Guam Day 132 - Muddy is an Understatement












7/4/2022 - Happy mainland Independence Day. Here on Guam, the larger holiday is liberation day on July 21st. We celebrated this American holiday by heading out on a hike to see a very pretty waterfall and some historic WWII scrap iron. 

Have you ever been in so much mud you almost lose your shoe from the suction of pulling your foot out? That was this hike, we started down some 4x4 trails near the south side of the island, near a resort called LeoPalace. There are many trails that stem out from the parking lot for off-road vehicles, and from there single track hiking trails into the jungle. Gretchen from the first steps said, oh well, we are just getting muddy, and jumped right in, the rest of us a bit leery of just how much mud there was. By the end of mile 1, it didnt matter how careful you were, everything was covered in mud. I was the first to take a slip into the iron filled red muck, head to toe. The picks don't do it justice as I had some help getting cleaned up. 

Joan's family will get a kick out of this, we all know what a Joan hike means right? This was standard fare for a Joan hike, rain about halfway through, 7 miles in total not the 6 km like advertised and to get down to the water fall was sheer cliffs, mud, and ropes to climb up and down. Rain on the return trip added massive slickery as we headed down the single track, sliding one into another like we were on an ice rink. Im giving Joan a bad time here, but I will state for the record this was a Joan hike, classic full adrenaline rush, push to the limits. (love you dear)

The tanks were really neat, Eric and I got to climb up on two different designs. Each were Japanese in design and gives more vibrance to what this island went through as the US troops retook Guam some 75 years ago. All that is left are the mammoth castings and the rotting undercarriages. Perfect for two history nerds to geek out about for the next hour. 

Overall the hike was a success, let me tell you though we were all tired by the time we had finished. No better way than living the Guam experience to the fullest. 

 

Comments

  1. Dave S.July 16, 2022 at 4:16 PM

    That is incredible. Way to go. Am amazed at the color of the soil. Reminds me of Georgia. Didn't know that there were still items like those tanks left out to see. Glad you got home safely. Beautiful waterfall. Go team Carlson.

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