A Hike That Took My Breath Away
One of the main reasons I had wanted to vacation in St. Kitts & Nevis (SKN) was to hike the stratovolcano known as Nevis Peak. While not the tallest mountain in the Caribbean, I heard that the trail is one of the steepest, perhaps comparable to St. Lucia’s Pitons which I enjoyed hiking, so I had to give it a go! Besides, the highest point on Nevis is more than 900 feet (275m) higher than the iconic Gros Piton…
We stayed in St. Kitts for our holiday, but whenever I had the chance, I glanced over at her sister island, paying special attention to the cloud cover on Nevis Peak. It was almost always shrouded in mist, however from what I observed it seemed to be cloud-free more often in the afternoon than the morning, so I decided to schedule the hike for the afternoon.
On the day of the hike, I took the public ferry from Basseterre, St. Kitts over to Nevis, landing in the island’s capital, Charlestown. I got there early so I could wander around and visit the historic Bath House / Hot Springs as well as the Museum of Nevis History. When my meeting time came, I went back to the Charlestown waterfront road lined with flags from all over the world. This is where I met Reggie Douglas of Nevis Adventure Tours, my private guide for the day. I was fortunate to have booked Reggie, who I understand from their website is a former SKN Sportsman of the Year and National as well as Eastern Caribbean Triathlon Champion.
It was a short drive from Charlestown, to the south side of the island to a place called Stoneyhill. We parked next to the Dunbar Mill, near the Hermitage Inn, although I believe the official trailhead is actually a couple of streets further east. Our hike started up a steep incline, on an old double-track concrete road. Once we passed the last few houses skirting the Volcano, we followed a path into the forest. Although relatively short, this is a relaxing wooded section of the trail. I didn’t know it at the time, but that was the last I was going to see of anything resembling level ground for the rest of the hike. Meanwhile, a couple of small dogs had run past us and were somewhere on the trail ahead – We could hear them yipping away, seemingly in a verbal war with a territorial monkey. Once we reached the area, the dogs had vanished, but Reggie could see the monkey high up in a tree. While I could hear the little primate, now squawking at us, I couldn’t spot him/her hiding in the dense canopy above.
Soon after that, we abruptly turned uphill and began the climb. I’ve done a fair amount of mountain hiking in my day, however I’ve never encountered a trail like this before. There is not even the slightest notion of a switchback anywhere – The trail pretty much takes a straight-line path up the side of the volcano.
The path essentially consists of a series of near-vertical sections, each connected by a few feet of somewhat flat sections, only a couple of which lasted for more than a few steps. As for the plentiful near-vertical sections, I loved climbing up the natural ladders formed from tree roots and branches – What a rush! Thankfully, these areas also had ropes strung from tree to tree, providing additional help if needed. Looking for an authentic, wild hike, I didn’t use the ropes too often and Reggie made it easy by calmly identifying good places to grab and step as we made our way uphill. That said, there were a couple of perilous-looking verticals where I would have been foolish not to take advantage of the safety ropes.
Reggie mentioned that sometimes he has to coach, or rather coax some of his clients to continue the climb when they were confronted with some of the more daunting sections. I had absolutely no second thoughts of carrying on, although after being on the trail for less than half an hour, I was breathing so hard, I just couldn’t catch my breath. It was a tough uphill climb, but I also blame my struggle on having hiked and biked a substantial amount a few days prior to this strenuous hike. Whatever it was, my heart was beating out of my chest so I asked Reggie, who as far as I could tell wasn’t even breathing hard, to take a short break. Excuses aside, after a 5-minute water break, we were underway again and I eventually found my groove. I was still constantly breathing hard with an elevated heart rate, however I felt much more comfortable the rest of the way.
After a while I started to acknowledge my surroundings, recognizing that we were in a rugged, nearly impenetrable jungle, filled with lush rainforest plants and tall trees reaching skyward in an attempt to find sunlight. For most of the climb, there were very few opportunities to see much through the thick green foliage, although Reggie let me know when we reached a couple of partial clearings that did offer a view of the island below. I savoured the spectacular scenery that these little ‘windows to the world’ offered. Seeing the green island unfold below, transitioning to a stunning blue ocean that went on for as far as the eye can see, was something to behold!
While I didn’t really think about it, and when I did I wasn’t perturbed in the least, I should point out that some people may consider this a dangerous trail. The potential for serious falls exists, although you wouldn’t roll down the mountainside too far before being unceremoniously stopped by a tree ;). Due to the nature of the trail, the opportunity to converse was limited, although I did enjoy hearing about Reggie’s cycling experiences in Europe, agreeing that the mountainous Alps are something special. We talked about some of the other trails on the island, as well as how humans would be better off if we were more in tune with the natural world. A lifestyle I value and strive towards these days – I wondered how we can make positive changes in North America to head in that direction…
As we got higher up the mountainside, Reggie pointed out the green moss and lichen that were now growing in much larger and richer clusters than they had a few hundred feet earlier. The plants keep everything nice and moist up here – So cool to see! As we neared the top of the volcano, we climbed up some truly striking areas that appeared to be muddy gashes in the earth. Not long after ascending one of the slippery zones, we suddenly popped into a little wooded area on fairly level ground, quickly reaching a small clearing in the rainforest. We had reached the top of the volcano! The mist from the clouds enveloped us, offering only fleeting glimpses of the island below. While we chilled, taking in the scenery, Reggie told me that people of all ages have climbed this peak, from pre-teens to a 72-year-old. WoW – Impressive! While we were talking, a green/blue hummingbird darted around us, letting us know that we weren’t the only ones up there. Apparently, the highest spot in Nevis is another 100 meters or so from where we were standing. Reggie stated that that section of the trail hadn’t been cleared for the last couple of years and was only a few feet higher than where we were.
Well, eventually we decided it was time for the return journey. While there is another path down the other side of the volcano, it hadn’t been cleared for a while either, and it complicates logistics anyways. So, we headed back down the same way we came. From my previous mountain hiking experience, I have come to learn that going down a mountain is usually harder than going up it, mostly because it puts a strain on different muscles (and joints). That said, this trail provided a unique challenge. For anyone who has climbed a tall ladder to get onto the roof of a house, you know what I’m talking about. From a psychological perspective, it’s totally different going up a ladder than it is staring down it. Not to belabour the point, down we went. Sometimes with our back/butt hugging the earth, and sometimes going backward, facing the ground – Whatever felt more natural at the time. Unlike the trip up the volcano, I made extensive use of the ropes on the way down.
The Nevis Peak experience wasn’t over yet though. When we got near the location where we had encountered the dogs and monkey, it was interesting to see a monkey turd proudly displayed on top of a trailside boulder. I guess the animal was once again reminding us that they have made this area their home 😊. A much nicer surprise greeted us a few minutes later when we retraced our steps through the nice wooded area near the road. More than a dozen yellow and black striped insects, that Reggie identified as zebra butterflies, merrily fluttered around us – A soothing encounter to end the hike.
About three hours after we had started the hike, we were back at our starting point. To be clear, I wouldn’t be exaggerating to say that this was more of a climb than a hike. Although I didn’t get to revel in spectacular 360° views from the top of the island, scaling Nevis Peak was a blast. I had a great time with Reggie, so unassuming and authentic. I’m not sure if I’ll ever get the mud completely out of my mesh hikers, but that’s a small price to pay for such an awesome experience! Another day in paradise.
For more information on Reggie’s tours and services, check out his website, Nevis Adventure Tours and Greenedge Bike Shop, or his facebook page.
For a more ‘technical’ Trail Report as well as much more information on hiking in St. Kitts & Nevis, please reference the following links (to pages on our website):
- St. Kitts & Nevis Hiking – Nevis Peak Trail (coming soon)
- St. Kitts & Nevis Hiking Trails – Trail Reviews and Tour Operators
For an overview of the beautiful “Sister islands”, take a look at our St. Kitts & Nevis Vacations page
If you’re looking for more active things to do while vacationing on the islands, click on our St. Kitts & Nevis Adventures blog for more great ideas!
For a more relaxed vacation itinerary, you can find great Tourist Attractions on the islands, by checking out our Things to Do in St. Kitts & Nevis blog
ACT Staff
