Blogs from Dominica, Central America Caribbean - page 6

Clem picked us up at 8:30 this morning and we went on about an hour’s drive to Freshwater Lake. The drive was amazing because we reached 2000 ft. in elevation and had great views of the island. Dr. Lacher pointed out the peak we will be climbing on Wednesday to reach Boiling Lake. We walked around Freshwater Lake for awhile before beginning our hike to Boeri Lake. The hike was pretty treacherous - the rocks were very slippery and the climb was pretty steep. It lasted about 45 min. and we finally reached Boeri Lake. The type of vegetation there was mountainous - we were at roughly 2800 ft. above sea level. There were several melastomes around Freshwater Lake ranging in sizes - one melastome was so small that we could not see the distinct venations ... read more

Today we visited the east coast of the island. Our first stop was at Castle Bruce, a beach facing the Atlantic Ocean. We then proceeded to Carib territory and eventually to Emerald Pool. Our tour guide at the Carib Territory was a member of the Carib tribe council. He showed us various aspects of Carib craftsmanship, including the area where they grow reeds used for basket-weaving. They demonstrated the entire process of basket-weaving and reed preparation to us, allowing us to partake in it as well. We also sampled pure cocoa and cocoa fruit. A few of the men showed us how cassava bread is made as well, and allowed us to sample some of it. Several people bought some to take back to the station with them. We went to Jules’s house, a Carib whose ... read more

Cabrits National Park, on the northwestern part of the island, was the location of our excursions today. Since the whole group was going, Clem James had to take us in his bus. To get to Cabrits we had to drive along the west coast of Dominica, seeing a large variety of vegetation across the coast. We were also able to stop at Batalie Beach before continuing on our way to Cabrits. We arrived at 11 am and had lunch at the “snackette” bar in the visitor center. I was able to buy an ice-cold Sprite, a nice relief to the humid heat. After lunch, we all gathered by the cannons at Fort Shirley and took a group picture. The fort had been undergoing renovations for a while and now is used as a party/reception place. It ... read more

The hike to Middleham Falls was perhaps one of the hardest hikes I have ever been on in my life. The trail stated off of a road close to ATREC; the entire first hour of the hike is climbing up a mountain at almost a 90° angle. We were all trying to get past this part of the hike as fast as possible, while still stopping to admire the view. Thankfully, once we arrived at the national park where Middleham Falls is located, the trail became a lot easier. It was still muddy and slippery, though absolutely beautiful. Throughout the second part of the trail we had to watch out for algae-covered rocks and particularly muddy spots. The rainforest we were in had astoundingly large trees, such as the gommier tree, which the Caribs use to ... read more

Today we hiked around ATREC. We left for our first hike at 8:30 am. The trail started beyond the veranda, after the frangipani, avocado, and star fruit trees. At the start of the trail was a daunting column of long plants, which we had to hold down to avoid cuts. Teamwork was definitely essential as we helped one another prevent being wacked in the face by tree branches. Along the way, we encountered several abandoned places, such as an abandoned cabin and several rock foundations. We hiked in the remnants of the cocoa, coconut, and coffee Archbold plantation. After an hours’ hike, we reached our destination: a huge fig tree, whereupon we took a group picture. Like many of the trees in Dominica, this Ficus tree has developed buttresses to support its weight. We left for ... read more