Banzai/CowTown Post Storm

Tropical Storm Bavi surprised Saipan by bashing the north and northeast coast with stronger than expected wind and rain. Many flame trees, bamboos, and other plants get stripped, and many mango trees full of blossoms and young fruit also suffer damages that will affect this year's crop. We hear that Banzai Cliff, on the northern shore, has, unbelievable as it sounds, a chunk of the cliff knocked off, and we want to find out the real story. Our plan for the Sunday hike is to check out Banzai Cliff, Cowtown Beach, and the trail between the two.
Early Sunday morning arrives with pouring rain, and the forecast of another storm heading in this general direction. The already dwindling number of hikers remaining on island is further cut down by CB not feeling well. While still dark, CC drives down to Flametree parking lot where she joins Ewok to drive to The Last Command Post. When it is obvious no one else wants to venture out in the unpredictable weather, Ewok and CC, the two diehards are ready to start the hike.

Even before we are ready to pick up our feet, it starts to rain. Ewok is well prepared and dons his newly acquired rain gear.

Braving the strong wind and slight rainfall, we arrive at Banzai Cliff. We realize that in order to get a good look at the aforementioned collapsed cliff, we need to go down the stairways to the farthest lookout platform.

Directly below the lookout deck are these two rocks, one of CC's favorite seascapes, with washing-machine suds churning furiously around them. We next turn to the cliff on the western end. Take a look at the picture below first.

(THIS IS HOW THE CLIFF LOOKED BEFORE)

This is how it looks now!

The waves are intense and furious. Nature shows absolutely no mercy. The jaw-dropping sight reminds us once more how much we need to respect nature's elements.

After confirming that Banzai Cliff has indeed been reshaped by the storm, we continue our hike to Cow Town. The trail to the Cow Town Beach, normally lush and full, now looks more like the aftermath of a boonies fire.

Rock gardens appear on the trail, uncovered by the disappearance of trees and bushes.

Chops?

Here is Ewok, climbing over fallen tree branches.

The battle of the coconut crab and the walking stick. Those claws look pretty ferocious.

Here is Ewok, once again, starring in the lead role of climbing over another fallen tree. Ewok being the only other hiker, is obliged to appear in most of the photos!

A carpet of fallen pandanus leaves leads to the Cow Town Beach.

Reminiscent of the Hidden Beach, large quantities of sand have been pushed inland, extending the beach further in.

As we get closer to the "beach" the previously sand covered pathway is now stripped off of any sand, leaving boulders and big holes for us to climb over.

A surprise find tugged in the crevice is this foot-long mortar shell.

Ewok is nearly dwarfed by the roaring waves all along the shoreline.

Hungry stomachs calling us to snack-time. To get away from the wind, we end up under the pandanus trees, sitting in the middle of the road. Having brought more snacks than we two can eat, we wrap up the leftovers. 

Cow Town gate remains standing, but the crawling vines are soon to take over the gate, unless they are cleared away.

A lobster claw plant?

Passing by the dump, which is totally exposed with the trees and plants gone, we notice many interesting items being trashed, including this cabin from a boat.

At the intersection of Middle Road and Unai Laggua Drive, we approach our favorite Taotaomona tree, we notice the canopy lying low on the ground. The first thought is perhaps the branches are so heavily laden with water that they simply droop onto the ground. So we walk around to check out the other side.

It is such a shock to see that, actually, the tree has fallen! This beautiful giant of a tree has survived numerous typhoons, and super-typhoons for so many years, only to fall victim to a tropical banana storm...What a sad situation. We can only hope somehow it will stay alive and regenerate into a new tree...

Other than the sad ending, this hike has been great. In 2.5 hours, we have been able to see a whole different face of an otherwise familiar hiking trail. Four Sneakers.

XTerra/Hidden Beach

Although daily rain continues throughout the week, we decide to try the XTerra trail for our Sunday hike anyway. The big XTerra Race scheduled for March 28 brings workers to clear the overgrown trail, and with the help of a recent big boonie fire, we figure the trail should be primed for a good hike, even though it could be a bit wet and slippery.
The sun shines brightly on an almost cloudless sky, we meet at the driveway with those who are not traveling and those who are healthy enough. Chops, CB, Scout, Aaron, and dog Boy join CC to make our way down the trail.

Evidence of the recent fire, opening up a more panoramic view of the hills and the ocean.

The famous trap that has thrown many a bikers down this sharp drop that appears immediately after an uphill haul. Here CB carefully steps down on the side. Fortunately, the recent rain has not affected the condition of the red clay which would have been a slippery mess.

Hiding behind some bushes on several occasions to surprise us, Aaron earns a new hiking name. CC bestows the name NEMO upon him, as the precocious and in-constant-trouble clown fish in "Finding Nemo".  

The "bojobo" bean pods are in full maturity and they are all over the ground. Chops is in seventh heaven collecting an armful of the pods. 

We are dismayed to see these trash scattered along the trail. Hopefully it is not from the workers, and hopefully it will be cleaned up soon...

This old foundation serves as the headquarter for extracting the beans from the pods. Here CB, Scout, Nemo, and Chops get seriously into cracking the pods. Boy takes the opportunity to sniff around. 

A neat pile of loot.

Not satisfied with just the beans, Nemo is determined to investigate what is inside a bean. He uses a rock to crack open the bean. The white stuff inside is not edible.

A surprise encounter with a pomelo tree in the boonies. Previously hidden behind the thick bushes and trees, the recent storm reveals the tree laden with fruit. Unfortunately the ones on the ground are rotten, and the ones on the tree are way, way up high and unreachable.

Hidden Beach in more open view. Notice a red hat is hanging on the tree branch. Is it a secret sign, or just someone who forgets to take it?

Imagine our shock, when we see that the beach is completely covered with sand, spreading and extending up and beyond the original beach, as a result of Bavi, the storm. Get a close look at the next photo taken on December 13, 2014, after another storm. Marvel at nature's power in changing the landscape beyond our control.

(On December 13, 2014, during our hike down to Hidden Beach, we find the beach has been turned into a large pool, with rocks and boulders strewn everywhere, the result of a recent storm. Compare this beach condition with the current condition in the photo above)

 Not only has the sand cover the December pool and the boulders and rocks, the sand has been pushed far into the boonies, creating a nice and shady playground area.

A nice little snack rest at our favorite spot, in the shade. CC, Boy, Nemo, Scout, CB, and Chops finished all the snacks, and ready for the uphill trip back.

 

A little rest before tackling the last little hill.

Chops tries to climb up the slope, while Nemo demonstrates his skill of crawling up without using his hands! CB is directing the traffic.

It is a good hike, as the trail is surprisingly dry and easy to navigate. We take our time to enjoy the new scenes and discoveries. Three hours pass by quickly and pleasantly.

Deer Ridge Park

For our second hike in the Olympic National Park, we have decided to go to Slab Camp Creek camp ground and hike the Gray Wolf River trail. It sounds good that the trail begins downhill for 2.8 miles and about one thousand feet, then uphill on the way back for a round trip of 5.6 miles. The day begins bright and sunny. We drive to Sequim, then a quick stop at Safeway to pick up sandwiches and salads, to supplement snacks we have brought, and we are ready to stretch out our legs.

First we have to leave the town road and get on a pot-holed forest road to reach the camp parking. We are rather surprised that there are quite a few cars there already, but apparently some of them belong to work crew working on trails.

 

The sun may be shining bright, but the air is still cold. We put on appropriate layers of warm clothes, head covers, with Rexplorer making sure everything gets packed, Alice tying up shoes, and John loading up his backpack. This trail head actually splits off to two hiking trails: Gray Wolf River trail, and Deer Ridge Park trail. For a sunny Sunday, we understand the trail may be crowded.

 

With a true sense of adventure, we think, "why not take a look at the Deer Ridge trail first. Sure we will not go as far as the Deer Park, 5.2 miles away, we will go to the first good view point and turn around, then we can continue on down to Gray Wolf trail." Hmmm... Here Rexplorer points out the Deer Ridge Trail No. 646 sign.

 

First sign of possible snow up ahead. Here are ice crystals forming by water seeping from the ground.

 

With the sun shining brightly, these three have no concerns for snow or ice. The trail is narrow but well groomed, although some spots are a little muddy. We make good progress toward the view point.

 

We stop occasionally to admire the view. Rhody trees are not blooming as yet, and few flowers are visible. Spring has not quite arrived in the mountains.

 

CC and Alice are happy so far. Although so far it has been uphill, the gradation has not been too steep, and the mountain scenery is majestic.

 

Uh, oh, snow ahead. Everyone stops to take a good look at it. We are only about one mile up, although the altitude is just under 3000 ft. Judging from the the amount of snow on the ground here, we should have no problem continuing on.

 

With the help of our hiking poles, the light snow on the ground is not an issue. The rocks and slopes on the side are covered with beautiful spongy moss. We are somewhat disappointed that there are no mushrooms, probably because it may still be too cold.

 

After climbing some more steep trail, we finally come out on this sunny rocky ledge, perfect for a lunch stop and to take in the view. With our picnic tablecloth spread out, we enjoy our lunch. This is also a great spot to meet other hikers, to compare notes and to find out what is ahead. Alice is stretching her legs...

 

After lunch we continue on the trail. Now we are stepping on crunchy icy trail. But it is still manageable and interesting.

 

Nearly all the other hikers bring their dog(s). This hiker is going up with his dogs Ruby (red and white hair) and Bella (black and white). Most hikers are also regular hikers in these mountain trails, so they are quite familiar with the distance, terrain, and other details. By now, the snow on the ground is thicker, but still manageable.

 

Further on, the trail  is more icy. Here is a stretch of relatively level trail, but through the trees, one can see the trail turns sharply uphill. We meet another man with his dog turning back because he doesn't have "spikes" for his shoes and he feels that it will be too slippery coming back downhill if he goes up too much higher. 

 

The trail does take on a rapidly steeper incline, and the trail becomes more slippery. Occasionally we also have to shake off fallen snow on our head, as clumps of snow drop from the tree branches. The "bench", a memorial for a volunteer from Sequim is placed at the 2.75 mile mark. That is our original destination. But the trail is getting too steep, and we understand the need for shoe "spikes' or chain, especially for coming downhill. We decide to turn around at about the 2.5 mile point, when the slope becomes even steeper. 

 

Rexplorer and CC take a breather on the way down.

 

John takes a breather too.

 

Inching my way down the slippery slope, not intending to have any slip and slide performance.

 

Alice is also happy that we have all made a wise decision not to go any higher. We agree that this hike is best done in the warmer season without the snow and ice.

 

Baldy and Gray Wolf mountains are among this snow capped mountain range. We are back in the sun and warmer temperature. After we make good time and reach the base of the trail, we decide to check out the Gray Wolf River trail, our original planned hike. We like what we see on this trail, and decide that it is also a good hike for the future.

 

John breaks out his salami treat, as a reward for a hike well-done!

The roughly five mile hike takes us four hours to complete. It is a beautiful trail and the scenery is fantastic. It is definitely a must-revisit hike.