August 13, 2002-Trekking with Ulu

wingssail image-fredrick roswold
Judy and the Ulu's: Tahi, Mick & Chris

We were anchored at Mare Island in the Loyalties with our friends on Ulu: Mick, Chris and 1 year old Tahi. Somebody found out there was a resort on the other side, I don’t know who; but the suggestion was made, “Why not take a walk there for lunch, its only three miles?”

OK, sounds good.

We set out, the five of us; Tahi on Mick’s back. The trail behind the beach was easy, level, grass, two ruts through the jungle; a carefree trek across the island, a walk in the park, a lark; until it got dangerous.

That was after we got lost.

Mare Island is a limestone rock covered with dense jungle. A limestone island like Mare is like Swiss cheese: full of holes and sharp edges. As long as we were on the trail the going was easy. Off the trail the foliage was thick and it hid the bare limestone underneath which could cut our shoes and would easily slice flesh. Then there were the holes. The holes in the ground were several feet deep. Don’t want to fall into one of them; you would get cut to pieces.

But we didn’t know all this; we had no idea about the nature of the terrain off the trail, it just looked green. When the trail sort of petered out, going from a two rut track into a single rut and then no visible trail at all, we pushed into the underbrush.

Even then we didn’t know what we were getting into.

But nearly stepping off into a 12 foot hole woke me up. This isn’t good.

But by then we were lost. How do you get lost on a three mile hike? Well, no trail and not knowing which way is back is how. We tried to go back, and couldn’t find the trail. And to push onward we had to cut through the jungle and we were not even sure which direction was onward.

We debated: I think it is this way. No, it is this way. The afternoon was getting on. Being lost in this jungle after dark would be very unpleasant. I could see that our situation could get much worse if it got dark. We all could see that. Tahi, the happy baby, sensed the tension and started to cry.

Time to be decisive: I could see the afternoon sun low in the sky through the trees. We can keep the sun to our right and we’ll go in a straight line to the south shoreline of this island. What will happen when we get to the shoreline is anybody’s guess, but it is better than going in circles in this jungle.

We moved carefully.

The sound of the surf got louder; we were getting closer to the rocky shore.

Then I stepped into a clearing; grass, flat land, the ocean was just through the trees at the far side of the clearing.

I called to the others, “This way, there is a clearing.”

They stepped out of the jungle, we looked at each other. God, maybe we’ll get out of this yet.

“Let’s follow it to the left and see where it ends”.

We moved a few hundred yards and…

”Oh My God, a trail!”

This time the trail, which started off as a narrow path, quickly turned into a road.

Saved! We were jubilant; we sang, we danced along, we clapped our hands, Tahi laughed.

Just ahead was the resort and cars were there so there was another way out. No more jungle for us. After lunch we walked back on the road, and even got a ride in a truck.

The day ended well.

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Fred & Judy, SV Wings, Mare Island