A Hike To The Pools

It has been a very eventful couple of days in Dominca. My computer and phone have had great difficulty connecting to the internet, and as a result I have been off the grid for an extended period of time. We've done two walks since my internet absence, one to the retreat house again (in better light) and the other to Chaudiere Pool, a freshwater swimming oasis on the far side of the island.


The walk to the retreat house is beginning to become a staple of our afternoons here. It is a quick 45 minute walk there and back, and provides many extraordinary views. We left early enough this time to dodge the setting sun, however, we were not able to dodge the falling rains that drenched us halfway through our return to our house. The rains were refreshing, as it was our first experience in Dominican rain, and a pleasant break from the heat. The rains also provided us with several unexpected visitors on our trek that one would not expect to see high up the mountains and away from an ocean. Crabs. Apparently crabs thrive in the high altitude climates where there are plenty of rains and freshwater streams that flow. When the rains come, however, many of their hiding holes are filled with water, and they are forced out into the open along the roadside. A few ambitious crabs spooked us and popped out of their hiding and charged  us claws blazing and ready for action. These ones we had to avoid stepping on, as they would seem to dissaperate out of nowhere as we hiked up the road.

The Retreat House Attack Guard Cat Watching For Intruders

A View From The Retreat House Path

A large flowering tree along the path

A Smaller Crab Watches As We Pass

There still are several paths that stem out from the retreat house that we have yet to explore. We hope to venture along these trails in the near future and discover what lies in the jungle beyond.


This weekend we traveled to visit our fellow classmates on the northern half of the island. The trip from our home in Eggleston was roughly an hour or so bus ride on the nations main highway. Once we arrived, we were introduced to several locals our age who work in the factory. We enjoyed their company into the wee hours of the night on Friday as we went out to dinner and played games inside and outside the house all night. It was one of the most fun I have had in a long time. Among the conversations shared, one of the funniest and most notable was about the movie Ratatouille. The local explained that he couldn't watch that movie, as it was simply too unrealistic for him. He explained that he grew up in a country with lots of rats that spread lots of diseases, and he simply couldn't fathom to watch a movie where a rat was voluntarily let into a kitchen. Apparently Pixar can hit too close to home...

The next morning we woke up at 8:00 am and headed walked to the nearest bus stop to catch a ride to the town of Bennse where we had planned to hike. Our destination was Chaudiere, a natural pool of water with  rocks to jump off of and a river to slide down. The bus dropped us off in the town, and we walked through the village and up into the mountains. This walk alone took us probably a little over an hour, as we walked through the village receiving friendly "good mornings" from every villager we passed. Our walk took us up and down many steep climbs, and proved to be very tiring. The trails are well defined in most places, with some areas having paved paths, and others having established rocky roads.  We continued walking for several hours and miles, crossing 8 different river crossings where my boots were the only ones tall enough to avoid filling with water. When we finally reached the trail end, we were shocked to discover that there was no pool at the end! Instead, an ugly damn and a wall of jungle awaited us at the end of the path. Apparently we had missed an offshoot of the trail that would have led us to the pool! Tired and disgruntled, we took a dip in the water behind the small damn, and ventured back through the jungle from wence we came. When we finally found the offshoot of the path that lead to the pools, we trekked single file though the small winding jungle path to find the pools. Thanks to the help of a local washing some dishes in the stream, he was able to explain to us that the pool was hidden behind another river crossing, and a little off the small winding trail we were on. We encountered a rare beast on the trip, a Dominican Boa Constrictor, measuring over 6 feet in length! The beast was huge, and I spotted him snaking along the forest path. When we described our discovery with the locals, they were shocked and told us we saw a rare creature, as Boa's typically are very elusive on the island. When we told a peace core officer who had been on the island for 2.5 years, she told us she had never once encountered a Boa during her stay. So what we saw was a very rare sight. Unfortunately, I was not able to capture the beast, as doing so would have given my already frightened group mates a heart attack. Regardless, it was one of the most impressive animals I have ever seen in the wilderness, and the video does not do it justice of it's magnificence. The snake's head and a long portion of body were already coiled in the hole while I was filming this, proving that the snake was extremely long and powerful.

A View From Our Fellow Students Apartment In Woodford Hills

A View of one of the River Crossings

Phil Jumping Into The Pool

A Group Shot Of The Pool, With Water Slide In Backgorund

Part Of The Trek To The Pool

Once we reached the pool however, our long trek was rewarded, as the water was deep and cool, and the rocks were breathtaking beyond description. Their were two ledges where you could jump into the watery depths below, and even a fast flowing natural water slide, which you would climb up and be launched down the water chute at tremendous speeds. The slides rocks were all smooth, and not once did I actually feel my back touch any of the rocks. At the pool, we met with a local family who showed us the places to jump, and how to complete the slide. After talking with them for awhile, they recognized us from the news, and offered us a ride back to town in their pick up truck. After walking since 9, and with the time already 3, we decided it was a good idea, and we followed them out of the woods, and into their truck. They dropped us off at the bus station, and we road the bus towards Portsmouth, a shipping hub of the Island which also houses the islands medical school, Ross. It was weird seeing a few american looking college kids in Portsmouth, as where we are on the island, we are the only young looking Americans we have seen. We grabbed a bite to eat in Portsmouth, and then headed back to the bus stop, and waved good bye to our Dayton counterparts who live on the other side of the island. We will be meeting up with them again next weekend for a Criquet match and some snorkeling. I cannot wait!

An Abandoned Mill Behind Shirley's Office, The Stone is over 3 feet thick, demonstrating it's old age and ability to keep out the rising sea waters of ancient hurricanes.

A View From Shirley's Parking Lot