When things don't go according to plan/ Hike up Mt. Liamuiga

Good morning 5:00am!

Yesterday morning at 3:30am, an hour of the day I am more often used to seeing at the close rather than the opening (weekends, that is), I somehow willed myself to roll out of bed and into a cold shower to start my day.  My pick-up came around 4:00am.  By 5:00am I was in St. Paul's at the base of Mt. Liamuiga, also known as 'The Crater', which is a 3,792 foot volcano and the highest point on the island of St. Kitts. 

With me was my trusty crew - the wonderful Probations/Child and Youth Workers/Child Protection Workers who also work for the Ministry of Social Services in the building adjacent to where I work at BNTF.  Let me take a second to say something about these guys.  They have made my experience here a lot more fun than I could've done for myself.  They're always coming over to BNTF to harrass me at work (soooooooooooo many inappropiate inside jokes), or taking me out limin' at the Strip, the beach, Sprat Net (another local club/bar/hot spot), and yes, even though it took a lot of constant reminding and coaxing and puppy eyes to get this not-so-into-hiking group to come out yesterday morning, we finally made the treck up Mt. Liamuiga too.  So a couple things have made me feel pretty good: 1) I feel very special to have people go out of their way to do things solely for my benefit to ensure that I am enjoying myself and 2) A lot of the activities and places we've gone, they themselves have never done before, (which makes me think of all the things in Toronto I haven't seen nor done) so I feel pretty special to be knocking off some 'firsts' with these guys. 

Statia Island 

Anyway, back to the hike...So before we headed up, we paused to take a look at the gorgeous view of the valley, and in the far off distance I managed to capture a shot of Stacia, another small island in the Caribbean.  Then just before we began, one of the women said a quick prayer to bless the hike.  As we began our ascension to The Crater, the sweet smell of mangoes were everywhere and the greenery and vegetation was breathtaking. CHECK IT OUT!

About half hour into the hike the groans began, but all in good fun (did I mention this wasn't a hiking bunch? Hahahaha).  It didn't help that the rain began to fall making the terrain muddy and slippery, and a large cloud of fog came down, which made it almost appear as if it were nightfall.  We took a bit of a break - check that - several breaks to grab some water and snacks before picking up again.

 Unfortunately, I hate to admit, we didn't make it much farther than this point, which was somewhere close to the top, but somehow along the way we had made a wrong turn and the rain was coming down hard now, and the group's initial sense of adventure had deflated and everyone's stomachs were eagerly awaiting the bread and saltfish that had been prepared for our post-hike breakfast.  I think I was the only one disappointed that we didn't reach the top to see the crater and the view, but eh, what can you do?  So with that, we began our descension and headed back.  We were cracking jokes and laughing at (or as Kittitians say, 'laughing after') our 'guide', one of the guys who was supposed to be leading us but who turned out not to know much about where to go at all...  LESSON LEARNED:  If you're planning to go hiking in St. Kitts, check the weather, check your guide (twice), and check any attitude that will hold you back from reaching the top.




When we reached back to where we started, breakfast was hot and ready to go. (We had each brought something, and the family members of one of the guys had graciously warmed it up for us so that it was ready as soon as we got back). One of their cultural dishes, bread and saltfish, was the highlight of the meal.  All-in-all the morning was awesome. It had really become about the people I was spending time with more than the hike itself. It's funny the kinds of conversations and jokes that evolve when you're in different elements.  But after a long morning of hiking topped off by a delicious breakfast, there was really just one thing left to do... Catch up on some much needed rest!