This morning we had to be at the Fort Young Hotel at 8am to meet for our trip to Boiling Lake; it is one destination which requires a guide. The four of us students and a man named James climbed into a mini-bus driven by Clem James, one of the guides. James is from England, a volcanologist PhD student. Dr. Hains chose not to go on this trip because his back was still bothering him some from the fall at Trafalgar Falls and he had already been there five times. Close to the trailhead, we picked up our guide for the hike, Elvis Stedman, in the village of Laudat. Once Clem dropped us off at the trailhead, we began a quick hike over rocks to a bridge that crossed over water pipes and the lower part of Ti Tou Gorge. Soon we passed a building under construction to be used as a concession stand and began our real hike up the now infamous stairs. The corner of each step is a log of some sort; sometimes they are fern tree trunks with great traction, but more often they are made of smooth wood with criss-cross cuts which are much more slippery. The base of the step is filled with dirt or mud and sometimes includes small rocks.
Elvis was very good about stopping along the way to give us a chance to catch our breath while telling us about the plant life, wildlife, or other properties of the land. He showed us an upper view of Ti Tou Gorge’s waterfall and several aromatic plants. One tree has aphrodisiac qualities, contains aluminum, and is termite-resistant. Further up the trail some of us swung on a vine like Tarzan. Later we crossed Breakfast River and immediately travelled up the Hill of Death. Near the top of the hill, which is actually a mountain, we entered the Elfin Woodland, so named because all of the vegetation, particularly the normally tall trees, grew much shorter. Since they are already at high elevation, they don’t need to reach high for sunlight. Plus, the strong winds would surely knock them over.
Unfortunately, Kala had an asthma attack on the way up. Diane and Roger coined the phrase “respiratory turrets” because Kala began cussing in frustration at the asthma attack. We finally reached the top of the mountain, which had been cleared and was a great resting spot. Then we continued down the other side of the mountain to the Valley of Desolation. Doing a crab crawl down the slope, we finally made it down to the level of some boiling pits. The place smelled of boiling eggs. The rocks and small streams were covered in mineral deposits: white calcium, yellow sulfur, iron, and so on. If anyone was wearing silver or cheap gold, it would turn black. The only notable life in the valley was a maroon colored moss. Elvis dug a few handfuls of gray mud from under a rock and put it on his face as a mud mask. The ladies and James soon followed suit, having to add some water to make it spread better. The Valley of Desolation was quite possibly my favorite part about the hike.
About 20 minutes later, we washed our faces in another stream with heavy mineral deposits found in a wooded area. We practically had to rock climb for another portion of the way, then we arrived at Boiling Lake. The lake was like a mixture of jade and turquoise, with a huge boiling portion in the center. Of course steam was rising from it and some of the smaller boiling pits; the edge of the lake had a temperature of about 290 degrees Fahrenheit. We ate lunch about fifty feet above the lake, never going down to the water’s edge. Meanwhile, I began thinking about Chic-fil-a and how they claim to have invented the chicken sandwich. Thus, I asked James if they had chicken sandwiches in England; proving Truett Cathy’s claim wrong. But no one else understood my reasoning and they just found it astounding that I would ask such a question. On the return hike, Elvis got a message that thunderstorms were predicted in the Boiling Lake area around 4’oclock. Just after we left the top of the mountain again, it started to rain hard enough for us to all put on rain jackets. Luckily the rain stopped after about 10 minutes.
Once we got down the slippery steps to Breakfast River again, Roger and I took water samples to test for E. coli later in the week since people often drink from that water on the hike. After making it across the rocks to the other side, Elvis told us to continue back at our own paces. Roger, James, and I went ahead while Elvis stayed with Kala and Diane. James and I swung on the jungle vine again and occasionally chatted about differences between the US and England. Dr. Hains was waiting for us at the end of the trail picking up trash. We changed into swimsuits and went swimming up through the gorge to the waterfall. I was scared to go in there by myself because it was like entering a dark cave. I didn't notice the four foot crevice at the top where light could come in. Once into the cavelike surroundings, I managed to get within five or six feet of the waterfall before the current was so strong it wouldn't let me get any closer.
We all piled into the rental car and went back to Fort Young Hotel, where James was staying. We sat in the bar area and had drinks for a bit (I had a banana smoothie). We said our goodbyes and returned to the station for dinner and no lecture!
Elvis was very good about stopping along the way to give us a chance to catch our breath while telling us about the plant life, wildlife, or other properties of the land. He showed us an upper view of Ti Tou Gorge’s waterfall and several aromatic plants. One tree has aphrodisiac qualities, contains aluminum, and is termite-resistant. Further up the trail some of us swung on a vine like Tarzan. Later we crossed Breakfast River and immediately travelled up the Hill of Death. Near the top of the hill, which is actually a mountain, we entered the Elfin Woodland, so named because all of the vegetation, particularly the normally tall trees, grew much shorter. Since they are already at high elevation, they don’t need to reach high for sunlight. Plus, the strong winds would surely knock them over.
Unfortunately, Kala had an asthma attack on the way up. Diane and Roger coined the phrase “respiratory turrets” because Kala began cussing in frustration at the asthma attack. We finally reached the top of the mountain, which had been cleared and was a great resting spot. Then we continued down the other side of the mountain to the Valley of Desolation. Doing a crab crawl down the slope, we finally made it down to the level of some boiling pits. The place smelled of boiling eggs. The rocks and small streams were covered in mineral deposits: white calcium, yellow sulfur, iron, and so on. If anyone was wearing silver or cheap gold, it would turn black. The only notable life in the valley was a maroon colored moss. Elvis dug a few handfuls of gray mud from under a rock and put it on his face as a mud mask. The ladies and James soon followed suit, having to add some water to make it spread better. The Valley of Desolation was quite possibly my favorite part about the hike.
About 20 minutes later, we washed our faces in another stream with heavy mineral deposits found in a wooded area. We practically had to rock climb for another portion of the way, then we arrived at Boiling Lake. The lake was like a mixture of jade and turquoise, with a huge boiling portion in the center. Of course steam was rising from it and some of the smaller boiling pits; the edge of the lake had a temperature of about 290 degrees Fahrenheit. We ate lunch about fifty feet above the lake, never going down to the water’s edge. Meanwhile, I began thinking about Chic-fil-a and how they claim to have invented the chicken sandwich. Thus, I asked James if they had chicken sandwiches in England; proving Truett Cathy’s claim wrong. But no one else understood my reasoning and they just found it astounding that I would ask such a question. On the return hike, Elvis got a message that thunderstorms were predicted in the Boiling Lake area around 4’oclock. Just after we left the top of the mountain again, it started to rain hard enough for us to all put on rain jackets. Luckily the rain stopped after about 10 minutes.
Once we got down the slippery steps to Breakfast River again, Roger and I took water samples to test for E. coli later in the week since people often drink from that water on the hike. After making it across the rocks to the other side, Elvis told us to continue back at our own paces. Roger, James, and I went ahead while Elvis stayed with Kala and Diane. James and I swung on the jungle vine again and occasionally chatted about differences between the US and England. Dr. Hains was waiting for us at the end of the trail picking up trash. We changed into swimsuits and went swimming up through the gorge to the waterfall. I was scared to go in there by myself because it was like entering a dark cave. I didn't notice the four foot crevice at the top where light could come in. Once into the cavelike surroundings, I managed to get within five or six feet of the waterfall before the current was so strong it wouldn't let me get any closer.
We all piled into the rental car and went back to Fort Young Hotel, where James was staying. We sat in the bar area and had drinks for a bit (I had a banana smoothie). We said our goodbyes and returned to the station for dinner and no lecture!
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