All the hindsight or educated opinion in the world will not diminish the pain felt by the families of the two people who recently died on the Kokoda Track.
As yet, we are not fully aware of the circumstances leading up to their tragic deaths so perhaps we should be slow to judge. Instead, we could honor their courage and their willingness to follow their call to the wild.
We can do this by remembering that adventure always has risks, and that the best we can do is make every effort to be thoroughly prepared both mentally and physically for the unique environment we are seeking to experience.
Sometimes nature calls the shots but to never seek adventure and challenge in one’s life is the real tragedy.
Helen Keller said it best: “Security does not exist in nature. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.”
My sincere condolences go out to the families of those who recently died on the Kokoda Track and to those of the soldiers who died there all those years ago.
Wayne Enright – Free Spirit Adventures
