ADVENTURE IN THE RAIN FOREST

AUGUST 28, 2013

SUNSET FROM IT'S PERFECT

I am sitting in my hammock with a fresh breeze in the air.  It is a beautiful day, looking just off It's Perfect the white sand beach & lush green of the hillside makes me smile.  Some days I forget how absolutely incredible being here is.  Just being aboard, sitting in warm blue water in a faraway land is sometimes hard to wrap your mind around.

Today is water making day &  BOB is hard at work, he has made us about 2500 gal. of fresh drinking water from the sea water beneath us.  While the generators hum & fresh water pumps into the fresh water tank, Rod is busy with preparing the boat for our trip to the mainland.  After organizing some cabinets he is going to stow the life raft & ditch bag forward in the V Berth.  We must clear the decks (a feat in itself) & prepare the lines & anchors for emergency use.  We will have the dock master looking after It's Perfect while we are away.  On the off chance there is a huge storm, he would move the boat to a more secure location & add extra lines & anchors.



MEET & GREET WITH GEORGE

Yesterday we took the day off for another group excursion Rod has organized.  George of Survival Anchorage is again playing host to a group totaling 13, for a trip into the jungle.  The boats going with us are
Ke Ola Ki, Pipe Muy Bligh, JoHo, Island Dream, Tango & Blues Breaker.  Our main stops for this trip will be the Grand Etang Crater Lake Forest Reserve & the Seven Sisters Falls.


LADIES OF THE GROUP

Our first stop was the Grand Etang Crater Lake.  The natural lake fills the crater of one of Grenada's extinct volcano's which make up the spine of the interior of Grenada.  The hike down to the lake was relatively short, painless & beautiful.  Although it was only about half a mile, some of our group insisted upon George driving down to pick us up, he agreed & it was a one way hike.

GRAND ETANG CRATER LAKE

After another ride through the mountains we came to a halt at the entrance to the
Seven Sisters Falls, the most famous of all the falls in the rain forest. They are the most secluded & difficult to get to.  Before leaving the parking area everyone picked up a walking stick provided at the entrance, we would soon see why they were needed. We began at the top of the mountain on a small trail that wound its way down a muddy path through the rain forest.  The path itself reminded Rod & I of our climb of the Gross Piton in St. Lucia, muddy, rocky & narrow.  The scenery was even more spectacular.

$2 FEE

Our first real encounter with rain forest all around us, it was breathtaking in more ways than one.  The foliage was all shades of green, huge trees, vines, ferns, palms & flowering plants tightly packed into the mountainside.  Small frogs jumped for cover in front of our decent.  It was soon apparent that our walking sticks were necessary to insure our footing along the treacherous path. It took more than an hour to descend to the rock strewn stream that had to be crossed just before the clearing at the foot of the falls.  The view at the foot of the falls is dazzling.  From the bottom of the first falls you can see the second, both crashing down on rocks below.  At this point you can climb to the second, where a huge pool awaits beneath the falls for a cool swim. 

ROD AT THE FOOT OF
2ND SEVEN SISTERS FALLS

CROSSING THE STREAM

Just about the time everyone was in the water beneath the second falls, the sky opened up with a deluge of hard cold rain.  It came down in buckets!  The already wet earth around us became a quagmire.   Everything we were carrying was soaked.  The only one left with anything dry was Juan Carlos who had every piece of rain gear imaginable.  He & his wife Paola live on Tango, they cruise 6 months of the year & work 6 months at home in Argentina. 

After the rain, the path up the mountainside to the third falls became impassable for a novice climber.  It was disappointing not to see the other falls but the assent back to the top was daunting.  With our trusty walking stick we all slowly made our way back to the parking area looking like muddy, drowned rats.

This has been one of the most amazing places we have ever been to & was worth every muddy step of the way.  We hope to return & climb through the forest again, hopefully we will be able to get to the top of the seven falls.