saddle down a gully and into the Faria River Valley.
The valley floor is strewn with fallen trees of all shapes and sizes, resulting from a major landslide adjacent to McCaughey's Knoll, and other landslips evident as we traverse the river.Progress is slow as we wend our way from one side of the riverbank to the other to avoid the debris.
Leipus is again leading from the front, showing me the easiest and best path to take, even offering a steadying helping hand when needed.
This is challenging terrain, concentration is paramount. One wrong move and it could all end in tears, or even worse. This is serious ankle fracture territory.
I am cautious, but it was incredible to watch the porters in action. The porters did not wear shoes, their feet adapted to walking on uneven terrain with their toes splayed out like eagles claws clinging onto the rocks in the river beds. Amazing!
This trek is described as a strenuous trip, requiring a reasonable degree of fitness. Strength, stamina and endurance to cope with rough, uneven and slippery terrain is essential.
Carrying a pack in steep and sometimes slippery terrain is one thing, but the major factor to consider is whether you can cope with hiking in hot, and humid tropical weather conditions.
We were blessed with good weather, albeit hot and humid. Several afternoons we had rain, but we had finished hiking for the day and already set up camp so it did not interfere with our schedule.
Accounting for early morning starts, we were hiking for 5-6 hours per day.
I have never sweated on a hike like I did on this trek. My clothes were wet to the point of saturation by the end of each day’s hike.
Note to self: train for the terrain
Once again, there was healthy competition in the hat decorating contest, which was a welcome distraction from the difficult walking. At morning tea break, our efforts were photographed for the records - a milliner's delight indeed!
Another distraction to contend with was that cursed critter, the leech. This was yet another reality of hiking in the tropics. Luckily I only had a few close encounters of the leechy kind, and took it all in my stride......
At lunchtime, we took the opportunity to cool our feet in the river, minus our socks and boots (which were already saturated!). The hot midday sun nearly dried out my socks as we dined riverside.
The clouds started to build up during the afternoon and a light drizzle fell as we reached Mouska.
The tents were hastily erected and I seized the opportunity to have a quick wash and headed back down to the river.
Lucky for me, I returned to camp just as the heavens opened up. A torrential downpour which lasted several hours resulted in being able to witness the river rise dramatically - a tremendous sight to behold.
The rain did put a "dampener" on our activities, returning again for several encores over the rest of the afternoon and evening.
But the sound of water cascading in the swollen rivers below our camp did lull me off to a sound sleep.....
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