5 a.m. The shrill ringing of the alarm clock jolted me from an hour’s
sleep on Saturday morning, and I had to drag protesting muscles up to
get ready for a trek to another one of Saipan’s famous hiking
destinations.
Hiking to Naftan Point, says our trek organizer Jacob, would take
only about 20 minutes from his cousin’s house. We started walking in the
darkness toward this historical spot at the southernmost part of
Saipan, but it was only after almost an hour later when we reached the
Hawaiian Rock where the real trek began. Talk about 20 minutes!
As the sun began its ascent to the skies, my energy level was slowly
beginning to drain, not to mention that there was actually none to start
with.
We plodded on, asking over and over how far do we have to go and
agonizing over the thought of the way back until we finally emerged
through a clearing and stepped into a whole new world.
A spectacular panorama was before us but an eerie silence seems to
pervade the place. It felt as though we were intruders into another
world.
Naftan Point is an enchanting rugged
terrain, with grass-covered corals, steep cliffs, numerous caves,
plateaus, bushes and more ruins and relics from the World War 2. From a
distance, the Forbidden Island seemed to issue a silent but daring
invitation to anyone who would want to challenge its name. Over 50 feet
below the sharp cliff lines, the thunderous noises created by the
crashing waves would make one think twice before standing on the cliffs’
edge.
Hiking to Naftan Point without proper ammunition (a.k.a. camera and
tripod) would be unforgivable because the place is a photographer’s
dream. It was not that easy to pick your way through the sharp stones
and rocks concealed by the untrimmed grasses though. One wrong step and
the corals you are stepping on could crack. I did not have the chance to
go near the very edge of the cliffs because aside from my progress
being hampered by the tripod, I had second thoughts about gambling my
life and my camera from the edge. After a few quick bites of tuna
sandwiches and sips of water, we took a few minutes of rest but our time
was running out. With only the shelter from the huge rock, we know it
would not be long before the shade would be gone as the sun gets higher.
We found an old Japanese canon in one of the ruined bunkers at Naftan
Point, along with several other war relics. I could just imagine the
war when the canon spewed death fumes all the way to Tinian.
We finally started our way back. And that was when everything turned awry.
Two of my companions—Jeanette and Fe went ahead of the group. The six
of us followed, but Jacob got other ideas and led us into a “short
cut”, which we hesitantly took. But anyway, any change in the road
seemed welcome so we followed the leader. However, the road we were
following seemed to be going in circles and we seemed to be walking
endlessly. When we began to see pink flowers on the vines along the
road, I began to guess that the trail we were following was leading to
Obyan Beach, much much farther from our car. I was dreadfully right.
We plodded on and reached the end of the shady trail. Suddenly, a
dusty, winding road shimmering in the noonday heat stretched out before
us. Obyan Beach was a few miles below, and I knew there was no choice
but to force my over-tired body to move on.
It was not easy for somebody like me whose only exercise everyday is
to go up the stairs of the office or the Superior Court. Imagine walking
up the Obyan Road toward the direction of Hawaiian Rock under the 11
o’clock sun, with not a single tree or shade in sight. I was at the
farthest rear of the group, trying to concentrate in putting one foot
ahead of the other to walk on.
With every dragging, agonizing step I took, my camera seemed to grow
heavier and it took real effort to stay awake and not give in to the
darkness that threatened to envelop me. After over an hour of fighting
the urge to cry, I finally convinced buddy Andrew to seek some shade in
the bushes. Under ordinary circumstances, I would never imagine going
into those bushes. Andrew volunteered to spread his towel to cover the
sharp bushes so we could sit on for a while. Just when I felt so
helpless, I got a call that a car was coming for us. I could have kissed
the car’s wheels with joy!
Naftan Point has still so much to offer and we missed much, but I
would love to go back anytime. Minus the unplanned miles of hiking.
This article was first published
HERE
