Shortly after moving to Dominica I realized that in order to truly enjoy island life I would have to venture outside my comfort zone and adopt some new hobbies. Gone were the days of leisurely walks around the block, trips to the mall, and relaxing days at the spa. I traded in my strappy sandals for a pair of Keen's and learned to hike. I began with the hill that we live on...referred to by students as "the big hill." For weeks (or maybe a couple of months) the 10 minute walk from Ross campus to our apartment left me completely out of breath and caused my calves and thighs to scream with pain. When walking home became less of a challenge I decided to branch out and try some of the "easy" hikes on the island. I soon discovered that "easy" refers to length (meaning 2 hours or less) rather than difficulty level because on these so-called "easy" hikes I found myself crossing rivers, climbing over boulders, and climbing up the side of a cliff holding onto a rope. I never played sports growing up and have always been a bit clumsy so even these "easy" hikes were challenging. After living here for a couple of months I set the goal of tackling one of the difficult hikes.
Dominica is home to the world's second largest hot spring...Boiling Lake. The hike to Boiling Lake is considered an extreme hike. On a good day it takes 6 hours to complete the hike but it has taken groups as long as 10 hours. Guides encourage hikers to get an early start (shortly after sunrise) to make sure they are back at the trail head before sunset. When you mention Boiling Lake you get mixed reactions from students and spouses. Most people I talked to said it was tiring but totally worth it. Of course then there are stories of rainy days when the trail is a muddy mess, and students that have to be carried out because they physically could not walk any further. My biggest concern about the hike was that I was not physically fit enough to complete the hike. I don't know how many times I asked Scott if he thought I could physically handle it before I signed up for the hike. Finally I got the courage in November to attempt the hike with RSO (Ross Spouses Organization). I was nervous but also anxious to mark it off my to do list. Two days before the hike it was canceled because there were not enough people signed up. I was disappointed. Then a few weeks later a friend of ours decided to organize a group to do the hike. Once again I spent a week trying to gear myself up mentally for the challenge...that trip fell through as well.
I finally had the opportunity to see Boiling Lake on February 20. I was very nervous the day before the hike and slept very little that night. I was so nervous that I would be overcome by physical exhaustion and/or pain and not be able to complete the all day hike. Thankfully a couple of my good friends were on the trip, Neil (Scott's classmate) and his wife Jen. The day began early. We had to meet the bus at 7 AM for the 1.5 hour bus ride to the trail head. The drive was uneventful until we got lost. Apparently it had been a few years since our driver/guide had been to Boiling Lake. This bit of information added to the overall anxiety level on the bus. After a couple of phone calls and stopping to speak with other locals we started back in the right direction. Then our driver did something we all considered strange...he stopped to pick up a guide. This is strange because he was hired under the assumption that he would be our guide. We arrived at our destination around 9 AM. That is when the guide mentioned that his fee was $150 USD/ per person. None of us had that much money with us, nor were we willing to pay that price. That is our entire weekly budget. Sam (the trip coordinator) let the guide know his services would not be needed. She had completed the hike before and was confident we could figure it out on our own. So then we had to wait while the bus driver took the guide back home. At this point everyone was frustrated and anxious because it was getting late. We finally began the hike at 9:15.
The beginning of the hike felt like a casual stroll through the forest. Then we reached the stairs...hundreds of stairs. There were groups of stairs that were incredibly steep and others that inclined gradually. Some were a few inches tall and others were a couple of feet high. For roughly and hour and a half we climbed up stairs.
Then we reached the top of Morne Nichols, our first rest stop. The day was beautiful. The sun was hidden behind the clouds and there was a cool, strong breeze at the top of the peak. We sat for a while, ate a snack and enjoyed the view. We had no idea how much longer it would be until we reached our destination so we did not sit there for very long. We continued climbing up hill until we came to a river crossing. The riverbed was dry and filled with huge boulders that we had to climb down. For the next hour or so we climbed over huge rocks. This was my least favorite part of the hike because I felt so unsteady. I made it through with some help. We soon reached the next major landmark...the Valley of Desolation. This area was truly beautiful. The rocks were shades of gray, white and green with little gray streams of sulfur running throughout. The sulfur smell was strong...similar to rotting eggs.
At that point we could see the steam rising from the lake in the distance. We were close and decided to press on. The rest of the way was uphill. At this point the trail was less defined. There were no stairs to climb...just natural footholds in the cliffs. Finally after just over 3 hours of hiking we arrived at the Boiling Lake. There was a heavy mist of sulfur in the air and visibility was low. We stayed there for about an hour and enjoyed our lunches. Every once in a while a breeze would come through and clear the mist providing a better view of the lake. My legs and back were stiff but nothing like I had imagined.
The second leg of the journey seemed to go quicker than the first. The sun emerged from the clouds but we still enjoyed the cool breeze on the peaks. My legs were tired and numb but they kept moving me forward. The trip back was primarily downhill. I was grateful to get all of the climbing out of the way early in the day. We finished the hike at 4:15...a total of 7 hours. We stopped to rest and stretch for a while before getting back on the bus for the trip home. My body was tired and I knew I would be sore the next day. We got back to campus at 6:30 PM and Scott had dinner waiting for me at home. I showered and then we sat on the bed and ate pizza and I told him all about my day. Then he went back to studying and I dozed while watching Love Actually. The next day I went over to a friends house to play Scrabble. My calves and thighs were really sore and my legs felt a little like Jello.
Later that night, after dinner, I became very ill. My stomach started to spasm and I will leave out the details but basically I spent the better part of the next 12 hours in the bathroom. I lost every bit of food I had eaten and could not keep fluids down. Scott and I got very little sleep that night. I was so thankful that he did not get sick. I went to the health clinic the next day (Monday) and they took some blood and a stool sample. Then for the next 2 days I stayed in bed (with the air conditioner running) trying to replenish fluids and get some food back in my body. Scott took good care of me. He made sure I drank plenty of water and let me sleep. I went back to the clinic on Wednesday to go over the lab results with the doctor. The results were inconclusive but it appeared to be a bacterial infection. It took almost a week to fully rehydrate, regain strength and get my appetite back.
That's what has been going on here. Scott has his second exam on March 8th. Please pray for him this week as he is studying very hard. He's been having trouble sleeping at night so please pray for rest.
