Slog up Mt. Qua Qua

On the way up.  Mt. Qua Qua is just out of view.

Living in the Caribbean has been an adjustment for us.  I hate to admit it.  Feel a little guilty, even, because it often feels like we are actually on vacation.  But it’s true.  Beaches a short drive away; scrumptious seafood bursting with spice; warm temperatures every day.  Ever since we moved to Trinidad, I have yet to wear a pair of long pants unless a formal event dictates I do so.  Even in the evenings shorts are more comfortable.  Our winter coats and wool sweaters gather dust in the closet.  With life being so easy, you would think we have everything, yet we have done very little hiking since our arrival.  And we live to hike.  When we were in Mongolia, a stunning vista was a mere hillside scurry away.

Grande Anse Beach, one of many stunning beaches in Grenada

That brings us to Mt. Qua Qua, one of four “high peaks” in Grenada, three of which are named.  We visited Grenada over the long Labor Day weekend.  The beaches there were some of the most beautiful I have seen anywhere, but we felt the need to get away from the sand, at least for one morning.  So, on our first morning in Grenada, we took an early breakfast, loaded the rental jeep, a little beat up Mazda, and set off for Grand Etang National Park.  We had a paragraph in a guidebook and some unlabeled roads on a map for a guide.  Unfortunately, our guidebook failed us.  One of the signs we needed was in the wrong place.

We drove around a bit, but did manage to find the visitor’s center where a helpful guide pointed us in the direction of the trailhead.  You can’t miss it.  A few moments later he shouted at us from his position sitting on the porch of the center.  We needed to walk further.  In our exuberance to hit the trail, we had turned in to examine a small clearing in the woods.  The trail was further down the road.

The trail was well-marked, at least the beginning

The trail was deceptive, and not just where it began, which was actually well-labeled with a signpost.  It appeared well-groomed at the entrance, but we had walked only a short distance before running into our first and major obstacle on the hike.  Mud. Thick, gloppy, cement-like mud that encased your shoes and coated the lower legs of your pants.  The hike quickly turned into a slog.

By the end, our shoes and pants were encased in mud

There were fun happenings on the trail, as well.  We saw numerous geckos, the trail was framed  by large palm fronds, and there was the shocking sighting of two large, stray dogs that appeared around a corner on the way down inches from my face.  When we did finally haul ourselves to the top, a task that took just over an hour, we could see views of the ocean on both sides, as well as a lake formed by a volcanic crater.

There were some great views along the way and thick foliage.

Taking in the views at the top

There is always time to stop and smell the flowers

But we were tired, and when we slogged our way back through the mud slop and to our car, we happily drove to the beach.  It was something, though.  Mt. Qua Qua.