Submitted by Michael Rechsteiner on the 2020 winter session program in Dominica sponsored by the Department of Geography…
On Monday, January 20 I embarked on one of the most famous hikes in Dominica, the trail to the Boiling Lake. The hike was lengthy and took six hours in total, but it was so amazing and new to me that the distance did not phase me. The hike began with about an hour of trail through the rain forest. Then, as we approached the active volcano, the trail became volcanic rock and running hot sulfur streams. I had never been around a volcano, and I was fascinated that environments like this exist on Earth. The smell of the sulfur throughout the hike was tough to bare, but once we reached the Boiling Lake, I knew it was worth it. The bubbles being released in the middle of the lake were huge, and really made me ponder the strength behind the volcano we were standing and hiking on.
