The Ghost Mountain Boys - James E. Campbell [172]
I was fortunate also to have the support of Mary Turner of Outside magazine. Without her enthusiasm for the story, sound editorial judgment, and general good nature, and the conscientious fact-checking of Justin Nyberg, the account of my trek (Outside magazine, May 2007, “Chasing Ghosts”) following the route of the Ghost Mountain boys would never have turned out as well as it did.
I wish to thank my good PNG friends Malum and Hula Nalu and their family for welcoming me into their home. Many thanks also to the PNG Tourism Promotion Authority and to Titi Gabi, Bill Nama, and the villagers of Gabagaba for their hospitality. For submitting to my interviews: Frank Gabi, Sir Philip Bouraga, Hare Bore, Toea Uru, Vavine Gamoga, Aria Parina, Boga Tali Boga, Raga Naime, Gevena Naime, Bala Parina, Taugau Parina, Len Sabadi, and Nanai Aria. On the other side of the Papuan Peninsula, I would like to thank the people of Buna, and in particular Wellington and Willie Jojoba. Also McCester Opusa, Peter John Bonga, Timothy Ungaia Doroda, John Marry Bundari, Henry Bedura, and David Sinama. I am grateful, too, to the fine people along the route of the Kapa Kapa trail, especially the inimitable Berua and the villagers of Laruni, Suwari, Jaure, and Natunga. And to Barnabas Orere for the loan of the book and his thoughts on how the war changed New Guinea, and to Maclaren Hiari for sharing with me the history of his father.
A hearty thanks to Erik Andersen and the POM Productions gang, Lee Ticehurst, Cal, Jack, Samu, Maryanne, and Jethro for their hospitality, the superb film and sound work, and for their companionship on the trail.
I wish to extend my thanks to the sponsors of my New Guinea expedition: BugBand, Mountain House, Helly Hansen, Gardline Communications, Air Niugini, Coral Sea Hotels, and Fontana Sports of Madison, Wisconsin.
A very special thanks to my brother Jeffrey, who has nursed a fascination with the island of New Guinea as strong as my own, and who twice has joined me on adventures there. I hope one day we can show our children the place that captured our youthful imaginations.
To my mother for her worry and prayers. And to my father and sisters for their love and support.
To my friends and fellow adventurers: Dr. Dale Fanney for his sound advice and the wilderness medical kit that we put to good use on the trail; Jon Clark for the good wishes, the pre-promotion, and the river shoes; and Tim Malzhan, who spends more nights under the stars than anyone I know, for the trusty waterproof journal.
A big, hearty thanks to my buddy and all-round wilderness man Dave Musgrave for his toughness and good humor on the trail. To old friend George Houde, who inspired by a few beers in a Chicago bar agreed to join me on the New Guinea adventure and then immediately upped the ante by proposing that we do our own documentary film on our attempt to repeat the march of the Ghost Mountain boys. And to Philipp Engelhorn, photographer extraordinaire, world wanderer, and newfound friend.
Thanks to my brother-in-law, Sean O’Conor, and father-in-law, Daggett Harvey, for the early reads of the manuscript and their suggestions. To Greg Putnam for the maps and his enthusiasm. To Ellie Harvey for her loyal support. To Chris Warrilow and Warren Dutton and to Paul Chatterton of the World Wildlife Fund. And to the staff at the Lodi Library for their assistance and forbearance.
Thanks to Dean King for his sharp-eyed assessment of the book’s final rough draft and his generosity of spirit. Thanks to my agent and advocate David McCormick for fielding my manic phone call from Hartford, Connecticut, and for recognizing instantly the book’s possibilities. To Luke Dempsey, who eagerly bought The Ghost Mountain Boys for Crown. And to Sean Desmond, who inherited it from Luke and rode herd on it to the end, suggesting changes that made for a better book.
A New Guinea–sized thanks to Burns Ellison, my friend