In 1994 James Anderson and a few other adventurers retraced the Australian Army's withdrawal from Kokoda in 1942, and followed the track across the Owen Stanley Mountains. The following account is edited from Anderson's article, which appeared in the September/October 1994 issue of Reveille, a publication of the New South Wales Branch of the Returned and Services League of Australia:
“From Kokoda Village, an old tractor trail led us to the base of the hills. We were about to start our climb to the village of Isurava at an altitude of 1,375 metres [4,512 feet]. As the track began to steadily rise, I was having a hard time trying to acclimatize to the steamy humidity of the jungle. The sun became my worst enemy, as I struggled at times to find some shade where I could take a brief rest.
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“I can't ever remember sweating as much as I did that first morning. Although I was drinking plenty of water, I was still fighting dizzy spells, and had to stop often before continuing the ascent.
“We were a couple of days behind schedule when we finally reached Isurava. I was soaking wet, exhausted, chilled and nauseous from the difficult climb.
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