Submitted by Kayla Angeline on the 2018 winter session program in Dominica sponsored by the Department of Geography and Department of Applied Economics and Statistics…
This week was one of my favorites on the entire progam. We woke up at 6:30AM to get to breakfast by 7:00AM to leave promptly at 7:30AM to arrive at the Boiling Lake trail head by 8:00 AM. It’s safe to say I didn’t know exactly what I was getting myself into. I did minimal research of the hike, but it was badly damaged by Hurricane Maria so we didn’t know what to expect until we actually began hiking. The hike was a total of 8 miles to the Valley of Desolation and the Boiling Lake round trip and took us approximately 8 hours with the entire group. We were led by our driver/guide, Colombo, who confidently navigated the treacherous slopes of the trail. It rained on and off most of the hike and we were all covered in mud! There was a steady 45 minutes of stairs which made for a brutal climb, with a lot of falls along the way. We first reached the Valley of Desolation, which was a remarkable view. The stench of sulfur permeated the air as you could see the steam rising from the warm river. Our tour guide, Colombo, suggested we pick up clay from the river and put it on our faces for a homemade facial. We all had fun with that aspect of the hike and the water was nice and warm from the steam pockets of volcanic activity on the island. We then continued for about another two hours and came to the Boiling Lake. It was approximately 200 degrees and it was very warm to stand near it, the steam coming off of it felt like we were in a sauna. We hung out for a little bit and ate peanut butter and honey sandwiches for lunch then began our very long journey back. The hike back was very difficult at times and included a few spots with small climbs. After we finally made our way back to the beginning of the trail head, some of the boys decided to cool off in the Titou Gorge, which was a river that cut through two foreboding stone walls. After a quick swim, we made our way back to our hotel where a delicious meal was waiting for us! We had curried marlin, chick peas and rice, served by the chef, Nikki.
