The Jungle
The interior of Grenada feels like a different world from where we live. Even in the dry season, the forest is lush in the mountains. We are prepared for a muddy hiking trail up to Mount Qua Qua.
It is rainforest, with an average rainfall of over 3 meters (~120 inches) per year in Grand Etang National Forest. In St. George’s, an average of 1.5 meters (~60 inches) of rain falls every year, compared with about 46 inches annually at our place in New York.
Our hike begins by the lake at Grand Etang. We took the bus up from St. George’s, bringing along a neighbor friend of Stella’s. Even before we begin hiking, some young mona monkeys greet us from the trees, dangling to reach the bananas we offer them. Then we walk down the paved road to the lake in a crater.
Standing by the lake, we cannot see the top of Mt. Qua Qua, which is shrouded by clouds. From lake level, the trail heads up stairs cut into the exposed earth. We are lucky in getting a pretty dry day. The trail is solid for now, but I can imagine how fast it could turn into a slick, goopy hike.
We follow the clear trail as it winds up and up towards a ridge. Long before we reach the summit of Mount Qua Qua, the views are spectacular. Along the way, we get a series of perspectives on the Grand Etang lake. From the ridge, we can look southwest, seeing all the way to the white curve of Grand Anse Beach. Further on, we can look northeast and see Telescope Point, near Grenville.
The whole way up, I am gasping, but not from effort. I keep stopping, arrested by beauty. The verdant mountains rolling to the sea. The pink-purple orchids. The lake crowned by its quiet crater. The ferns that are burgundy when unfolding and new, then turn glossy green. I feel like Grover in the old Sesame Street sketch: Near….Far….Near….Far.
The trail has only a few signs, marking the turn-off to Annandale Falls, then—not far from the summit—the trail down to Concord Falls. Someone scratched off Concord Falls and wrote “Dead End” above it. Someone else countered with “Is Possible,” also etched into the peeling paint. It makes us want to try it sometime.
About a month earlier, Andrew and Sam hiked this island from coast to coast over the highest point, Mount Saint Catherine (~2575 feet elevation). Their hike started by taking the bus to Grenville. From there, they headed west up to the summit. A trail led down the other side from the summit, taking them through beautiful farms and past the Diamond Chocolate Factory, all the way to Victoria on the west coast. In Victoria, they got the bus back to St. George’s, completing the loop with over twelve miles of hiking under their feet.
On Mount Qua Qua, Sam beats the rest of us to the top by about thirty minutes. When he arrives, the clouds surround the summit. By the time we get there, the view is clear. Wisps of clouds move through as we sit and eat our peanut butter and jelly or Nutella sandwiches.
On our way back to the lake, it rains briefly, but the views are unmarred. The girls play with the straggly cats while we wait for the bus. We have promised them ice cream back in St. George’s after a good hike.
