The Jacquot Trail

It was always my intention to do some trekking in the lush interior of the island. But of 3 main treks that were advertised, two hadn't re-opened after the hurricane and the other hadn't attracted any interest while I was there from all other tourists on the entire island. Climbing the highest of the two Pitons was a possibility, but I met a couple of marathon runners who had done it and said they ached for days afterwards. No rock climbing involved but just lots of steps. It sounded like the world's most extreme step aerobic class.

So as a last resort I hiked the Jacquot Trail. Now this trail was in the Northern part of the island and established by an Austrian company who had acquired the concession for the area. Cleverly they had gone for the triple option over the same basic area, so you could go zip-wiring through the canopy,

 or take a sort of aerial tram,


 

or just hike up the mountain.



I took the most arduous rote - walking. Arduous mostly in the company. Now one shouldn't trade in stereotypes, so here goes. I was in a group with a stereotypical middle-aged American. Loud, bald, seriously obese with a tiny wife who had clearly arrived by mail from the Philippines. Unfortunately he didn't seem to speak to her at all, but at all times he addressed the group. And he was under the mistaken impression that he was a great wit. Rarely in the history of mankind can one man have been so wrong - pretty much between him and Chamberlain. I am hardly fit, but with him we were pretty much on mega go slow. I did rather feel the guide was a little unadventurous - we could easily have outrun him. Probably against company policy to leave a tourist alone the forest, but surely there were extenuating circumstances. Anyway, it was well worth doing, although unfortunately there were no good viewpoints to just see the surrounding countryside from the mountain, and any birdlife would be scared off by the constant "banter."

And afterwards, my thigh muscles did ache for two days. Heaven knows what the Pitons would have done to them.