Dominica

Boiling Lake, Dominica	Boiling Lake, Dominica	Boiling Lake, Dominica
Dominica Folk Group	Dominica Folk Group and Mandalay Passengers	Dominica Folk Group and Mandalay Passengers

After much deliberation and trying to persuade other passengers to do the trip (we needed a minimum of 6 people), we did the hike to Boiling Lake. This ended up being the hardest hike I've ever done, so next time the Windjammer pamphlets say that a hike is rated a difficulty of 9 out of 10, I will believe them (it was also described as "a serious expedition for serious hikers"). Our guide Alphil told us it was considered one of the 8 great hikes in the world (I'm not sure who considers it that, but since we have now done it, I won't argue :-). It was extremely muddy and very steep in places, and ended up being over 7 hours worth of total hiking time (that does not include the half hour rest we took once we arrived at Boiling Lake). The scenery was beautiful during the first portion of the hike through the rain forest, which was followed by an 1100 foot climb to the highest peak of the hike. A steep, muddy descent brought us into the Valley of Desolation, which is an active volcano area with many sulfur springs and fumes that have destroyed virtually all vegetation in the area. We were strongly encouraged to follow our guide's path to avoid breaking through the crust covering the hot lava below. After another hour of several climbs and descents we finally arrived at Boiling Lake. It's definitely interesting to see a lake that is constantly boiling and many times is obscured from view because of the sulfur clouds rising from the gray-blue water. After eating lunch and resting for about half an hour, we had to hike out the same way we came in. We were definitely exhausted by the time it was over with (not to mention being sore for several days afterwards). After a short visit on the ship from a local group of folk dancers, the Mandalay crew brought a barbecue dinner from the ship, which we ate at the Anchorage Hotel that evening. Background music was provided by a local band named Rough 'n' Ready.