Adventure or Near Death?

           Today was an experience of which I’ve never had and probably never will again.  But more on that later, let’s start with yesterday’s fun and comparatively simple day. 

            Kosrae has been a great time.  These small Micronesian islands have a warmth and kindness that an American is just not used to.  People will offer to watch your baby or give you a lift almost anywhere you’d like to go.  Yesterday we had a blast taking a native Outrigger canoe ride through a UNESCO protected ecosphere of mangroves and coral.  It was truly a one of a kind experience.  It was just me, Janae, Neyla and our tour guide.  There were canopied paths cut through the magnificent mangroves that made you feel like you were in some fake Disney ride, except it was brilliantly real.  Towards the end of the canoe ride we saw a small island with old Japanese buildings on it from WW2 and went up the largest river in Kosrae.  On this small river we saw some amazing plants and trees that apparently only grow around this river.  There was a tree that was essentially a palm leaf, but it grew up to 20 ft. high and was about 5 ft. in width.  Again, it was like traveling down a river from the movie Avatar, but yet again it was real! 

Janae and Neyla by the "entrance" to the Lelu Ruins.  

            It was quite an amazing day that culminated with the three of us going to the ruins in Lelu where the King of Kosrae reigned in the 1400’s.  This was a strange experience in that housing surrounded the ruins and the entrance was behind an ACE Hardware.  When we arrived at the small blue sign that said, “Lelu Ruins,” we looked at each other and thought it was a joke.  As you can see by the photos, you must slide against a chain-linked fence with grass up to your hips, as there is not a path carved through the rainforest.  We decided to do this, but once you get to the ruins they are extremely old and still a lot of mystery surrounds them.  All the Micronesian islands used to have a sort of feudal system and Kosrae was no exception.  The King used to live amongst these ruins in an effort to stay separated from the “commoners.”  We concluded our walk in Lelu by simply walking around the village meeting locals and taking in the sights the village had to offer. 

            Today; I really don’t even know where to begin with this story.  Our hiking experience in Kosrae turned into an adventure unlike any that we have ever had and one I can’t imagine having again.  Janae and I love hiking and we were excited to hike again in Kosrae, but there were several issues with our hiking today.  First, the last few days or so have been very rainy, even by Kosraean standards.  Because of this, we couldn’t go all the way to the top of the mountain, but as you’ll soon see, that was a relief for us.   

            Our tour guide, Phillip, was picking us up at our hotel at 9:00 am.  The early morning was rainy, but by 8:30 the clouds had broken a bit and Phillip said that it’d be a day filled with blue skies.  We were astonished that our guide arrived at our hotel 30 minutes early, usually “island time” is about 30 – 90 minutes behind, but Phillip was rearing to go at 8:30.  We quickly got ready and for the first time ever-handed Neyla off to a “stranger.”  Her name was Sofila and she was a kind woman who worked at our hotel and offered to watch Neyla.  We were told by Maria, the owner of our hotel, that NO WAY could Neyla go on the hike with us.  We were a bit surprised by this since we always took her on “intermediate” hikes in Colorado and didn’t expect this hike to be too much different. 

            We got into Phillip’s car and he apologized for it being an “island car.”  What he meant by this was that there was no radio, no inner lining on most of the car (wires were showing all over) and he had to hot wire it to get it started.  We paid no mind and headed off for our hike.  He explained to us that two people who live on a yacht in the Bay were also going to join us, so we made a quick stop to pick up a young Aussie couple, Ben and Wendy.  They were perfectly nice people and had been travelling around the Pacific for the better part of the last year on their yacht. 

Janae and Phillip starting on the paved trail.

            We were now en route to the belly of the “sleeping lady” of the island.  We arrived in Phillip’s small village and took a small pot holed road up towards his house and the beginning of the trail.  A short mile long road took more than 10 minutes in Phillip’s “island car” and the pot-marked road.  When we arrived at his house he had us sign some hand written waivers, gave us some walking sticks and showed us his certification as a tour guide from the Chinese government.  He was the only licensed tour guide on the island and he made his relatively modest living this way.  He and some of his friends had started the hiking trail off with some concrete and rope, which was very helpful and also gave us a false sense of security for the hike.  In less than 10 minutes the concrete and rope ran out and it was now us and nature.  Phillip explained that his dream was to pave and rope the whole path and to gain even more tourists.  He wanted to leave this to his children.  He told a beautiful story how every great achievement is generational and he wanted his children to finish someday what he had started.   

            As we made our way up the mountain the clouds had returned.  Since we couldn’t go all the way to the top of the mountain our goal was to see the triple waterfall and to go through some of the Japanese tunnels that were built during WW2.  Phillip said the entire hike would take about 3 hours, or so he thought.  As we were about halfway up I realized this was much more intense of a hike than what Janae and I had usually done in Colorado.  That was partially because we always hiked with Neyla and partially because the hikes in Colorado are so well marked and the trails are easy to follow.  On a scale of 1-10 I would have put this hike at about an 8.  There were many difficult climbs on our way up, the ground was still quite slippery and there were several instances where one slip up would send you down deep into the jungle below never to be found.  Little did I know that this part was barely a 2 on Kosraean difficulty. 

Janae walking through the Japanese tunnels. 

            We made it up with no problems.  We explored the Japanese caves from WW2 and as we did it started drizzling a bit outside.  We couldn’t feel it much since the canopy of trees overhead was so thick, but it started to rain much harder while we were in the tunnels.  I had always heard of and studied the Japanese tunnels, but to actually see them and go in them was an amazing experience for a history teacher.  As we walked into one of the tunnels in the heart of the mountain it was shocking how dark and quiet it was up there, but as we exited the tunnel it became clear that it was now pouring outside. 

            Shortly before we entered the tunnel Phillip looked at me, Janae, Wendy and Ben and said, “I usually don’t take people down the ‘other way,’ but since you all look fit, I will today.”  I wasn’t quite sure what this meant other than we weren’t going down the way we came, which I was glad about because I thought it would be quite difficult to go back down that way… little did I know that would have been a much easier voyage.  From the Japanese tunnels we began our voyage to the triple waterfall and then back down the mountain to Phillip’s house.  As we did, I slipped and fell straight on my butt and as I did, so too did Ben.  The pouring rain had gotten the better of us and we were both not only soaked, but had hit the same slippery pile of mud and wiped out almost simultaneously.  By now the rain had been pouring steadily for at least 10 minutes and we were as wet as if were in the shower.  We also still had at least an hour or two of hiking in front of us. 

            Shortly after we both fell, Phillip stopped to give us a bit more information on a Japanese tunnel and building that were here and he casually mentioned, “I am worried this trail will be flooded by the rain and the river.”  But he had also mentioned that it wasn’t wise to turn back now.  This didn’t fill me with much confidence and I was the only one of us four who heard him, so I kept plugging away behind his lead.  We soon reached the triple waterfall and it was quite breath taking.  The major problem with this hike was that it was so wet and slippery that I couldn’t take my eyes off the step just in front of me, so I missed taking in much of the beauty that surrounded me.  But, here at the waterfalls we stopped for about 10 minutes and took in the beauty.  I snapped a few photos and a video, but then realized because of the rain I had to put my camera in Ben’s waterproof backpack.  As Phillip and Janae finished off their swim in one of the basin’s of the waterfall I looked around and didn’t see a trail.  I started to get a bit nervous, but little did I know that our first cross over this river and these falls would be one of the easiest. 

The last picture we were able to take before the camera had to be put away.  

            The reason that Phillip doesn’t take many people on this “trail,” is because there really isn’t a trail and it is quite steep.  From the waterfalls we walked up the side of a rather steep bank grasping to roots of trees, tree limbs, really anything that allowed you to not fall back all in the hopes of not slipping.  We went around the third of the falls, but then had to scale down a small muddy path with some stones and tree roots to get back down to the river so that we could cross to the other side.  Janae looked back at me and smiled and I quivered with fear.  That’s what I love about Janae, she truly saw this as a great adventure that we could share and I was wondering if we’d make it out alive.  We carefully crossed the river a few times by stepping carefully on wet and mossy stones above the rushing rapids of the river, which had greatly picked up its current with the still pouring rain.  These were just two of the roughly 15 times that we would have to cross this river. 

            Each time we crossed the river we would have to go a bit deeper into the river.  The water was rushing so rapidly that the stones that you would normally walk across were now submerged underneath the running water.  When I asked Phillip if most of his tours were like this, he looked at me and said, “No.”  In all honesty, this worried me a bit, mostly because he looked a little worried and not only was he a native Kosraean, but he was the only certified guide on the island and had been doing this for over 20 years.  Each time we had to cross, he would slowly scale down the muddy bank and make us aware of any really slippery parts, then he’d walk across the river about calf or knee deep telling us where to walk and always warning us to use our walking sticks because of the current.  After we had crossed the river about 8 times we had hit a large field of grass up to one’s knees.  There was a small trail carved in the grass and I had hoped and thought we were finally almost to his house and finished.  In fact, the worst was yet to come and we still had more than another hour of hiking.  The rain was so intense that even though we were now on dry land, the water was almost entirely covering our shoes. 

            To my dismay I now heard the river yet again.  I started to see it on my right, but thought that there was no way we’d possibly have to pass it again, but I was wrong.  The next 4 or 5 crossings are now a blur.  I cut up my left ankle a bit on a rock, but other than that we passed pretty unscathed, but it’s the last two crossings that will stay with me.  By this point the river reminded me of white water rapids and while it was only about 12 feet across, that looked quite far since there were no longer rocks to guide us across in anyway.  We had to now swim or scale the bottom across.  Phillip is not a tall man, maybe 5’6’, but he took his backpack and machete and threw it across the river and was stomach deep in this rushing water as he crossed.  He told us to be careful and use our sticks and we should be fine.  We found a few rocks to help us across, but I got caught in the current and thankfully Phillip grabbed my hand and helped me across.  The same then happened to Wendy and she got flung further than I did and Phillip and I were able to grab her and help her to dry ground as well.  We all were relieved to make it over this pass, but had no idea that 10 minutes ahead was one that would be even more dangerous. 

            As we walked along the river Phillip told us that we only had to cross the river once more and then his house was just 15 minutes up the trail once we crossed over.  As we approached the last point to cross, I thought it was a joke.  We all looked at each other and all clearly thought, “there’s no way.”  Phillip said that he would go first and get a long stick that we could each grab onto and he would pull us across.  As Phillip went across he was almost armpit deep.  This river of white rapids was about 4 and a half feet deep and if you got taken by the current, who knows?  There were all sorts of rocks, boulders and mini waterfalls that awaited you.  Philip went to the other side and wanted me to come first.  I put a foot down in about 3 foot of water, grabbed the stick with two hands tightly (as he had instructed) and walked hard across the river.  I made it across, but that current was much stronger than I imagined.  Janae came next and I helped Phillip hold the stick and make sure that he was balanced to pull her over and she made it rather easily.  We were relieved and yet I was still a bit frightened at the same time. 

            Wendy went next and for some reason, she didn’t want to walk across the bottom.  She grabbed the large stick that Phillip had and then tried to leap through the current, but as she did, the current took her.  It was quite scary.  She started going down the river, but Phillip held onto the stick firmly.  As she tried to hold on tightly I was able to grab her other hand and we pulled her up to safely.  She said that Ben had told her to try that to avoid the current, but it didn’t work.  Now Ben still had to come over and I was afraid he was going to try the same thing, and he did.  Ben was a pretty adventurous guy and had done the whole hike in bare feet just like Phillip, and now he was attempting to go through this last river pass all by himself.  Phillip held out the stick, but manly Ben wouldn’t take it.  Only when he slipped did he grab it and then he too jumped and this time he was taken by the current.  He pulled Phillip in and Phillip was lucky to pop back out of the river and grab a nearby rock.  Ben rushed down stream for about 20 feet before fortuitously grabbing a palm tree branch and getting out of the river.  For a short time I was terrified that both would just keep going and Wendy too look extremely frightened.  Ben laughed it off, but Phillip was clearly a bit hurt.  He said the river forced him under and he hit the bottom.  We regrouped, gathered our stuff and headed the last 15 minutes for Phillip’s house.

            We all arrived with just a few minor scrapes and bruises, but it was quite the adventure.  As I look back now it certainly makes for a great story, but I won’t lie, there were several times where I started thinking, “here we are on this beautiful island, in this isolated rain forest and if someone falls and breaks their leg, or worse, there’s nobody around to come and help us.”  I think for now, I’ll just go back to the Colorado intermediate hikes that I can enjoy with Neyla in a Bjorn.  The mountain, rain forest, pouring rain, no trail, waterfall, rushing rapids hikes may be just a bit over my head.