Boonie Stomping - Hiking the Guam Way!
Ranked #1,398 in Sports & Recreation, #45,930 overall
Boonie Stomping - It's How You Hike in the Boonies!
The dense forested areas of Guam were affectionately called "boonies" by the locals. "Boonies" or "boondocks" are derived from the Philippine Tagalog word "bundok"--which means "forest" or "mountains"--a word adopted by U.S. forces during World War II (or maybe even during the Spanish-American War, when the U.S. took over the Philippines briefly after that conflict ended).
This Squidoo lens will present some of the experiences I had while boonie stomping on the island of Guam.
Upper Talofofo Falls, Southern Guam
Goodies for Your Boonie Stomp! You Can Wear 'Em, or Decorate With 'Em!
The T-Shirts are good for keeping the mosquitos away!
How a Boonie Stomp Session Can Destroy a Tennis Shoe
The Goal of Boonie Stomping? The Why? Because of the Fun at the End? Maybe!
The following set of "Polaroids" illustrates one of the first "Boonie Stomps" I participated in on Guam. The Saturday hike to Talofofo Falls was sponsored by the Guam Science Teachers Association. It had been announced a few weeks before in the GSTA Newsletter.We arrived at the designated meeting place--the Mom & Pop store at the mouth of the Talofofo River at about 8:00 in the morning. Ominous overcast didn't deter our group assembled at the gathering place.
After about a half-hour, our group started heading down a narrow unpaved road parallel to the river into the "boonies".
The road narrowed even more into a rough "jeep-trail" through high sword-grass, coconut groves, huge stands of bamboo, and thickets of tangentangen.
We were startled when two carabao (water buffalo) rose out of a marshy sword-grass clearing next to our path. The experience was most likely more disconcerting to those not yet familiar with the critters of Guam.
We continued through a narrow path as the overcast sky started to sprinkle us with occasional raindrops.
Ahead, we had to cross the Talofofo River... slowly flowing and thick on the surface with water hyacinths. Groups of three or four of us would scramble aboard a bamboo-and-board raft and then tow ourselves across the river by pulling on a rope stretched between coconut palms on the banks. Sort of an exciting experience.
As we made it to the other side of the river, the rain started in earnest. A true Guam downpour.
By the time we got to the main Talofofo Falls, the downpour had increased their volume and they were roaring! Some of our group decided to swim in the pool beneath the falls. The rest of us tried to get shelter from the rain under pandanus and other overhanging trees--where we ate our soggy sandwiches and other "boonie snacks"... and guzzled some water, iced tea, or soda to help prevent dehydration.
Even though it was raining and windy, it was still warm, so we were still working up a sweat.
By the time we returned to our drop-off point a few hours later, we were drenched and covered in mud. But it was a cool ending for an interesting adventure!
Starting Point for a Talofofo Falls Boonie Stomp, Guam (Long, Long Time Ago!)
Heading In to the Boonies For a Talofofo Falls Boonie Stomp, Guam
Heading Into the Swordgrass Area on the Way to Talofofo Falls, Guam
Water Buffalo (Carabao) in Swordgrass on the Way to Talofofo Falls, Guam
Crossing the Talofofo River on a Rope-Pull Raft on the Way to the Falls, Guam
Reaching the Other Side of the Talofofo River on the Way to Talofofo Falls, Guam
Sometimes Boonie Stomps Get a Little Rain... Adds for More Adventure! Talofofo Falls, Guam
Talofofofo Falls, Guam, During a Heavy Rain
Boonie Stomping by the Bay.... eBay, that is!
Talofofo Falls as Seen from Ridge Above, Southern Guam
Remains of WWII Japanese Shore-Defense Gun, Gun Beach, Western Guam
Try Boonie Stomping in Person--Go Where Boonies are Available!
If you want to do boonie stomping on Guam, their Airport code is "GUM"!
Cool Break in Guam Highland River During Cross-Island Boonie Stomp
Read Up on All the Cool Things You Need to Know About the Boonies!
On Point : A Rifleman's Year in the Boonies : Vietnam 1967-1968 by Roger S. Hayes
On Point, a Vietnam memoir, has appeared on the Ar more...0 points
The Best Tracks on Guam by Dave Lotz, Bev Lotz
The Best Tracks on Guam is the newly updated third more...0 points
Franko's Guide Map of Guam USA by Frank Nielsen
Waterproof tourist and recreation map of Guam, &qu more...0 points
Field Guide to Caves and Karst of Guam by Danko Taborosi
Caves and Karst of Guam is a field guide to the li more...0 points
Rapids on Ugum and Bubulao Rivers, Southern Guam
Boonie Dress Uniforms (BDU)! Clothes for the Boonies!
The proper gear will make your boonie stomp a lot more comfortable!
These items will keep you protected from mosquitos, ticks, sharp coral, jagged rocks, and spiny plants on the trails you'll be finding yourself on!
Multicam Poly / Cotton Ripstop ACU Pants
Propper ACU uniforms are built to military specifi more...0 points
Multicam Poly / Cotton Ripstop Boonie
Propper's 50% Nylon / 50% Cotton Sun Hat/Boonie is more...0 points
Multicam Poly / Cotton Twill BDU Patrol Cap
Propper's BDU Patrol caps are made of single-ply c more...0 points
Men's Waterproof Guide Gear® Side - zip Desert Boots Sand
WATERPROOF Guide Gear Side-zip Desert Boots. Becau more...0 points
Military ACU Digital BDU Camouflage Shirt
Brand new Military ACU Digital BDU Camouflage Shir more...0 points
ACU Digital Camouflage Boonie Hat
ACU Digital Camouflage Boonie Hat - 55% Cotton / 4 more...0 points
Hiking Guam's Southern Mountains Central Ridge, View of Cocos Island and Reef, Southern Guam
Boonies in Action! Check Out the Boonies in these Movies!
Six Days, Seven Nights
Big-screen favorite Harrison Ford stars in this no more...0 points
The Rundown (Widescreen Edition)
The Rock teams up with Seann William Scott for a w more...0 points
Hell in the Pacific
From the director of Excalibur and Deliverance com more...0 points
Cutthroat Island
Geena Davis and Matthew Modine deliver a tidal wav more...0 points
The Naked Jungle
In THE NAKED JUNGLE, Charlton Heston plays the pow more...0 points
George of the Jungle
Disney presents the smash hit comedy that families more...0 points
Jungle 2 Jungle
America's favorite entertainer, Tim Allen, is at i more...0 points
Bindi-Jungle Girl
PAL/Region 0. Bindi: The Jungle Girl is a Wildlife more...0 points
Hiking Mountainous Central Ridge, Southern Guam
Beach at Talofofo Bay, Guam
Guam Natural Scenery for Decoration!
You can imagine boonie stomping even when you're at home or at your desk!
Creepy Encounters with a Banyan Tree and a Monitor Lizard
Sometimes boonie stomping gives you some scary adventures!
At first, when we arrived on the Western Pacific Island of Guam, banyan trees, were only a mild curiosity to us. But as we gained more familiarity with the island's tropical plants and enjoyed boonie stomping with our new Guamanian friends, we learned that the banyan trees held a unique significance to Guam's Chamoru culture: the locals believed that the Taotaomona--considered spirits of the ancient Chamoru--were "guardians" who resided within the structures of banyan trees.One scene in particular still haunts me:
With some classmates from Inarajan Junior High School, we planned a boonie stomp (hike) from our home near Malojloj to the nearest beach. We had to cross perhaps a half mile (seemed like more) through a combination of volcanic and ancient raised coral reef ("karst topography") carpeted with a dense "limestone forest."
Once we got away from our backyard and deeper into the boonies, we were in a sea of green... the high and thick canopy blocked all but the most direct sunlight that flickered through the few breaks in the leaves. We descended down a high ridge of jagged coral rocks and stumbled our way through the thick barriers of large pandanus, coconuts, breadfruit, and, of course thick stands of tangentangen. We also pushed our way past sea bean lianas, wild hibiscus trees, cycads, and occasional banyans. And these were only the big plants... the jungle floor was also covered with bird's nest and other ferns, pockets of moss, small clumps of grasses, and occasional mushrooms.
After our initial steep drop of about 100 feet from the clearing where our house was, we found ourselves on a relatively flat forested area--still hazardous with the jumbles of jagged coral rocks. This gave us a brief break before the next phase of the hike. To get further toward the beach--and a lower ancient reef platform--we found a collapsed "lava tube" or maybe a coral reef "surge channel" that was about 30 feet across and maybe 400 feet long. Our guides said that we'd have to go through this deep channel in the forest to get down to the next level (this was the way to go if we wanted to avoid dangerous cliffs). We used our machetes to hack our way into the foilage that was also seemingly connected by huge spider webs. Halfway through the channel, however, the dense overhead canopy of leaves rendered the area almost to twilight levels of darkness. We realized that the canopy of leaves was mostly from a banyan tree sprawling in the middle of the channel. We had maybe 4-5 feet to pass on either side of the tree to get to the other side. On the rotten remains of a tree stump were two luminescent mushrooms... and in the dim twilight of the channel, they looked like creepy eyes staring at us.
Our Guamanian guides clammed up a bit while we were in the channel--particularly when we were passing by the banyan tree. And they didn't cheer up until we were back on the lower terrace leading to the wide fringing reef (where we were going to swim, snorkel, and picnic before returning home).
We enjoyed our play in the water and finished off our barbequed fish, chicken, and rice balls.. and got ready for our hike back up through the forest to our home. Again, as we got deeper and deeper into the forest--and particularly as we passed through the channel and squeezed past the banyan tree--our guides clammed up and didn't chatter much, except for warning us about hazards on the trail.
We were within a few 100 feet of our home when I reached up to grab a branch to steady myself as I pushed past some foilage. But the branch hissed at me... and I realized that I was face to face with a large monitor lizard perched on the tree. The lizard scrambled into the deeper maze of boonies and we scramble in the opposite direction and quickly toward home.
When we got back to the house a few minutes later, we had to spend time "chilling" and letting our nerves settle before cleaning up and moving on to other activities. The banyan tree in the channel and the others along the way were part of the adventure... but this experience gave us a bit more respect and understanding of this interesting tree.
Taking a Break During a Guam Boonie Stomp to Get Lunch and Take Notes (School Field Trip)
East Coast of Guam as Seen from Ridge Behind the University of Guam, Mangilao
Come Out of the Boonies for a Few Seconds and Drop a Note!
-
Reply
-
VillaDejaBlue
Jan 8, 2012 @ 3:25 pm | delete
- Nice lens.
-
-
Reply
-
PatriceBeaulieu
Nov 15, 2011 @ 7:11 pm | delete
- Your photos are beautiful! It sounds like you had quite a few great adventures as a child in Guam. Thanks for sharing your memories, they made for a great read at the end of a long day. :)
-
-
Reply
-
InSearchOf
Oct 22, 2011 @ 2:58 pm | delete
- What a great lens. Thanks for sharing all the info, photos and videos.
-
-
Reply
-
VickiSims
Sep 5, 2011 @ 11:06 am | delete
- Loved your adventure in the Boonies and it was interesting to learn where that expression came from. Blessed by a SquidAngel.
-
-
Reply
-
Tipi
Jun 3, 2011 @ 8:12 pm | delete
- I enjoyed boonie stomping with you Dave and I went barefoot so I wouldn't wreck a pair of shoes. What an adventure! I especially enjoyed the black and whites.
-
- Load More
by EditorDave
If you need documentation or editorial help, or assistance with financial services, please drop me a note.
Living on Guam is what now "defines" me. ...
more »
- 324 featured lenses
- Winner of 22 trophies!
- Top lens » Submarines! Submersibles! Undersea Boats!
- This lens »
Won purple star
Explore related pages
- Guam - Where America's Day Begins - A Tropical Paradise! Guam - Where America's Day Begins - A Tropical Paradise!
- Komodo Dragons and Relatives - the Monitor Lizards Komodo Dragons and Relatives - the Monitor Lizards
- Hawaii - Tips to Make Your Tropical Vacation More Enjoyable! Hawaii - Tips to Make Your Tropical Vacation More Enjoyable!
- Palau -- Republic of Belau Palau -- Republic of Belau
- The Philippines - My Experiences There The Philippines - My Experiences There
- Bears -- the Big Furry Kind -- Not the Teddy Bears Bears -- the Big Furry Kind -- Not the Teddy Bears
Hey! You can write in the boonies!
Magazine Writing from the Boonies
Amazon Price: $24.92 (as of 02/14/2012)
This book shows that a lot of writing can happen in the boonies. Maybe not in the boonies of Guam, but in the boonies nevertheless! Get your boonie-writings now!
If you want to hike on Guam, this book should be in your backpack!
The Best Tracks on Guam
Amazon Price: $40.00 (as of 02/14/2012)
This book is written by experienced Guam boonie-stompers... and in between their stompings, they wrote a great book that will help you get your stomping boots going!
When you are hiking on Guam, you are hiking on "Karst Topography"
Field Guide to Caves and Karst of Guam
Amazon Price: $9.95 (as of 02/14/2012)
This book provides a good insight to the Karst topography of the island of Guam. So many interesting aspects to hiking on Guam--the boonie-stomping!
