Friday was the only full school day of the week – you can bet we made sure when we dropped the kids off for the day that there were no early releases! Alison and I headed off to climb the second highest peak on the island, Morne Trois Pitons. At just under 5,000 feet, it’s usually above the clouds, but the weather pattern here has been unusually dry. We had never done this hike before and knew this would be a great opportunity to do the hike in dry weather and get a good view. 
It was spectacular – and very difficult. The trail essentially went straight up, with logs placed across the path to form steps. Thousands of steps. Barbed grasses grabbed our clothing and cut into our skin, adding to the challenge. At several points, we climbed up ropes, and in one place we scampered up a very exposed section where the undergrowth barely clung to the steep cliff. The only thing that comforted me about that section was that the terrain was dry and in the rainforest the root systems are completely intertwined.
It was spectacular – and very difficult. The trail essentially went straight up, with logs placed across the path to form steps. Thousands of steps. Barbed grasses grabbed our clothing and cut into our skin, adding to the challenge. At several points, we climbed up ropes, and in one place we scampered up a very exposed section where the undergrowth barely clung to the steep cliff. The only thing that comforted me about that section was that the terrain was dry and in the rainforest the root systems are completely intertwined.
An hour and a half of steep climbing provided exceptional views of the island. It’s very difficult to take a picture that shows how steep this is because stepping of the trail is not only challenging but incredibly dangerous. Here are a few shots that attempt to capture the steepness and views.
The full round trip took us just under 4 hours, and we only saw one other party hiking – a young Canadian couple from BC, escaping the crazy Winter Olympics scene back home.
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