Thankfully people have volunteered to give rides back and forth between villages. Today Erin and I were driven home by the police officer. Hopefully the bus will be fixed soon, but things never happen fast around here.
(Source: thesedimentparlor, via mynameisaliceayres)
(Source: gildings, via eternallysunshine)
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Mount Tumutumu
The hike yesterday was amazing – beyond words even. Erin and I started around 11am, and went up to the path by the wharf. It is listed as the main path on the map Erin has, but it was a lot more overgrown and rough than the one we usually use behind our house. We pushed through the weeds and thorns anyway, and our adopted dogs Marcus and Melba were following along. We soon discovered that it is some kind of season for caterpillars here. We kept walking through what at first we thought were spider’s webs, but it turns out they were the strings of hanging caterpillars. So we each took up a stick and started clearing the path in front of us as we walked.
Not much later it began to rain and we paused under some trees thinking the shower would pass quickly, like they often do here. I was ready to press on, determined to reach the top, but Erin was less than confident. She decided to turn back, as the rain would make the trail more difficult and she was not certain she would be able to make it. We parted ways, and much to my surprise, the dogs followed me up the trail. I always assume they like Erin better because she plays with them most of the time, but I guess they were up for a little more adventure as well. So off we went, the reckless palagi and her chicken eating dogs.
At first the trail does not seems so difficult. It is wide and clear, the ground is even, and inclines gradually through many parts. The challenge comes in the length, the heat and humidity especially after rain, and the places where the trail does suddenly become steep. It also has many twists and turns as it wraps around the mountain. This makes for spectacular views when there are breaks in the foliage, but kept me constantly guessing where the end of the trail would be.
After I reached the point where I had stopped the week before, I began to pause often to rest, rehydrate, and to snap pictures with the camera that Erin had let be borrow. The dogs would sit and wait for me or run off to investigate some strange sound, bounding back when I was ready to move on. A little after 1pm, I caught a glimpse of the bluest patch of sky up ahead in a clearing that appeared at the top of the trail. I raced ahead, expecting to find the most extraordinary sight of my life. What I found was less than spectacular.
Stepping out from the trail I came upon a large flat and grassy area. It was surrounded by trees on all sides and there appeared to be nowhere else to go. I could see bits of the ocean far in the distance through the trees, and to my left was an old concrete building. In front of this was some sort of antenna tower. First, I walked to the edge of the trees, trying to peer out beyond them without falling down the steep drop off that was below their roots. I tried several different places, where it seemed like there was hope of a better view, but I had no such luck. I turned my attention back to the concrete structure. As I walked around the side of the building I saw what appeared to be solar panels, and more trees twisted and woven through a -rusty chain-link fence. Strike-two, time for a new plan.
As I stepped around the building once more, I noticed a small warning sign at the base of the tower. Scratched into the white paint were the metallic names and dates of people who had made the same journey. I wondered if they had been as disappointed by the view as I was. I sighed, reached up to the rusting crossbeams of the tower and shook. Nothing happened. I put one foot on the bottom beam, hoisted myself up and shook again. Seemed sturdy enough.
About halfway up I could see over the tops of the trees. I was facing east toward Olosega and Ta’u. I carefully took out the camera and snapped a few shots. Erin would kill me if I dropped the camera, or dropped myself. It had become gloomy again, and I could barely see Ta’u in the distance. This was still not the view I had been looking for. I climbed up a few more feet, but my point of view was no better.
Back on solid ground, I made one last round along the tree line and had resolved to head back down the trail when I saw the dogs. They raced out from a narrow path to the left of the building, one that I definitely would have overlooked. It seemed to head down the mountain, albeit in a different direction than the one I had come. I thought it might take me down to the national park, and the dogs seemed eager enough, so we headed back into the forest.
The path was very narrow and slippery, riddled with vines, and wound down the mountain among looming trees and their giant roots. Soon however, the path turned and I found myself facing an even more treacherous way up through moss covered boulders. I almost turned back. This was surely not the path to the national park beach, and Erin might become worried if I didn’t head back soon, but I couldn’t help myself from going a little farther.
The climb was just as difficult as it looked. My feet kept slipping in the mud between rocks, and I grabbed hold of any low-hanging branches and sturdy roots I could find to help me along. Finally there seemed to be a clearing at the top of the path, and as I stepped into the sun I could feel my heart skip a beat and my breath catch in my lungs. Here was the view I had been looking for.
Stretched out in all directions was the beautiful blue water of the Pacific. Over 1,000 feet below me I could see the coral reef that hugs the coast of the islands, and the waves break as they came in with the tide. To my left I followed the road as it ran along the southern shore, then up over a mountain pass to the Northern side, and back around to the bridge that links Ofu and Olosega. I saw the road split and run north to the village of Sili, and South to the village of Olosega. I saw the Southeastern tip reach into the sea, pointed toward the island of Ta’u.
I tried to photograph what I saw, but pictures do not do the sight justice. I lingered for as long as I could stand the mosquitoes that had suddenly appeared, and wrote this before taking once last look:
“I am standing of top of the most beautiful place in the entire world. If this isn’t perfect, I don’t know what is.”
I tucked the note inside one of my empty water bottles and placed it in a crevasse at my feet. It was hard to leave such beauty behind, and I can only hope to be lucky enough to return.
Today I faced heat, rain, giant hanging caterpillar webs, blisters, ants, hoards of mosquitoes, mud, and slippery trails but I would happily brave 3 times the challenges just to get a glimpse of the views I had today.
This is my life, and it is fucking extraordinary.
if you have netflix watch ‘What the #$*! Do We Know!?’
your mind will literally explode
I watched this at some point in high school, along with Waking Life. I would highly recommend both
