Submitted by Kaylee Drab on the 2018 winter session program in Martinique sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…
Martinique has been an island with some absolutely incredible views, but there is no easy way to get there, you have to earn them. We have gone on a five mile hike on la Caravelle which showed us an entire view of the Atlantic side of the island and visited the Jardin de Balata where we walked through the trees to see a huge array of native plant life. This week, we hiked Mourn Orange, where we saw the northern Caribbean end of the island and learned about the devastation that had occurred in the town of St. Pierre when a volcano eruption destroyed the city. This weekend, we have in store a two hour ascent to the peak of Mont Pele, the same large volcano overlooking the island. Hopefully, the walking will finally pay off. Martinique has some of the largest, steepest, climbs in the Caribbean, but each hike is rich in culture and history.
