Month: April 2022

Hike – Brasso Santo Trail…

/ Denise / Leave a comment

An early morning start with a drive to the beautiful Caura Valley to begin our hike.  Honestly our small twin island state abounds with such natural beauty, it is a shame that I don’t explore it more often.

Already as you drive through the Caura valley you can envision the peace and quiet you will be trekking through.  The mountains now awakening still covered in mist, the calling of the birds as they start their day, with the distinctive ‘tocking’ of the Bearded Bell Bird also known as the Campanaro, native to the upper regions of the northern range, and the peekaboo views of the Caura River as you near the beginning of the trail, all contribute to building the excitement for your journey.

The Brasso Santo Trail is home to hikers, bikers and hunters and much thanks must be given to our bikers who have made the trail passable with their ongoing efforts to keep it clear of fallen trees.

The beginning of the 13.5 km trail takes you along a meandering path criss-crossing the Caura River several times before making your way up the mountain.  The water is clean and refreshing, the river shrouded at times in Bamboo, and the banks are lined with the white peace lily giving off its characteristic scent.  You begin to relax and smile not realising that you will soon begin the gradual ascent to the top of the ridge traversing the northern range. Your elevation gain will be a total of 777m with a maximum height of 500m.

Along the trail there is evidence of hunters as you pass a makeshift shed and if you are a keen observer, you will notice our local version of ‘sentry posts’ created to spot unsuspecting animals all along the path.  These are strips of branches laced or nailed between two trees so that the hunter can either sit or stand unseen for hours awaiting their prey.

The forest is not dense and allows just the right amount of filtered light for you to enjoy the beauty of the natural flora keeping you cool along the way.

There are several check points on this trail – the ‘Belly of the Beast’ lets you know that you have reached what seems to be the lowest point in the trail. The ‘Bathtub’ – a very welcoming small pool of refreshing water filled by an endearing waterfall.  And ‘Base Camp’ – an arbitrary meeting and look out point where you reap the rewards of your climb with views stretching along the north coast with Las Cuevas beach to the west.

It is undulating territory as you leave Base Camp, primarily downhill along the path when you finally exit the forest and enter the open landscape where you can catch a glimpse of your final destination La Fillette bay.  You’re almost there.  And after a 4-hour hike, you are content knowing that you have just spent a relatively short time crossing but a small part of our beautiful northern range experiencing nature at its best, shedding some of your worries and anxieties.  I would say a morning well spent.

This trail is one of Trinidad’s finest.

The joy that is the Poui season…

/ Denise / Leave a comment
The Poui tree plays a very significant role in our dry season in Trinidad, giving us a break in the otherwise browning of our beautiful Savannah – an iconic spot in our capital of Port of Spain, dotting the hills throughout the surrounding areas of St. Anns and Cascade with strikingly yellow flowers as well as brightening up our Savannah with magnificent pink and yellow blossoms along its perimeter and within its boundaries.  I have to admit that this is the highlight of our dry season and usually marks the slow transition to our rainy season.
Many years ago I experienced first hand the other side of the Poui tree, when I moved to Cascade and found that my new home was surrounded by Poui trees.  Both pink and yellow.  These trees provide lovely shade in the morning and evening and are home to many species of wildlife including a variety of birds – corn birds, doves, blue jays, kiskadees, hummingbirds and our local parrots.  They also provide a home for iguanas, squirrels and the odd woodpecker. I thought that I had gone to heaven and started building a garden that would prosper alongside these beautiful creatures – providing natural food for all things wild, including a small family of agouti.
But when the leaves started to shed making way for the flowers, my heart began to sink, slowly.  Every day for just about 6 weeks, there would be a carpet of dead leaves covering my lawn and drowning my plants.  It became a chore keeping my garden clean, and my plants un-smothered by leaves.  Slowly my dislike for these trees which had given me so much pleasure during the past year, set in.
Then one morning as I peaked through my window I saw a small burst of yellow.  And as I ventured outside, a small smile replaced the curiosity on my face.  I looked across the valley up towards Lady Chancellor and saw, spotted across the lushness that the yellow Pouis were coming to life.  It was almost as if they were calling out to each other across the valley saying ‘Here I am, here I am. Look at me.”
Over the next couple of days my trees were in full bloom and glorious.  What I could see from underneath was nothing compared to what those persons on the opposite side of the valley were experiencing.  And I smiled broadly.
As the wind blew, and the flowers fell, my garden which was once covered in brown leaves, were now smothered in a carpet yellow.  A sight to behold.  My dismay turned into sheer joy.
Now, as the dry season sets in, I look forward to the shedding of leaves, knowing that for just a short moment in the very near future, I will be blessed with a beauty like no other.

Hike – the Gorges @ Heights of Guanapo…

/ Denise / 3 Comments

As an avid lover of all that is outdoors, the opportunity to discover places new to me is always welcome.  And as a blogger it is always my intent to use this forum to share my experiences as I explore my surroundings.  However, I am having great difficulty in describing the true beauty and sense of pride after having hiked the gorges of the Heights of Guanapo, a hill with an elevation of a mere 218 metres and located in the Northern Range on my island of Trinidad.  But I will try.

This adventure began with a long, winding drive through the foothills of the northern range on the Guanapo Road.  This area is home to the Guanapo quarry which has contributed significantly to the road damage and dust pollution as you make your way ever so slowly to your destination.  It’s worth the effort though and the banter in the bus of course almost helps you forget the passing of time.

You stop at the side of the Tumbason river and begin the hike with a short 40-minute walk through the forest until you reach the part of the river where you now continue through the waters to the gorges.  Some swimming through pools, some wading through the waters and mostly strolling through the riverbed, takes you to the beginning of the gorges. 

For the most part the beauty that surrounds is pretty similar to other rivers in the forest.  As you enter the gorges however, you are literally silenced by the imposing magnificence of the rock formation reaching towards the sky.  There is little sunlight, and the water begins to get a bit chilly, but you are impelled to move forward craving more and more of this splendour.

The river takes you up a few levels over minor waterfalls, until you suddenly, and without much fanfare, reach a small pool where you can go no further.

It’s not a challenging hike and very much worth your morning.