Chemin Letang
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The Chemin Letang - we didn't realize we were on it at first, just following a trail out of Grand Fond.
This was our first day hiking. Dom told us the trail to Grand Fond from 3 Rivers was a good test for the Boiling Lake hike, so we thought it was a good place to start. I was hoping for a grocery store, also. The hike was steep, and so hot. I resorted to draping my sarong over my shoulders for some protection from the sun - yet another use for that most handy device.
When we finally made it to Grand Fond, people were very friendly. Peter showed us around the town and took us to the far end, where we had drinks. There were some dried goods for sale, but we weren't sure what we needed, so stayed with just drinks. Apparently bottle juice is a strange concept, so instead I had a VitaMalt and Joel a Coke. Thus refreshed, we decided to continue. John Lewis, the mayor (?), stopped us to chat on the way out of town and told us that Canada is clean - he'd visited several provinces - and that we should take a guide everywhere, that Dominica was the friendliest country but even so, there were bad ones, and a couple had been robbed at knife point, and . . . . Being on a pauper''s trip, we didn't hire anyone. (which is the main reason we didn't go to the Boiling Lake. There scalding mud awaits those who go off the trail in the Valley of Desolation - it just seems smart to have a guide. The other reason we didn't do that hike is the hike to the trail head at Freshwater Lake takes the good part of the day, so it makes sense to drive there, but we didn't want to spend that money either. Next time.) Because we didn't hire a guide (I still don't know how much pay is expected, but the government is working on standardizing fees an penalizing non-qualified guides), we missed the falls we were meaning to visit and found the Chemin Letang instead.
We walked through the jungle for ages, and though the path is clear (reddish mud contrasts the green of the undergrowth) it feels like you are nowhere. And then you are cheerfully hailed by a grey-bearded man with an old machete, food bundle on the ground nearby. You realize you are walking past a plantation, dasheen up to your waist and banana trees growing at steep angles up the side of the mountain. Then his cell phone rings, and the culture clash is complete. You are in a kind of civilization you have never met before.
The Chemin Letang is the "old road" from the east side of the island to the Roseau on the west side. In fact it is just a walking trail, an overgrown one at that - not a road at all. Now it just goes from Grand Fond to Freshwater Lake, and another trail leads on to Boeri Lake, a little higher up in the elfin woodland. Although the trail is not very steep, it curves in and out along very steep hills. Many of these hillsides are planted with dasheen, bananas, or other fields (if by field you mean "group of plants"). The majority though, is jungle, especially as you get further from Grand Fond. Right before Freshwater Lake, it starts to switchback and get a little steeper. Then you suddenly emerge into a little clearing with a great view of Freshwater Lake.
This is an amazing hike with many views back out to the Atlantic ocean through the hills. Often, by the time you reach Boeri Lake, you will be in a cloud. The cool moisture is a welcome break from the normal heat. Also, at this elevation, the jungle turns into elfin woodland, which is only about 6 feet tall. This is a beautiful, hazy, mystical world.
This was our first day hiking. Dom told us the trail to Grand Fond from 3 Rivers was a good test for the Boiling Lake hike, so we thought it was a good place to start. I was hoping for a grocery store, also. The hike was steep, and so hot. I resorted to draping my sarong over my shoulders for some protection from the sun - yet another use for that most handy device.
When we finally made it to Grand Fond, people were very friendly. Peter showed us around the town and took us to the far end, where we had drinks. There were some dried goods for sale, but we weren't sure what we needed, so stayed with just drinks. Apparently bottle juice is a strange concept, so instead I had a VitaMalt and Joel a Coke. Thus refreshed, we decided to continue. John Lewis, the mayor (?), stopped us to chat on the way out of town and told us that Canada is clean - he'd visited several provinces - and that we should take a guide everywhere, that Dominica was the friendliest country but even so, there were bad ones, and a couple had been robbed at knife point, and . . . . Being on a pauper''s trip, we didn't hire anyone. (which is the main reason we didn't go to the Boiling Lake. There scalding mud awaits those who go off the trail in the Valley of Desolation - it just seems smart to have a guide. The other reason we didn't do that hike is the hike to the trail head at Freshwater Lake takes the good part of the day, so it makes sense to drive there, but we didn't want to spend that money either. Next time.) Because we didn't hire a guide (I still don't know how much pay is expected, but the government is working on standardizing fees an penalizing non-qualified guides), we missed the falls we were meaning to visit and found the Chemin Letang instead.
We walked through the jungle for ages, and though the path is clear (reddish mud contrasts the green of the undergrowth) it feels like you are nowhere. And then you are cheerfully hailed by a grey-bearded man with an old machete, food bundle on the ground nearby. You realize you are walking past a plantation, dasheen up to your waist and banana trees growing at steep angles up the side of the mountain. Then his cell phone rings, and the culture clash is complete. You are in a kind of civilization you have never met before.
The Chemin Letang is the "old road" from the east side of the island to the Roseau on the west side. In fact it is just a walking trail, an overgrown one at that - not a road at all. Now it just goes from Grand Fond to Freshwater Lake, and another trail leads on to Boeri Lake, a little higher up in the elfin woodland. Although the trail is not very steep, it curves in and out along very steep hills. Many of these hillsides are planted with dasheen, bananas, or other fields (if by field you mean "group of plants"). The majority though, is jungle, especially as you get further from Grand Fond. Right before Freshwater Lake, it starts to switchback and get a little steeper. Then you suddenly emerge into a little clearing with a great view of Freshwater Lake.
This is an amazing hike with many views back out to the Atlantic ocean through the hills. Often, by the time you reach Boeri Lake, you will be in a cloud. The cool moisture is a welcome break from the normal heat. Also, at this elevation, the jungle turns into elfin woodland, which is only about 6 feet tall. This is a beautiful, hazy, mystical world.