The saga continues: Circumnavigate Tinian

Walk around Saipan? Check! So, Tinian was next on the bucket list.

Ali Nelson, Madge Gai, and Christopher King set off on their new expedition on the neighboring island of Tinian this past rainy weekend. A cult following seemed to appear out of thin air as word got out around the community of this Tinian trek. Laura Webb, Denise Myers, Maria Ornes, and Angie Mister joined along with veteran walker Veronica Arriola, who completed the trek with the original trio on the western side of Saipan in May of this year.

The whole month of August was set aside for planning and logistical purposes. Spearheaded by Nelson, duties and responsibilities were distributed amongst the team members as they prepared provisions and camping equipment for the adventure. Routes were planned out and supplies were gathered as Sept. 8 neared. Last-minute details were discussed and camel packs were filled with water and electrolytes. It was now time to head over to the Saipan domestic airport and take a small island hopper plane to the island of Tinian. Fifteen minutes later, the group touched down on Tinian and thus began their two-day odyssey.

The walk began at the southernmost tip of Tinian heading north towards San Jose Village. It was mainly a flat road walk, which was an easy start to the trek. The team transitioned over to the Piña Ridge Road and headed north along the east coast of Tinian. Nelson commented that “the terrain was overall very flat. The weather was stormy, but the cloud cover and rain saved us from getting too hot.”

Throughout the evening, heavy rain and thunderstorms raged overhead as the group traversed on with the hope of reaching camp at Long Beach before the weather got worse. Once they reached Long Beach around midnight, the group quickly set up camp and ended their night watching the night sky illuminate with spontaneous lightning and thunderous claps following closely behind. Myers remarked that “for camping it was epically comical how bad the weather was but for hiking it was epically perfection.”

Around 4:30am alarm clocks blared and woke the team up from their restless slumber. Gathering up their supplies and eating a light breakfast of fruit and granola bars, the group started their long walk. As they neared the most northern tip of Tinian, the seasoned hikers faced an oddly familiar challenge: thick island jungle filled with bugs and spiders. Crawling, ducking, and slashing their way through the tall sword grass and avoiding all the little critters seem to be second nature to them, as though they do this every Saturday at 4pm.

Once out of the sword grass, the group finally were able to touch down on solid concrete road. It was all in for the long stretch back to Taga Beach. Passing through Chulu Beach then walking straight through the SeaBee Memorial, it seemed like the road was never-ending! Finally, the beautiful Taga Beach sign was near and the group made their final steps and completed the circumnavigation of Tinian.

The overall journey took two days and approximately 37 miles. Besides the leg cramps and fatigue, the group sustained minimal injuries mainly from the tall sword grass that lacerated the skin with micro cuts. The hikers would like to thank CHC Tinian, especially Pam and her husband for helping to lend their cars for the trek. Much thanks go toward Tinian Ice for loaning bottle gallons that helped the trekkers profoundly on staying hydrated throughout the day. Rota, be warned! You are next!