La Soufriere: La Montagne A Diables Guadeloupe Mar 4,2006

Sailboat | Voyages | Log

The Mountain of the Devils: 1467 Meters = 4812 Feet Banana Trees A major crop in Guadeloupe The bags protect the bananas from bugs and birds I am at the midway point of my hike The hard part was climbing the cone behind me It took 2.5 hours to get up and 1.5 to get down The summit was stunning. Barren and belching sulfur gas It was like witnessing earth at the creation The top is totally barren Consisting of only lava rock Absolutely no vegetation of any kind This is sulfur gas belching from The interior of the earth. Totally amazing The smell was overwhelming It was a long day I got back to the boat late Popcorn, another mystery of nature It was like watching the earth at the time of creation. Yellow foul smelling gases belched from deep fissures at the top of the mountain of the devils. The sulfur gases prevented vegetation, of any kind, from growing. It was void of life. If it were not in the heavens, one could think it was a window into bowels of hell. It was awesome to see this gurgling caldron up close. Getting there was not for the faint of heart or the weak of knee. To reach the summit, I had to hike/climb for two and one-half hours one way. In the photo with me standing in front of the cone, you can get some idea of the climb. The trail (or “trace” as it is called in French) circles around the cone in a series of switch backs to a steep hand over foot climb on the back side. I started late, about 1430, and nearly quit many times, but I pressed on. Since I had not planned on making the climb, I was not well prepared. I had neither rain jacket nor water, but I was here, the weather was good, and after seeing the results of the volcano on Monserrat, I was more than curious. I had my doubts as to whether it would be worth the effort. I was exhausted long before reaching the top. I was concerned about sunset at 1745. I tried to ask the persons coming down what it was like, but my French was not sufficient to understand their answers. When I asked how much longer, I always heard one hour. It never seemed to change no matter how close I got. Eventually, the summit was in sight, but being in sight and being there are two different things. As the photos demonstrate, I did make it up, and since I am writing this log, I did make it down. The sun was on the horizon as returned to my car, requiring me to drive home in the dark, something I had wanted to avoid. I was too exhausted to go out and get anything to eat, so I made one of favorite dinners when I am alone – popcorn. Popcorn is such a mystery. You cover the bottom of a pan with corn kernels, and voila, minutes later the pan is overflowing with white puffy nuggets. Add salt, open a beer, and you have a perfect meal. Speaking of beer, there is a more interesting variety of beer here in Guadeloupe than the other islands since it is French, and they shun anything American, including beer. I have discovered “1664.” The challenge was ordering it. I had to say the number 1664. After some practice I got it, “Seize Cent Soixante Quatre.” It is said as 1600 and 64. Just saying it makes me feel “tres chic.” Previous | Next