Talofofo Caves

Life has been very busy lately…so busy, in fact, that we just haven’t had much time to explore. A lack of exploration is practically sinful to Josh, so recently, we managed to squeeze in a little adventure…literally! We decided to go caving. Now, I believe I’ve already mentioned that I’m not one for small spaces, but life is about growing as a person, right? So, off we went to check out a rather extensive cave system nearby. (Well, technically everything is nearby on such a small island, but these caves really are close to home!)

Our adventure began with a small hike through a jungle of sorts. Nothing new there. Mosquitoes were plentiful, we were sweating buckets, and we even passed some “recycled” tires and other debris, so I was really starting to feel pretty comfortable. You know, the same old, same old. I could handle that! Then, we arrived at our first cave. I must admit, the rock formations surrounded by the jungle were rather picturesque. And the cave itself was fairly big. I mean, I didn’t even have to duck – now that’s my kind of cave! Well, then we spotted the next room in the cave. No, it wasn’t small, but it did include a 50 foot drop-off. Too bad we didn’t bring our rappelling gear…oh wait, we don’t have rappelling gear. Guess we should have thought about that in advance…no more exploring that cave! So, we moved on.

The next few caves weren’t terribly notable. They were pretty, but there were no miniscule rooms or serious cliffs. So I was happy! And so was Josh, because we saw some neat pictographs, and anything concerned with history makes him happy! Shortly thereafter, we came to the end of the trail and a spectacular view. At the end of the trail is a natural arch called Window Rock. The arch was formed by the collapse of a cave ceiling long ago. It is an interesting sight, which is made even more memorable by the outstanding view of the coastline that it frames. (On a side note…the authors of our trusty guidebook must have had a negative experience at this arch. They tend to leave safety issues to their readers’ own discretion, but at this location, they felt the need to inform their readers to “Be wary of nearby bees.” Now, Josh and I didn’t see a single bee on our whole hike, let alone by the arch, but I do appreciate their concern. Perhaps we were hiking when bees were out of season? Better safe than sorry, I guess…!) Anyway, we enjoyed the view and the much-welcomed breeze from the ocean, and then we headed back down the trail to explore a few more caves.

Our final cave turned out to be the most interesting one of the afternoon. Unfortunately for me, it included several rather tight squeezes, but I made it through no worse for the wear. And we even discovered the token hiking rope inside the cave. (I still have yet to go on a hike on Guam that did not include a rope at some point.) We explored this cave and all of its nooks and crannies for quite some time. Josh was in geological heaven! By the time we were ready to re-enter the world of daylight, it was time to head home. So, we didn’t get a chance to explore all of the Talofofo Caves, but I know we’ll be back! (And hopefully, the bees won’t be in season then, either…!)