Wednesday 29/12/10
We awoke early as Abe had arranged for our taxi to pick us up at the dock in Cumberland Bay at 6:30 am. We knew that an early start was the way to go from our hike up Gros Piton in St. Lucia last year in order to beat the midday sun. We had been told the hike would take about 4 hours round trip. Now let me say right off I am 53, about 50 lbs overweight, and I have been basically sitting behind a desk for the last 10 years. I was a little apprehensive about the hike, but we had been planning it since the Piton hike and our guide, Cosmo, said I would be able to make it. The cab took us along the coast road to the leeward side of the volcano. The books say that is the harder way to go, but Cosmo said the windward side was much steeper. We were told we could refill our water bottles at the volcano, so Nick and I started out with 4.5 litres between us. The Hike begins with a half mile walk down a beautiful black sand beach, and then through a small river. From there we followed a trail to a dry river bed that is fed from the volcano during the rainy season. Cosmo said “this is where the hike begins”. We followed the river bed until it became a narrow chasm about 4’ wide and over 20’ high. We passed through a section that was so dark bats were roosting there; they were disturbed by our passing and began darting about. We were the first group that Cosmo had taken since Hurricane Tomas and we soon found ourselves at a dead end where the wash had collapsed and blocked the way. After some backtracking we ran into a couple locals who directed us to a spot where we could rejoin the trail. The trail was broken up into short steep inclines intermixed with longer almost flat sections. This was a real help for me as it gave me an opportunity to rest after each incline and get back up to speed on the flatter parts. As we went along we passed for miles through and around lush green valleys, the ganja farms could be seen dotting the landscape all around us. The foliage was absolutely amazing, as far as the scenery goes this was a much more interesting hike than the Pitons. We passed huge Fichus trees, their roots streaming down from the branches. Sections of the trail were a mere 2’ wide with steep drop offs over a hundred feet deep on either side. I began to have doubts about my decision to attempt this hike, but with Nick carrying more of my pack as we went and Cosmos’ constant encouragement I pressed on. We finally cleared the forest and began the last part of the hike; which is up a very steep trail with short grasses and scrub brush lining it. By the time I got to the last 100 yard section, about a 60 degree incline, I was using my walking stick with both hands to propel myself up half a step at a time. The entire group gave me a rousing cheer when I finally reached the summit. A photo was snapped, which will be my profile pic once I get it all sorted. The view from the summit was the most amazing geological feature I had ever seen in my life. The caldera was perfectly round with a dome in the center that looked like it had been carved as part of a movie set. Off in the distance we could see a small lake at the bottom, turns out that was the water source that was mentioned at the start of the hike. The wall down into volcano is nearly vertical and approximately 400 metres deep. Only Nick and Adam, who has climbed to the base camps of Everest, joined Cosmo on the climb down into the crater. They had to repel down sections on the ropes laid into the side of the trail. Once at the bottom we could see them walking to the lake and they were as small as ants. Without that for scale it was difficult to judge just how big the crater actually is. We laid around for an hour and a half waiting for them to return. The winds at the top were about 25-30 mph with gusts to 50. The high winds and the mist made it quite cool, which was refreshing. After a brief rest and some drinks of water brought up from the crater we started our decent. Going down is almost as hard as going up because you use different set of muscles in your legs. By the time we reached the sea, I was completely spent and cooled my sore feet in the surf. Our taxi was waiting at the location he had dropped us off and we returned to Cumberland bay for some well deserve beers at Benis. I can’t stress enough how much I owe to Nick for carrying his old man’s gear and especially to Cosmo, without whose constant encouragement and infinite patience I would have never completed what was probably the most challenging physical accomplishment of my life. The night was completed with plenty more beers and some delicious BBQ chicken,$30 EC, at Benis’. If you ever get the opportunity to visit St. Vincent and you are in better shape than this “old fat guy” I would definitely make this hike. In all the hike took 3 hours up and 2.5 hours down. The guide cost $150 EC, before tip, split between 6 of us and the taxi was $40 EC each roundtrip.