The first weekend of November 2017 marked the visit to my final national park among the 60 (then 59) national parks as designated by Congress. I’ve referred to the National Park of American Samoa as the friendliest park. The staff there sets the standard for welcoming visitors to their beautiful islands. One of the highlights of my visit to the only United States territory and park in the southern hemisphere came atop 1,610-foot Mt. ‘Alava, one of the highest points on the 21-mile mountainous spine of Tutuila, the largest and most populous island in American Samoa. The views on the 7-mile (roundtrip) hike from Fagasa Pass reveal the dense, green forested central island ridge running away from the peak on both sides. Tutuila appears as a green wedge in the Pacific as the island is little more than 3 miles across at its widest point. Sweating in the intense tropical sun on an especially hot day, standing above Pago, Pago and the harbor as Samoa’s majestic flying foxes swirled overhead convinced me for the moment that I had found paradise. Few places are as stunningly captivating as the summit of Mt. ‘Alava.
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