We're
still in Prickly Bay, Grenada.
We've
been working through some chores that need to be done before we head to
Trinidad. Some that we can do here
include changing glycol and oil in the engines, and doing an engine inspection. While working on the port engine, I found
that the sea water pump was leaking along its shaft, and had to replace it with
our spare. Upon completion, I asked Dawn
to start the engine and check for proper water in the exhaust while I looked in
the engine room for leaks of oil or water.
She left her chores to check the engine exhaust on the side of the boat
and then re-entered the cockpit to tell me her findings. She swung down into the cockpit while putting
her weight on some travel bags on the table that she was airing out. Well, the bags slipped, and she did a
spectacular twist and fall into the cockpit door and sump. She seems to only have sprained her foot
between her toes and heel, and is getting around the boat with only a few "ouch,
ouch, ouche"s. However, she missed
out on a spectacular hike yesterday to the top of Mount Qua Qua!
I
accompanied John and Alex of "Free Spirit", new friends Lynn and Paul
of "Beaudacious", and friend Selinda of "Mupfel"; as we
took a public bus high up to the middle of the island to the Grand Etang
National Park. We found the trailhead to
the mountain near the visitors building at an elevation of somewhere around
1700 feet, and hiked along through dense vegetation for about a half hour before
coming to a bit of a peak. From here, we
seemed to walk along the top of ridges to successively higher peaks, each
requiring a significant climb before gaining another ridge. The trail was all
cut out of reddish volcanic clay, with some steps made with board and rebar in
the truly steep areas. All the while, we were circling a large and
pretty lake that was getting smaller as we climbed. At Mount Qua Qua's summit, at 2370 feet, the
view was fantastic. We were obviously on
top of the backbone of this island, with views down six or seven miles to each
shore, and a spectacular view across the city of St. George to the southern tip
of the island, about ten miles away. Even with the height of the trees still a
little muted from the 2004 hurricanes, the vegetation was thick and
interesting. While at the summit, the clouds fell for a few minutes, and the stiff breezes blew the mist up the steep valley/crater wall to make a wild scene. We were cooled, but the hike down had us warm in no time.
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| Grand Etang Lake with Mount Qua Qua in the background |
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| Start trail 'here' |
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| Hiking buddies |
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| Path along ridges around Grand Etang Crater Lake |
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| 10 mile view of Grenada's southern tip |
We
had a few slips and falls on the way down, but the whole hike was only about 3
hours, and nobody fell off the steep ridges.
We had actually been hiking along the ridges of an ancient volcano. The island grew out of the water about 38
million years ago, but the top of this central volcano blew to smithereens
about 12000 years ago, leaving the Grand Etang Lake, the peaks and ridges, and
Mount Qua Qua as the highest part of the ridge.
I assume, but for the giant explosion, this volcano would have been a
most spectacular Caribbean mountain, likely the tallest on the island. As is, Qua Qua is the island's second
tallest, with Mount St. Catherines in the north being a few hundred feet
taller. I can't guess where the cubic mile or so of material went!
Dawn,
I'm sure, will insist we hike it together next year. For now, it's keep the old foot up to get
her ready for chores onboard for haulout!
