Mount St. Catherine
Mount St. Catherine. The very name sounds foreboding. And for a reason, most certainly. It is a volcano with the peak reaching the height of 2,756 feet. It is also the highest mountain in Grenada.....and now....I've hiked it!
Thursday, October 25 was Thanksgiving, hence a holiday from school. And even though it is still rainy season, we decided to brave the mud and rain, and give it a go.
I would not classify myself as a hiker. Neither would I put it on my list of favorite things to do. But now, maybe I will put it on my bucket list, so I can cross it off!
We started out a fast clip, up a partly drivable road with a steady incline. We were glad when the road was in the shade, because with the sun and humidity it felt like we were in a rainforest! After a while of hiking the steady incline, we stopped for a rest. I was told we were now at the base of the mountain! Siiiiighhhhhh!
And then the climbing really began. This wasn't climbing as in "climb up a hill". This was climbing as in use your hands to pull you up the mountain by roots, tree branches, rocks, or plants. The mud was sometimes the hardest part. It was quite sticky and wanted to pull my shoes right off my feet.
The climb last approximately 2 hours for me. But for some more agile/athletic/fit people, it took a mere hour. At the top, we rested our weary bodies, ate our lunches, and tried to shield ourselves from theicy cold wind.
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After a rest, we began the slip-sliding trek back down the mountain. This direction went quite a bit faster! To top it off, it had begun to rain a little, making the path all the more treacherous. I had visions of slipping in the mud and sliding right off the mountain! Thankfully, we all reached back down to the bottom of the mountain safe and sound and all in one piece!
I wouldn't want to do this hike right away again, but given a little time (and the opportunity to forget about the less fun parts of the hike - i.e. trying to do it with a bad cold/cough and not being able to breathe), I might be persuaded to do it again someday. :)
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photo credit: www.kingsnake.com
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Thursday, October 25 was Thanksgiving, hence a holiday from school. And even though it is still rainy season, we decided to brave the mud and rain, and give it a go.
I would not classify myself as a hiker. Neither would I put it on my list of favorite things to do. But now, maybe I will put it on my bucket list, so I can cross it off!
We started out a fast clip, up a partly drivable road with a steady incline. We were glad when the road was in the shade, because with the sun and humidity it felt like we were in a rainforest! After a while of hiking the steady incline, we stopped for a rest. I was told we were now at the base of the mountain! Siiiiighhhhhh!
And then the climbing really began. This wasn't climbing as in "climb up a hill". This was climbing as in use your hands to pull you up the mountain by roots, tree branches, rocks, or plants. The mud was sometimes the hardest part. It was quite sticky and wanted to pull my shoes right off my feet.
The climb last approximately 2 hours for me. But for some more agile/athletic/fit people, it took a mere hour. At the top, we rested our weary bodies, ate our lunches, and tried to shield ourselves from the
.jpg)
.jpg)
After a rest, we began the slip-sliding trek back down the mountain. This direction went quite a bit faster! To top it off, it had begun to rain a little, making the path all the more treacherous. I had visions of slipping in the mud and sliding right off the mountain! Thankfully, we all reached back down to the bottom of the mountain safe and sound and all in one piece!
I wouldn't want to do this hike right away again, but given a little time (and the opportunity to forget about the less fun parts of the hike - i.e. trying to do it with a bad cold/cough and not being able to breathe), I might be persuaded to do it again someday. :)
*photo credit goes to Rhonda*
i shall work on my powers of persuasion until the time comes :) so glad you did it though!
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