One Australian trekker made international news when he came across something from World War II no one ever laid eyes on. He was hiking through the jungles of Papua New Guinea and found the unthinkable. To everyone’s surprise, the WWII remains from almost 70 years ago were still there! Well, what exactly did he find and how did this happen?
Kododa Trail
If you’re Australian, you know all about the Kokoda Trail. Located in the jungles of Papua New Guinea, the single-file footpath winds through the Owen Stanley mountain range. This 98 km or about 60 miles has become a pilgrimage track to honor men that died fighting the advancing Japanese during World War II.
Kododa Trail
Honoring Their Ancestors
Each year, thousands of Australians embark on the trek through the beautiful but rough jungle path. The pilgrimage is meant to honor all of their fathers and grandfathers. One such trekker is Brian Freeman. He mistakenly thought he found an important battle-site, “I used to stand at the site where we thought the battle was fought and brief the trekkers about it – but things didn’t add up. It was too small, it wasn’t in a good defensive position. I mentioned this to a villager one day and he pointed up the hill and said: ‘That’s our village secret up there’.” Things were about to come together.
Honoring Their Ancestors