The third and final hike of Hike Fest 2010 took place on Saturday. The hike was along the 14th segment of the Waitukubuli National Trail, which begins at Dominica’s northern tip, Capuchin, and goes south to the Cabrits National Park.

The day started off brilliantly  at Canna Heritage Park, with a delightful breakfast snack provided by the Capuchin Cultural Group: warm Cocoa Tea made with fresh coconut milk and arrowroot. The trek was led by Dr. Lennox Honychurch who provided informative and entertaining information as we passed by many historical spots.

The turn-out was tremendous – 63 hikers in all!

From Canna Heritage Park, we descended a steep path that has been in use for hundreds of years;  by the Kalinago, by the Capuchin Monks who settled the area, by the British,  and by modern day school children who made their way to Sunday morning church in Portsmouth along this route.

Following a small stream, the path descended to the rocky coastline.

Here we walked across boulders and beach.

Several waterfalls splashed onto the beach as we passed, created by rainwater running down the  ravines from Morne Aux Diables above us.

As we trekked along the rugged coastline, we reached one technically difficult part of the route. Here, as the tide was up, we had to crawl along the edge of the rock to reach the other side. Teamwork was essential here and with the help of many, we all made it through!

The trail joined the main road, so we had a brief walk along a smoother surface from Toucari, up to Morne A-Louis…

Then it was back along the rocky coastline to reach the break between the two hills of the Cabrits and up into the forest again. We passed by the Battery and the ruins of the Commandants Headquarters.

From the Cabrits, we followed the road to Purple Turtle Beach where we relaxed, bathed in the sea and reflected on what a wonderful hike we had just finished!

So Hike Fest 2010 came to a close. But keep your eye on DHTA’s website and don’t be surprised if there are more of these organised hikes throughout the year!

• For more about hiking in Dominica, visit our website.