XTerra EXtra

Although notice has gone out for the Sunday hike down XTerra trail and Hidden Beach, but Typhoon Soudelor seems imminently close to Saipan that the fall-back plan is to wait and see what the weather situation is in the morning. 
Comes Sunday morning, the sky is overcast, but no rain. And in the driveway is Giggles. So Rexplorer, Doug the rambler, CC, and big dog Sukha join Giggles and wait around a bit for the rain to stop. We finally leave the house at around 7 a.m.
The date is August 2, 2015.

XTerra trai is surprisingly overgrown in the short time since it is cleared two months ago. Recent rains during the last two storms definitely speed up the growth.

At the lime tree, we decide, instead of continuing on XTerra, to turn down and around onto the trail along the ravine towards the base of a hill that we can see from the upper trail. It's time to explore.

On the new trail, there are some exotic plants. These look like torch gingers. The green one has a white flower growing out on the side.

As we climb over fallen branches, and thick leafy fronds along the ravine, we hear a big splash. There, fifteen feet below us, Sukha stands in the pool looking up at us, a little surprised, and wondering how he is going to get back up the cliff. He eventually finds his way to rejoin us.

Another exotic flower.

Rexplorer ventures into the boonies.

 

With a tight grip on her mango walking stick/sling shot pole, Giggles manages to get over a particularly tricky maneuver around a tree, with Rexplorer's assist.

 

Following Rexplorer into the unknown, we have to carefully watch each step. 

 

Doug gets down into the river bed to explore for possible trails up to the hill top.

 

As Rexplorer needs to return home soon, instead of retracing our steps we decide to find a way up, knowing that the original XTerra trail is just above us. Doug soon finds out it is much tougher than it looks.

 

Part way up the slope, we see this very tall ironwood tree that has the most intricate vines that turn and twist around and up the trunk in a most mysterious manner. Doug tries to look as far up as possible to figure out how it is formed.

 

Meanwhile we continue to find a way up.

 

Rexplorer: "I think this looks like a pretty clear opening"

 

This tree is covered with a beautiful lime green spongy moss.

 

Rexplorer continues his climb uphill and soon disappears into some spiny bushes and thick sword grass. We hear him yelping and cursing from cuts and stings along the way. But he makes it to the grass knoll next to the trail.

 

Giggles and CC follow and thrash through the spiny bushes and sword grass.

 

A smiling Giggles is very happy to come out to the clearing.

 

A view of where we had been down below the gorgeous palm forest.

 

Sukha says we have promised him a short and easy hike. But he enjoys the adventure anyway. Rexplorer goes ahead with Sukha back home. Giggles and CC wait for Doug.

 

After a while, Doug appears from the boonies.

 

As soon as we start to go down to the trail, a torrent of heavy rain whips us around and completely soaks us through and through. But we agree it is much fun. 

Three wet rats and a clean-scrubbed Rexplorer.

We agree that we should go back to the same trail and beyond on a drier day. There is much to explore.