Tag: hikes

Mount Lam Lam

passion vine 1
This hike varies in difficulty depending on the weather. If you go early enough in the morning and it is a windy day, this can be a very nice hike.

wild orchid

If the air is still and you wait until too late in the day, it’s murder.

orange flower (big)

Either way, bring a lot of sunscreen because there is very little shade.

rich from the back

Also, make sure to have mosquito repellent for any spots you make in the shade. If it has been rainy (and it usually is) you will see a lot of mosquitoes.

rich and the view

There are two tops to Mount Lam Lam, and there is some dispute as to which one is the “real” top.

rich with crosses

On the right hand path, you will follow the stations of the cross up to one of the tops of the mountain. This has wonderful views of the ocean and many locals consider it the real top.

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However, if you take the left hand path, you will get to the top of the mountain that is officially recognized as the top.

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I have done both. The top with the crosses is a much shorter path because it goes straight up.

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On the other hand, the surveyors top takes you down into the jungle, and then back up along a poorly marked trial until at last you climb the rocks to the marker.

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It’s a beautiful view from either spot, and I recommend doing both (though maybe not in the same day.)

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If you are Catholic, you might appreciate the little shrine about halfway up before the trail splits off.

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Definitely take some time to enjoy the ground orchids, passion vines, and other beautiful plants.

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On an amusing side note: The locals consider Mount Lam Lam to be the tallest mountain in the world because they measure from the bottom of the Marianas Trench to the top of the peak.

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Therefore, if you climb Mount Lam Lam, you can amuse your friends by saying you climbed the tallest mountain in the world.

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A really big hole

The best preserved and first proven meteor crater on earth is in Arizona. Just outside of Flagstaff you can get a taste of a piece of the stars…

The meteor crater museum
The meteor crater museum

 

 

One of the most impressive meteor craters in the world is in Arizona. It’s new by scientific standards (5,000 years old) and because Arizona has so little weather, it’s very well preserved. In some parts of the world a meteor could hit and it would just become a lake. But we have so little water, animals, and plants here that this crater looks almost like it did when it was formed.

 

The meteor crater is just a few minutes from Flagstaff. You take the 40 out of Flagstaff towards Winslow and it comes up on the right in about half an hour. You’ll see the signs.

 

Visitor's Center
Visitor's Center

 

 

The visitor center and museum is pretty cool. They have pictures and stats on every meteor impact of note anywhere on earth, and more than you could ever want to know about our own meteor crater.

 

This is about as close as you can get to outer space without actually leaving the planet. It’s pretty neat to realize you’re standing next to a rock that has travelled through space across all sorts of unknown and possible Star Trek-like stuff.

 

Not of this world
Not of this world

 

If you keep on going down the 40 you’ll get to the petrified forest. I didn’t keep going because I’ve been there… and it was not as cool as I hoped. It’s a lot of flat ground and not a tree for miles. There’s some rocks on the ground. I’d stop to see it if I was driving by, but I wouldn’t go out of my way for it.

 

As for the meteor crater, it’s so close to Flagstaff that it’s a cool thing to do while you’re over there. Make it part of a day trip when you’re tired from hiking. It’s open until 7pm, so it’s easy to fit into a day up north.

 

The Hole
The Hole