A trip to the Boiling Lake

            We arrived in Dominica and the feeling of excitement was overwhelming us. As we came closer to shore we could make out small houses on the tops of the mountains. A massive white wall belonging to a cruise ship blocked the small city of Roseau. We made our way to where we would be anchoring and finally Roseau was completely visible. Although the city is a great place, it would have to wait for us to explore it. Our first journey on land would be going on a long hike to the boiling hike. This is one of Dominica’s toughest hikes. With spirits high we first embarked on a long, very exciting taxi ride. Finally we arrived at the beginning of the hike and our guides gave us natural war paint for our faces. As we started our hike, there were huge trees everywhere and the amount of green was amazing. There were trees that no one had ever seen before, with roots in all shapes and sizes. The ground was slippery and muddy. Our shoes were immediately covered in the thick mud. The trail wasn’t east and required some athletic jumping, which was difficult. The view of never ending stairs didn’t help morale, but the view at the top did. We hiked down into the valley of desolation. There was an overwhelming smell of sulfur and rotten eggs. Strangely enough, eggs were on the menu for a snack. Our guide, Sea Cat, had boiled some eggs in the naturally boiling water. They were really delicious and didn’t taste like sulfur. We continued onward to the boiling lake with the smell of sulfur passing every once and a while. We passed a few unusual rivers with shiny grey water. The color of the rocks highlighted the color of the rivers even more. We finally approached the boiling lake. We headed up the side of a small hill, turned a corner and ended up on a platform, a dead end. We had arrived at the boiling lake, although at the moment it was not visible because of a large cloud of smoke. Soon the wind would blow, revealing a large bowl of water boiling at the center. We had lunch, took some group photos, and reluctantly began the hike back. The return home seemed much easier and shorter, although it was still a challenge for us. Finishing was a relief but the whole experience was very rewarding.

Diego Purcell