Aoloau Bay

We have been trying to get to the North Side of the island for the past couple of weeks, but the weather had been holding us back. We desperately wanted to get there before Addy left, so even though we had some rain through the night and a little in the morning we decided to make the trek to the North Side anyway. We met our neighbors (Peter, Edward, and Alex) outside of our house at 8 am and set out to conquer a bay on the North Side.

We had been planning on going to Massacre Bay (a bay on the North Side with a lot of history), but we were informed the night before that there was another bay on the North Side that was even more beautiful. To get to either bay, you had to take the same hike to a village with the highest elevation on the island then walk down the other side of the mountain to the water below.

Since you had to climb to the top of the mountain to get to either bay, we held out on the decision until we got to the top so we had time to make the best choice. Our choice was basically made for us when we were waiting at a bus stop on the way up hoping to catch a ride to the top and a local on a motorcycle stopped to say hello. He told us definitively that Aoloau Bay is “much better” than Massacre Bay. That made our decision much easier, and we gave up on waiting for the bus and continued our walk up to the top of the mountain. We were fortunate enough to get picked up by a pastor while we were taking a water break on the side of the road and enjoying a viewpoint. He was nice enough to drive us up the rest of the mountain, through the village, and all the way to the start of the trail.

The village at the top of the mountain has the same name as the bay, Aoloau (try saying that five times fast, or even once out loud), but it is affectionately known to the locals as Alaska. They call it Alaska because it is a few degrees colder up there than anywhere else on the island due to its higher elevation. It really is a sight to see. It has some beautiful views with water on every side and a nice cool breeze that makes you forget about the drenching humidity below.

At the trailhead looking down towards the bay.

The start of the trail is at the very end of the road, right next to a big house that overlooks the North Side of the island. Just to the left of the house, there is a service road that leads to the true trail head. The hike down the mountain is gorgeous! The greenery is different from the other hikes that we have done. There were some short trees with very wide thick deep green leaves, trees with spiral branches that swirled like a corkscrew for reasons unbeknownst to us and luscious ferns speckled throughout the landscape. The hike was a bit steep, and since it had been raining so much before the hike the thick red mud beneath the thin layer of blackened leaves on the ground became a bit slippery. Needless to say there were more than a couple of slips on the way down. We were happy it wasn’t actually raining while we were hiking because it could have gotten a lot worse with water flowing down as well.

Clever trail marker.

Our super extensive variety of wildlife. [insert sarcasm here]

Super lush greenery.

We had to crawl into this cave of vines.

More wildlife 

Wedding mushrooms.

The bay itself was nice. I think the hike was nicer than the result of the hike, but it was nice to get to a new beach. The beach consisted of washed up coral—no white sand here. The water was also a bit murky, most likely because of the rain that morning and the night before. The murkiness made snorkeling a bit difficult, but if you go be sure to snorkel on the right side of the bay instead of the left as there is a bit more reef there. If you do hike a bit out to the left of the bay there were some fantastic views of the rocks on the east side of the island. The whole bay itself is also a cool semi historical spot. The bay is where the old village of Aoloau was before they decided to move it up the hill and there are still remnants of the old village left behind (parts of old houses, a bathroom, etc.).

Me and Addie snorkeling.

We spent about an hour at the beach relaxing, taking some time to eat lunch, snorkel, and swim. Peter and Edward knocked down a coconut and broke it open with the machete we brought. Addie even attempted to do some yoga 
(mostly for the pictures).

Queue the yoga...

After our R&R we gathered the strength (mental and physical) to trek back up the mountain. It was rough to say the least. The ascent is steep, and we barely had enough water to make it the whole way. We took plenty of rest stops on the way back up, but we finally made it and literally sprinted to the finish once we saw it in sight. We were actually able to catch a bus down the mountain (apparently they only run in the afternoons on Saturdays) and head home to rest after what was 
an eventful and exhilarating day at Aoloau Bay.

Looking down at Tafuna and the south side of the island.

A map of American Samoa and Aoloau Bay.

-S