Why are people dying on the Kokoda trail?
The Kokoda trail is a 96km long trail situated in Papua New Guinea. Made famous by the various battles that occured during World War 2 between Japanese and Australian forces, it’s now a popular hiking track.
With humid rainforest temperatures during the day, freezing cold temperatures during the night, the threat of malaria looming and some of the most rugged hiking terrain in the world, you’d think people would properly prepare themselves for the journey.
Apparently not. Four people have died on the trail this year, with two occurring in just the last week.
For me walking around has never been a big deal. I’m not trying to take anything away from those that complete the trail but to suggest hiking the Kokoda trail is up there with riding the Tour De France is a bit rich.
I don’t know about you but I’d hardly classify cycling over mountains at 40km/h the same as walking along a track at your own pace, however difficult the weather and terrain might be.
Still, the Kokoda trail is obviously difficult enough that it’s not something you just decide to do one day after breakfast. So what’s the explanation for people dropping dead as they walk the trail?
The latest casualty, Phillip Brunskill from Sydney died of a suspected heart attack just one hour into the trek. Sure the guy had medical clearance but cmon one hour?!
What the hell was his training routine, strolling down to McDonalds for a Big Mac every night? How do you decide to take on one of the most challenging treks out there and give up after an hour?
The guy before him, Paul Bradfield died in his sleep of a heart attack. He wasn’t even walking at the time. The tragedy of Bradfield’s case is that he was walking for charity Camp Quality and had four daughters and a wife waiting for him back home.
Bradfield had also undertaken a six month training program beforehand.
With one guy dropping dead an hour into the walk and another having a heart attack in his sleep I think it’s pretty clear that whatever preparation they took it wasn’t enough. Going back to the Tour de France comparison, it’d be like me cycling down to 7-11 for a slurpee every day and then declaring myself fit enough to ride the race itself.
In other words I’m probably not going to last too long.
I’m not a fan of seeing people die needlessly and while I disagree with Professor Norton’s comparisons between the Kokoda trail and the Tour de France, I do agree on his calls for a mandatory training program to weed out those who are at serious risk.
I know the Kokoda track is somewhat symbolic and I hate mandatory checks as much as the next guy but clearly people are opting into this trail without any foresight or realisation of the risks involved.
You shouldn’t be finding out your too unfit to walk the trail one hour into it after you’ve started. By then it’s potentially too late as Phillip Brunskill found out.
Train up properly people, or stay at home and hire the dvd.
October 6th, 2009 at 12:24 am James(Quote)
I tend to agree with most of what you’ve said. I did some trekking in the Himalayas a couple of years ago, and met a guy who had walked the Kokoda Trail earlier that year, he was middle aged and of fairly average fitness and said he had a harder time dealing with altitude sickness (between 4000 & 5600 metres asl) combined with lots of uphill walking in the Himalayas than with anything on the Kokoda Trail. I realise there’s a big difference in the temperatures, but I can’t see how the risks of dieing from heat stroke would be any greater than the risk of dieing from hypothermia.
If someone dies after only one hour on the trail, then I can’t see how it would have anything to do with the actual trail that they are walking on or the climate- but everything to do with them being unprepared for the physical exhertion, generally unfit and pushing themselves too hard in comparison to what they are capable of. I think the same could be said for the man who had a heart attack in his sleep – nothing to do with the Kokoda trail, everything to do with his health and fitness, people have heart attacks in their sleep at home.
I think a big part of the problem is the group mentality with people being too macho and not wanting to say they need a rest or can’t keep up with the group and need to drop back. Some people are too proud to say they can’t keep going, and some are embarrassed or feel that they are letting the ‘team’ down by slowing down, asking for help or turning back.
People do underestimate the stresses that their bodies will be under, but to compare it to the Tour de France is ridiculous.
October 6th, 2009 at 9:40 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
This is a really good point I didn’t consider. Brunskill’ group continued on without him and then another 60yo woman had to be airlifted out because she couldn’t make it.
Clearly tour groups are just taking medical certifications at face value and accepting anyone who has money. People then believe they are up to the challenge because a doctor says they are generally healthy and before you know it they are pushing up daisies.
October 6th, 2009 at 11:11 am Louise(Quote)
I think the walk has become devalued. Everyone is doing it; therefore everyone thinks they *can* do it. And I suspect that these people also think they have above average fitness – which they may do, given the average fitness level is pretty shite – but a 5km jog three times a week isn’t going to cut it.
October 6th, 2009 at 11:25 am ozsoapbox(Quote)
From what I understand the fitness check is basically a self evaluation, which is kind of like asking someone what condom size they want.
Getting companies with a vested financial interest in getting as many people on their tours as possible to verify self assessed fitness evaluations seems a bit dodgy to me.
October 6th, 2009 at 8:21 pm James(Quote)
While the group may have continued on without him, I reckon they would’ve had an assistant guide stay with him, so it’s not like he would’ve been left alone to walk back or be rescued (I hope). At least that’s the way it works in my experience.
What medical certifications?
They don’t make them big enough (to fit on the heads of people who are too proud to tell their mates or guides that they are feeling crook and can’t keep up the pace)
As far as I’m concerned that’s all there is to it, and the proud macho factor that makes people ‘not want to let the team down’ or admit a weakness would be increased on Kokoda given the places history.
People think that because soldiers could carry their guns and fight on the trail, surely they can handle just walking along it. They forget that the soldiers were young, fit and active, and they aren’t any of those.
In the end it comes down to personal responsibility. People lie, and no amount of verification can overcome that.
October 6th, 2009 at 8:23 pm James(Quote)
I should add that the proud attitudes that people have that sees them carrying on when they shouldnt, isn’t helped by the friendly jokes and stirring that their mates make about them being slow – that makes them even more determined to not slow down or give up, and that kills them.
October 6th, 2009 at 9:30 pm ozsoapbox(Quote)
From what I understand you need a doctor to say you’re reasonably healthy before you can trek?
Unfortunately this doesn’t mean you’re remotely fit.
October 6th, 2009 at 11:39 pm James(Quote)
Fair enough, I’ve been looking at some info and it seems like some companies mention on their website that you need a medical clearance, and others don’t.
The company that Phillip Brunskill was trekking with requires medical clearances, fat lot of good that did.
from their website…(my emphasis)
http://www.kokodatreks.com/planning/index.cfm
It just seems a little silly that the media make such a fuss of Kokoda trekking problems, yet people die or at least need to be evacuated while trekking or undertaking any sort of adventure activity all over the world, yet we don’t hear any crap in the media about “compulsory medical clearances” – and the big international adventure companies do not require that people have compulsory medical checks before taking on trips that are arguably more demanding than Kokoda.
And even if they all did require compulsory checks, this death and the companies policy show that the checks mean nothing if people do not take responsibility for their own health and fitness.
As far as I’m concerned, the trekking company did nothing wrong, they took the precautions through requiring compulsory medical checks and there is nothing they could’ve done to prevent this, unless they enforce some sort of fitness test that they supervise (such as a beep test requiring that you pass a certain level) – if people are properly prepared for the track they should be able to pass a test without excuses.
January 13th, 2010 at 10:14 pm Hayden(Quote)
I walked the track in four days and it’s a great challenge but it’s really up to the person doing it. Sadly people don’t know they have heart disease until they’re dead and no doctor.
Unless they put them through the right tests they will never know either?