Ok if your new to Guam, or never been, you may not know what a bonnie stomp is. Really its just a hike in the jungle! There are dozen of boonie stomps around the island, which range from super easy, to difficult and challenging. They range from a few hours long, so up to 7 hours long! Having two small children, we really have not had the chance to do much bonnie stompin in our 3 plus years. (only 1 before this the month we got on island, 4 months pregnant I tackled Pagat Caves) So now that the kids are older, and we have less and less time here, I really really really want to mark some of these great adventures off my to do list!
A few months back I was given the best boonie stomp advice ever!! One of the soccer moms told me the best time to climb Mt. Lam Lam, especially with the kids, was right after Easter. She said the path was beaten down and easier for the kids. So was so amazingly correct!! Thank you Heather Rodrigues for our first sucessful Team Lewis Boonie Stomp!
First things first. What should you bring along with you? We had been given great advice here too. If you are not going at Easter, you want to wear some tall socks, and maybe even some gloves. When the razor grass is on the trail, you will be sure to get some cuts if your not covered. Bring both sun screen and bug spray! Most of the trail is in the sun, but there are a few "jungle" type shade areas and the misquitos are pretty bad in those areas. You want to wear some good tennis shoes, especially if it rains at all. The trail can get slick. But if it rains alot, you may have to trek through the mud. Bring water and maybe a little snack for the top. And of course your camera!! But be sure to take a water resistant bag for your camera, just in case you get a shower from mother nature!
As you can see here, we were prepared for the razor grass!!
Now getting there. Its really easy to find the start, drive south on Rt 1 Marine Corp drive, and go left before you hit the Big Navy front gate. Follow that road all the way past Agat. You will stay on this road until you see on the right hand side a small parking area and a paviolion for a look out area. Its pretty abvious, and you may see Japanese tourist buses there too. Park here, and on the left side of the street you'll see a small green sign at the bottom of the trail that says "Mt. Lam Lam."
The trail was pretty clear for us, as you can see in the pictures, it was well beaten down and wider than what we expected.
Our plan was to take it slow and steady with the kids. We wanted them to enjoy it, and have a little freedom, but keep them safe. There are some drop off areas next to the trail, and a bit of light climbing going up. But our 4 year old was able to do the entire trail, only holding my hand at times. Our 2 year old got carried a little here and there, but enjoyed her bit of climbing. They both had a great time.
There are small white crosses with roman numerials on them as you go up, so you can feel confident that your on the right track.
Stop and take pictures along the way, its too pretty not too!
Once you get toward the top you can see water in both directions, the way you came from and the other side of the island. Its quite an amazing view. My photos just dont do it justice!
Then at the last little bit of the trail, you can see the crosses in front of you. The kids got pretty excited and we had to keep asking them to slow down and watch their steps! It is so beautiful up there, and the crosses just make you feel like you have really gotten some where. You have done it!!
Once we got to the top, the kids of course sat for a little snack while mommy ventured around and played with the camera try to figure out how to take landscape pictures. (still need practice)
We didn't stay long because I noticed the rain was headed our way! So we packed it up and headed back down after about 20 minuets. We got a few sprinkles on the way down, but oh boy that little bit of moisture made it a bit slick. Unfortunetly, I had on my oldest pair for shoes and kept loosing my footing. But daddy had on his brand new trails shoes and didn't slip once. He ended up with both kids on the way down. But again, Aedan walked the whole way.
I highly recommend this boonie stomp for families, or those who aren't in for a hard long hike. We didn't time ourselves, but from the time we parked to the time we drove off, it was around 2 and a half hours, including the sun screen and bug spray process!
We are hoping to discover a few more kid friendly hikes to do before we leave. If you have any suggestions or pointers, please let us know!! And look back here for our next adventure....Beijing China!!
