Nevis Peak or Bust!

This is Nevis Peak, the 3,232ft high dormant volcano that stands in the middle of our little island. Most days the top is covered with clouds. It's not often that we get to actually see the whole mountain.

While the mountain is pretty to look at, from everywhere on the island, we've heard a lot of people talk about what a great adventure it is to hike to the top. And since we're on an adventure-having roll while Adam's on break, we decided to do just that!

Rumors are that celebrities like Britney Spears and Oprah have done the hike before. As much as I like Oprah, I'm here to tell you that there is NO WAY she hiked that mountain!! If she's been to the top of the peak, it's only because her helicopter took her up!

We met up with a couple other guys from Adam's class on Tuesday for the fun, and it took all of about 10 minutes after we started for us to realize that this was not going to be a leasurly little hike. Our guide let us know we were at the start of the trail when we reached a 30 foot wall of rocks with a small rope hanging down from the top. He simply said, "ok, let's go guys," then grabbed the rope and scampered up the wall! By the end of the hike he'd earned the nick name "Spiderman."

It took us two hours to get to the top. Two hours, climbing straight up, in mud (thanks to a few good rainstorms over the weekend), using ropes and tree roots and branches to pull ourselves over rocks and up the trail! The scenery was really pretty, but I think we were all too busy trying to get oxygen to our brains to actually enjoy it!

When we got to the top of the peak it was covered with clouds. We unfortunately didn't have much of a view, but it sure felt nice! We signed and dated the little notebook at the top to prove to world we'd been there, caught our breath for a few minutes, then headed back down. We spent most of the time down on our rear ends, in the mud, climbing straight down over the rocks and tree roots and brances!

Two hours later we finally made it back to our cars, with weak and shaking legs, covered in mud from head to toe, feeling more than half dead, and not sure why anyone in their right mind would ever call that a fun adventure!!

Adam headed up an "easy" part of the trail

Thank goodness for all the ropes to help us up and down!

Signing the book for proof that we were there!

Our hiking buddies: CJ, Jamie, and Sam

Great veiws of the island below from the trail

Climbing down the trail, almost back to the bottom

It's been 48 hrs, and the pain is still very fresh in our minds, and our muscles! We might not quite be ready to call climbing Nevis peak "fun," but we're pretty darn proud of ourselve's for doing it, and surviving to tell about it!