Trekking Kokoda - an unexpected journey!

At 50, I decided to show my children that striving for something big is worth doing but it turned out Kokoda had other things to show me…

By Michele Michel

I am the first to admit I have led an easy and charmed life…great upbringing, did well at school, finished university, became a teacher, travelled the world- married a great man, had three wonderful children…travelled some more. But as life continued, I felt, for the most part, I was always someone’s wife, or mother or employee or committee member…you get the drift. Now this didn’t particularly phase me, and for years I was happy being in all those roles and felt fulfilled….still do... but when my youngest started high school I realised, I seemed to have lost part of my own identity….who was Michele Michel?

I decided for my fiftieth birthday that I was going to do the Kokoda Trail. Why??  I am no history buff, had no great affiliation with the battle there- the reason I did it was as a benchmark for my kids who were only 12, 14 and 16 then. I thought that as they got closer to 50- they might reflect and say ‘Wow, my mother did the Kokoda Trail at this age!’  And depending on where they were at in life- it might give them the oomph to either get fitter, strive for something big and if needed, make some changes.

I did it for them- but what I got out of it was soooo much more. I gave myself permission to actually ‘find myself’. I have never quite understood that expression and quite frankly thought it a bit pretentious. I gave myself permission to take the time to train hard to be as fit as I could – for months almost every morning, loaded with a full backpack, I would hit the sand dunes- or go up and down Honeymoon Stairs, every second Sunday went down Govetts leap and up to Evans Lookout….hills and stairs, stairs and hills… until I was prepared.

The Kokoda experience was unbelievable- yes, a hard track with hills, mud, rain, leeches, more hills, raging rivers, blisters, insects, wet smelly clothes, bad food, foot rot, it was spiritual and moving…everything I was expecting…. BUT… what I wasn’t expecting was the camaraderie with my fellow trekkers by being ME, just me... not there in any other role than Michele! No one knew me or had any expectations from me, I didn’t have a specific job to do, all I had to do was be me, I had no history with them. It gave me the chance to discover the elements of my personality that I had forgotten- the good, the bad and the ugly! It was truly enlightening. I felt young again and it took me back to a time when I was just me.

It also awakened in me the passion I had for trekking -it led me to staying trek fit and strong. It led me to now sharing this passion with other women. That’s what trekking is about- leaving a life of roles behind and spending the time on new, sometimes scary, experiences, trusting your own ability, being part of a team and finding yourself!

I thoroughly recommend taking the time to do something for yourself, by yourself and be yourself…and don’t let that compete with your lifestyle- but rather complete your lifestyle.