Adventure to Pagat Caves

On Saturday October 4, 2014 I woke up early as usual since I have not completely adjusted to the time change. Which was a good thing; it gave me a head start to explore the Island. I drove to Gun Beach but couldn’t really find a place that didn't say tow away zone or private property. I then decided to just drive up north and see what I found. I was driving aimlessly for about 45 minutes looking at houses for sale and just seeing where the road took me until I decided to look at the tourist map and see what was close by. I saw that there were caves off route 15 so I decided to see what that was about. I just drove that road for a while until I saw cars parked and decided to give it a try. When I parked on the side of the road I saw a car that had a sign that said “no money, doors unlocked”. I read a little about this, it is to stop people from breaking your window to see what they can find. Just make sure you take everything with you. I didn't have a pen and I didn't want to keep my windows open since I rains here quite often so I decided to take the risk. When ever I go hiking I usually have all my gear with me. I usually have a flashlight, first aid kit, food, water, GPS, knife, fire starter and extra clothes. But since all that stuff is still in the move, all I had was a water bottle and camera.  As I started the hike and got deeper into the jungle I got a little nervous since I had no idea of what I was getting into. I didn't know how far the cave was or what it was like getting to it. I saw wasps on the trail and wondered if they would sting me. I heard rustling just off the trail which I finally found to be 3 little wild pigs.

 As you get deeper into the jungle the terrain got more rocky. What was a dirt trail with only a slight decline got rocky and steep. Some areas had rope tied to trees to help with the decent/accent. The trail got harder to follow in the rocks but it did have orange tape tied to some trees and branches to help you stay on it. The steeper areas had ropes to help your balance.

When I finally reached the end I saw a hole in the ground. Nothing like caves I have seen in the past, paved with a stairway entrance with lights to guide the way. This one was literally a hole in the ground. I decided to just go into the entrance and turn back.

 When inside I saw there were a tour group with flashlights inside. Not wanting to risk it I turned back up the path. As I went up I met a two groups that invited me to tag along with them. One was a military family and the other another tour group with a local guide and Japanese tourist. I joined the tour group and went into the cave. The tour guide was very friendly, his name was Kurtis. He showed me all about the cave and the surrounding area. He also invited me to join the group as they went to other parts of the area. For the cave, it was not that deep. You just go about a minute in and put your packs up and everything you don’t want wet up high near your head and wade into the water, just passed that area is the main part of the cave. It was an underground natural fresh water pools were you can swim. I have never been in a cave that wasent developed. The only light in the cave came from the flashlights from the tourist. If you go, be sure to bring waterproof lights. After the cave we went to see the ocean. It was real rocky but you had good grip since the trail was dry. At the ocean there was a natural sea cove and a place to jump into the water. Kurtis explained not to jump into the cove since it’s dangerous when swimming out of it. The safe place to jump was outside the cove and about 35 feet high. Kurtis found out I dident have anymore water or food and offered me some. He told me that the people of Guam are very friendly and family oriented. After lunch by the ocean we headed back and it was all up hill. On the way we saw lattice stones. These are reminants of old Chomorro homes.  If you are not familiar to the area you need to pay special attention to the trail marking because you can easily go off course at the rocky part of the path. Once at the car, I found that it was still in one piece and that was the end of my first real adventure in Guam.