Location: Dominica
Hello All,
I shall start by saying that this was my most anticipated day of program. Why? Because I knew I would get to hike ‘The Boiling Lake Trail’ once again – but this time, during the dry season!
Eight of us (Benno, Mads, Emma, Charlton, Kip, Conor, Jake, and myself) set out on the hike this morning, and it couldn’t have gone any better than it did. Pancho – our resident quick-witted trail guide and long-time friend of Sea|mester – led us through the jungle for 2 hours before we reached a valley filled with thermal vents and boiling geysers. Calmly, Pancho produced a tray of eggs from his rucksack which he proceeded to boil on the mountainside as he applied mud to his face. We all joined in with the skincare routine, and I can happily report that our students were all wowed by the experience (and beyond grateful for the brunch stop). Happily moving along with some gray mud on our faces, we then trotted downstream to a pool that was just cool enough to bathe in before we completed the last hour of our hike up to the boiling lake. After a quick packed lunch and a few more Monster energy drinks (Mads, I’m calling you out), we headed all the way back down in one effort – leaving enough time for us to swim in the cold waters at the trailhead. It was a relatively dry day compared to my experience with Pancho back in December, and he himself noted how perfect the conditions were.
Upon returning to the boat, our raggedy troop of hikers made light work of putting provisions away with Freddie and Steph (a major shout-out to Steph for spending so much of her day finding fresh produce for us all!). Soon enough, the rest of the crew returned from their island tour. I have heard little of their adventure so far… but I can say that two large bags of hand-picked exotic fruits came back with them, along with multiple stuffed purple monkeys… the star fruit I can get on board with, but the monkeys may take some time to accept.
All in all, today has been exactly what I wanted it to be and more. The weather was great, the exercise was rewarding, and the company was exceptional. I will sleep well tonight, knowing that my crew-mates have enjoyed their day too.
ISLAND TOUR GROUP UPDATE: We did a full tour of the island of Dominica and tried many of the fruits and plants that grow on it – from soursop to guava, bananas, coconuts, fresh almonds, homemade chocolate, breadfruit, jerk chicken, cassava bread and more! We explored, climbed up, and swam in three different waterfalls and saw beaches, the jungle, the local indigenous community, and more. Our local guide, Sea Cat, calls himself the unelected prime minister of the island, with friends all over who seem to not mind when he shimmies up their fruit trees and takes their best-looking fruit for us to try. Two major highlights of our day included one waterfall that was HUGE and had a hot spring mix with it halfway down, so we could swim in the cold, then switch to warm over and over again and hang out with a kitten that was only a month old!