CLIMB EVERY MOUNTAIN
28 July 2010
Here we sit. Its sunny and warm outside but cold when compared to the Caribbean we have come to love and enjoy despite the mosquitoes. We have been couch surfing for 34 days............We left Grenada on June 24th and flew to England to visit with my Dad, who thankfully, is recuperating well following some serious surgury. My cousin, Alan, and his wife, Margaret, put up with us during our stay there and treated us royally. They kept their Aga cooker on high so we could be toasty warm and spoiled us with homecooking and fish and chips. Between spending time with family and visiting Dad, we managed a three day trip to the Northumberlands - the highlight being a hike on Hadrian's Wall which runs along the border between Scotland and England. On July 6th we left England and flew to Vancouver Island. Here we have lots of family and friends to stay with. We spend mornings scheduling who to visit and for how many days, depending on how long we think they can stand us. Its a difficult position to be in but we are getting very good at this. So far, everyone seems happy to see us......
Memories...........as we spend countless hours sorting through Jim's photos, we are reminded of the fantastic times we have had. On Martinique we dragged our buddies, Tom, Kennedy, Carol and John to the Beuraguard Canal. We lured them into the adventure by telling them the walk was all downhill and that there was a world famous store that sold the best ice-cream on the planet at the bottom. Ice cream always works, and away we went. To the buses at St. Pierre, Martinique where Jim tries to explain in his unique manner (English spoken Frenchly) where we want to go. Not much luck here so Jim walks about a mile to the tourist bureau and comes back with a map. Shows this to the bus driver and he says he knows exactly what we want and off we go. Unbeknown to us at the time, the asshole dropped us off about a mile from the well marked trail which he drives by 20 times daily. After we got off the bus, we asked for directions from a group of old gentlemen sitting in a roadside bar. They knew exactly what we wanted and pointed us up the hill. Off we go. Up the hill. Nice view but no Canal. Down the hill. We are hot. We are thirsty. I fall and skin my knee badly. We stalked past the nasty old gentleman and headed down the road and came to a small restaurant. We were greeted by an elderly lady. She was appalled at the sight of us- we were sweaty, I was bloody and none of us spoke French. We managed to order some beer to go with our lunch and she brought out a few complimentary bowls of Pringles to help get our electrolytes back in balance. A few beers later found a much happier bunch of hikers heading down to the road and to the Canal de Beuraguard.
The group survived the Canal. No one fell off the sheer precipices or drowned in the waterway. We all enjoyed the views and the tropical jungle. The making of this canal was discussed and pondered. It is a wonder of the world and if you ever get the chance, go on this hike! After about 3 hours we found ourselves at the village of Le Carbet. We were exhausted. Our legs were jelly and it was an effort to keep going but the lure of gourmet ice cream made the suffering bearable. We arrived at the store. There was a sign on the door. It said: CLOSED BECAUSE WE ARE AT AN ICE CREAM CONTEST IN PARIS, FRANCE. Our friends glared at us. Jim and I stepped back. It was a tense moment. Fortunately, there was a store nearby that sold beer and as everyone knows, beer is a good substitute for anything. A few cold ones and its time to catch the bus back to our boats so that we can enjoy another sunset, a cooling swim and a well earned sleep.
On to St. Lucia and we are anchored between the Pitons, one of the most beautiful places in the Caribbean. The Petite Piton and Gros Piton tower above us. Tom, from MV Jade, suggested that we climb the Petite Piton. We do some research on this Piton and decide that it might be a bit dangerous- too many people have fallen to their death on that hike. Gros Piton looks very do-able compared to Petite Piton. There is no death count for that one.
Decision made to go for it!The following day,Tom, Jim and I took the taxi to the start of the Gros Piton climb and met our guide. She was a young girl, who we soon named Supergirl because or her ability to fly up the mountain while we struggled upwards, breathing hard, sweating from every pore in our body, hiding concerns about the health of our heart and the possibility of a stroke and secretly hoping for a sprained ankle or broken leg so we could be carried or airlifted out. Supergirl encouraged us every step of the way, first by telling us of the 83 year old gentleman from England who made the climb (he was 80 years old when he started), then by announcing that there was a jungle bar at the top featuring ice cold beer and a swimming pool. This sounded good to us so we marched on.............accompanied by a pair of dogs that attacked each other viciously every 15 minutes of so, adding more worries to our personal safety- maybe we should of forked out the hundreds of dollars each for the rabies vaccine.....On we go, resisting the urge to kick the dogs over the cliff, drinking carefully from our water bottle and day dreaming about cold beers, swimming pools, escalators, elevators and helicopters.
At last we reach the top. The view is amazing as we look towards the Pitite Piton and the beautiful Caribbean Sea! We are proud to have made it to the top without quitting. The struggle was worth it and we recommend adding it to your "bucket list" of things to do in your lifetime. Although there was no cold beer or swimming pool at the top, it didn't matter anymore. We were here, we were still alive and we had sandwiches and two rabid dogs to share it with.
The trip down was just as challenging. Supergirl told us about someone who was so scared going down that they had to bring him down on a stretcher. We had good hiking sticks which were very useful as we made our way down the steep mountain. By the time we arrived at the base of Gros Piton we were exhausted and our water bottles were empty. It was time to head back to our boats, enjoy a cool swim and some cold beers. What an awesome day!
The following week we headed southward - it was time to sail to Grenada and haul Emerald Seas out of the water for hurricane season. This year we have decided to scrape off all the old bottom paint. What a job this will be! Its hot and windless on the hard and the bugs are brutal. Our mast will be taken down and all the rigging will be replaced.
We have made plans to fly back to Grenada on October 12th. At Grenada Marine we will spend a few weeks working at getting Emerald Seas ship shape, before we launch her back in the water in early November.
Tentative plans for next cruising season have us heading to the ABC's and then north to Cuba. The year 2011 will be decision making time for us- should we continue onwards and head to the South Seas, Hawaii and Canada; or should we go on to Florida and enjoy a few seasons in the Bahamas; or maybe sail across the Atlantic Ocean and explore the Mediterranean; or maybe we should take the boat up to Atlantic Canada or maybe.....
We are living life to the fullest. Everyday is a new adventure and we are thankful that we can share it together.
Renate & Jim