With the number of Sunday hikers reduced due to traveling, work demand, and illness, so just three of us, Chops, Dora, and Capt. Charlie, meet up at the Bird Island lookout last Sunday, the 6th, for an easy hike through the Nan Madol trail.
We park at the lookout, and proceed on foot down the dirt trail. Although this trail is drivable, it is very rutty and best navigated with a four-wheel drive vehicle. The weather is nice and sunny, and we begin at six a.m. since it will be a fairly short hike.
Dora checking out a coconut crab on the trail. The crab is pretty agitated and feeling threatened. It thrashes its claws and legs in defense against this human invasion. Is Dora trying to figure out whether this crab is edible size? We tell her it is quite small and not ready for the dinner plate.
We reach the Kelabera Cave and notice the sign in sad shape, missing the name of the cave. We are hoping that the responsible department will fix it soon.
The cave is large and deep. There is a temporary platform for climbing part way down. It looks quite forboding. We figure that the air must be thin at the bottom.
A human-looking face appears on the wall, it is on the right side of the cave and measures only about five inches tall.
Nan Madol begins near Kalebera Cave. The trail is relatively flat, and very dry at this time of the year. The boonies have a lot of snake-like vines. This one is particularly large and looks menacing as it winds around the tree trunk.
Part way down the trail, we run into this mysterious wall of cement bags. It is about eight or nine feet tall, and about one hundred feet long. There are some rebars sticking out from the top of the wall, and metal plates with holding cups on the ground in front of the wall. We have not been able to figure out the purpose of having this wall in the middle of the trail.
Dora climbs up to see what is behind the wall. It appears there is nothing, except the bags seem to be some sort of retaining wall.
We climb up on the slope opposite the wall, find nothing special. On the way down, Chops takes a spill.
On the side of the trail, we run into this spent shell with its tongue hanging out. It measures about ten inches tall, a left over from the war.
Another surprise on the trail. A dead kitten. We take a closer look but find no violent injury, so we figure it might either died from sickness, or it might have fallen down from the tree. But we feel sad for the poor little thing.
The next discovery is several piles of fluffy cotton balls and seed pods. These are from the two kapok trees nearby.
These cute little red seeds are commonly used as eyes for the bojobo dolls being sold in tourist shops. The seeds are toxic.
After much meandering in the boonies, we finally return to the parking lot at the Bird Island overlook. We have our usual snacks at the back of CC's car.
Last week we saw the back side of Bird Island, this week we see the front, a view we normally see from this view deck.
Happy hikers finish another enjoyable trek through the boonies and discover many interesting things. This hike is one of the easiest, but one we enjoy a lot.
The hiking group is temporarily disbanded with traveling and other commitments. We will resume as soon as most of us are back. Watch for the next notice.
