Waserak to Chalan Kiya

Our small group make the hike from Waserak to Chalan Kiya on Friday 6/10 instead of on Sunday. 

Before we can start the hike, we need to rescue RedEye's car from the ditch. Sparky gets down to check out where to hook up a tow rope. Meanwhile, Waldo drives RedEye and Akiko back to the house to get the tow rope.

RedEye and Sparky idendify the spot to hook up the rope. Waldo supervises. The car is pulled out without a hitch. We proceed on our way down Waserak.

A very rough part of the road.

The bamboo forest. This is where we turn onto the "trail".

A giant clump of bamboos on its side, pulled clear off from the roots.

A chaise lounge and a chair abandoned on the trail. Cutie takes a break.

Looks like an abandoned shack.

Waldo and Sparky admire the tall betel nut trees. We are in the midst of the largest betel nut farm we have ever seen, together with thousands of birds nest ferns.

RedEye is dwarfed by the tall trees.

The steep trail from Tapochau to the Whispering Palms golf course means there are lots and lots of rocky drops that require strength and dexterity to negotiate. RedEye waits for Cutie to carefully lower herself.

Going around a big pile of fallen debris.

Some of the partially blocked river bed.

Sparky and Redeye in another fallen bamboo forest.

RedEye getting ready to go down another big drop.

After three hours of crouching under branches, climbing over rocks and tree trunks, dropping down steep rocky ravines, RedEye looks a bit tired, but ready to push forward.

Waldo scrambles up this mess of rocks.

After climbing up, then it's time to scoot down.

Sparky, Cutie, and RedEye carefully using upper body strength to make their way down.

At four and half hour point, we find the final trail through an abandoned farm.

Finally, on the road and civilization. By the time we finally get picked up by Thor and Eric, it has been five hours on this hike. We have all run out of water!

It is a five sneaker hike for fantastic sceneries and beautiful trail. It is a five plus sneaker for difficulty, even though it is not a lung buster type, but it is long and arduous. It is great!

Talofofo Gulch

Ready to explore a new trail, we decide to find our way from Wireless Ridge down the gulch to Talofofo Road, notwithstanding fallen trees, blocked "trail", maybe water obstacles, etc. 
We meet at the Kosack driveway at 6:00 a.m. to see who will show up for this adventure.

Something strange with this picture! Cutie, RedEye, Rexplorer, Waldo, CaveMan, and Kadi, six people all looking in six different directions! Hmmmmm...

Caveman, Kadi, RedEye, and Cutie surveying the jungle below while Waldo and Rexplorer try to find a possible trail in the jumble of trees, branches, grass, and debris.

Bruce is quite amused by the challenge the hikers are facing in determining what to do.

Waldo and Rexplorer reemerge from the boonies, as Waldo suggests that we take the grassy path down. Meanwhile, Caveman has already disappeared into the boonies and heading down to the ravine.

RedEye gets ready to ease down a steep drop at the newly found "trail head".

RedEye looks pooped out and ready to call it quits. He does, as well as Cutie. We bade them goodbye and continue on our way.

The prairie like grassy field turns out to be the perfect way to make our way toward the gully. The morning is wonderfully cool at this hour, and the scenery is beautiful.

We try to make contact with Caveman who is already down at the gully. After the fine grassy field, we enter into the boonies.

We meet up with Caveman down at the gully. From dried branches to lush green forest, Caveman and Waldo near the gully floor.

Caveman down at the rocky gully bottom. 

One of the little ponds we find in the gully. Caveman pointing at the shrimp swimming in the pond.

The mossy rocks are slippery. In order to avoid stepping into the pond water and possible leptospirosis, here Kadi tries to grab a strong root to support his way down from the boulder. Below him is another pond.

An interesting plant.

Caveman deep in the jungle.

Waldo looks around this giant of a tree. We are making our way back, after reaching a thicket in the gully that is too difficult to penetrate through. We decide to turn around and go back up...

But not before we stop and snack upon the rocks in the gully. Good food and good company. 

Waldo making a slow appearance from the thick growth of sword grass, back up to the grassy field.

It's Rexplorer's Birthday! a little chocolate cake from Himawari caps off the hike in a most pleasant way.

After the birthday celebration, we walk back up hill to survey the area we have been hiking. The thick grove of trees marks our trail. We are about half way to Talofofo down at the gully. A future exploration awaits us.

We find this comfortable and breezy spot to survey our exploration trail. Rexplorer, Caveman, CC, Kadi, and Waldo. 

All agree it's a fun and exciting 3-hour expedition.

LauLau Complete

The last time we did the hike in LauLau, the hike finished half way. So in order to offer the recently returned hikers a warm up exercise, we decide to try the LauLau Bay hike once more, and this time to finish it to the end where the diving platform is, and it is at the border to LauLau Bay Golf Course.
Once again, we park at the driveway to the old Chamorro Village Restaurant. Six early birds show up in anticipation of a fairly long and hot "stroll".

A group of campers have spent the night, and now a few of them are fishing in the lagoon. The morning air is wonderfully comfortable, as the sun is still on the other side of the hill.

Scout and SoccerFish continue on the road, while Ewok turns around to chat with Cutie. We have the road to ourselves.

Giggles is enthralled by the orange bougainvillea which is not a common color, insisting a closeup photo be taken. The border to this property has quite a few different color blooms.

We reach the end of the trail, and find that the previously narrow path has been widened, and a swing has been installed about 25 feet off the ground. Of course SoccerFish is the first one to jump on it.

A slightly panicked SoccerFish is trying to figure out how to get down.

The now wide open trail leads to the diving platform where Ewok is surveying the scene. Gigs making her way up to join him.

Meanwhile Scout is taking a closer look at the water from the other diving rock.

Gigs, Ewok, Cutie, SF, and Scout crowd onto the platform. We decide the space is too small for having our snacks on it. We turn back down the road.

Giggles, Scout, SoccerFish, CC, Cutie, and Ewok stop at our favorite snacking spot. After enjoying all the delicious snacks, we know we have a long hot walk back to the car.

Scout and SF decide to run for the car and take off. We never see them again. Here we four finally, after an hour of hot, hot, walk make it to our cars. Fortunately, the sun is behind us and makes the heat a little more tolerable. Here is a perfect place to take a Selfie!

The sooty terns, in even larger number and with some white terns joining, are making deafening noise overhead. There are even more nests on the branches, and we can see...

...some young birds circling and sitting on the branches.

Despite the heat, the walk is quite easy and leisurely. We made it in three hours, without any side tours. A good stretching of the legs hike.