Our destination was Facpi Point, a narrow headland projecting off Guam’s west coast into the ocean. The point is just north of Sella Bay and the notoriously rigorous Cetti 7 trail. The noon-day sun was unrelenting and very few clouds glided overhead to offer a shadow of mercy.

The lowering sun offered me approximately two hours to locate a notoriously hard-to-find jungle oasis, the Lost Pond. Putting my head down and stowing my camera, I walked Hilaan beach with intention.