This turns out to be a biiiiig day. We are at Sea Cat’s just after 7 am with our lunch and pack packed for our trip to Boiling Lake. Our guide is Melvin Henderson, also known as Ninjaman and with good reason. He’s 6 foot 6 and all muscle but he’s also happy to see us because he can tell we’re fit enough for the hike we are about to undergo. He’s a lotta talk too but turns out to be a great guide.

Takes about a half hour to get to the start of the hike up to Boiling Lake. In the parking lot below the start there’s a German guy who seems to want to tag along with us. I don’t see this happening unless it is OK with Ninja and dude pays Ninja. A few minutes later Ninja asks me what I thought about him coming with us. I say “I guess it’s OK as long as he pays you.” Ninja says he didn’t want to pay the US$80 fee and didn’t even want to pay the park entry fee (about C$10 each). “F*ck him then” I say and Ninja is happy with that.

Off we go up, up up but not too steep. Ninja’s in bare feet and I take my Keens off and go barefoot for a while too until it gets rocky on a descent to a creek. A fair ways along we come to a surveyed line that shows the park boundary, Ninja says this is the quarter point. Holy Mackinaw, this is going to be a big day. Down down down to a creek crossing, then up up up to a hill crest then down down down to cross the Breakfast River. Would be trickly in a flash flood but not too bad today. Up Up Up. Up Up Up. Up Up Up. To the halfway point. Nice views, including the tramway they are building across here. Amazing construction.

From the halfway point it is a very steep, very slippery descent into Desolation Valley – an area of sulfur steam vents and boiling rivulets. The hike has smelled strongly of sulfur for the past hour or so. In the valley we catch up to the young couple ahead of us (they’re half our age but we kicked their ass and Ninja says so). Their guide sucks and Ninja says that too.

Ninja ran ahead of us about 5 minutes before getting to the bottom of Desolation Valley and now we see why. While ahead of us he placed a small bag of eggs in the sulfur spring and now they are cooked. Very cool (hot, I guess).

Ninja paints our faces with sulfur mud. Not sure why, guess it is good for you then we carry on.

Down down down the sulfur creek, past the spot Ninja says we will swim on the way back. Looks very inviting. Then up up up the final ascent to the boiling lake. It is truly boiling though I think it is vents not so much boiling with temperature although we know the water is scalding hot. Ninja tells the story of a woman who dropped her camera and the guide went to retrieve it. He fell in, burned himself badly and had to be airlifted out.

Several people have died on this trip, including one woman who leaned a bit too far over a cliff edge near the halfway point for a picture. There’s a railing there now. We have lunch at the Boiling Lake with the other guide and his two charges. Afterwards Ninja tells us he is a musician and recording artist and trying to break through in the music industry. He sings us two of his songs: “Sugar Sugar” and some other World Love song. Perhaps they are good, maybe with some musicians and backup singers, he doesn’t have the greatest voice tho I’ll give him props for trying and having the guts to do it. We take a bunch of pics and eventually head back. Passing two other groups heading in, we’re glad we’re early in, early out.

Stop at the sulfur springs for a swim is aaaawwwwessome. Wish it was at the end cuz we still have over 3/4 of the tough trail ahead of us.

It is a full slog back to the trailhead, Up up up, down down down, etc. Filling our water bottles and drinking the cold water at Breakfast River is a treat.

Starts raining again, it has come and gone all morning but this time it doesn’t stop. For the last 90 minutes or so it rains continually and we are drenched to the bone. Fairly warm rain at least. After passing the 1/4 mark it seems to take a long time to get to the trailhead but eventually we do, exiting about 3 pm after a 7 hour hike. Phew.

Well we’re not done yet. Part of the attraction is a swim up the Titou Gorge which is right at the trailhead. They rent us life jackets and we enter the water. Not sure why I bothered to take my clothes off, they couldn’t get any wetter. The gorge is pretty interesting, just a 4 minute swim through a tight canyon to where a waterfall comes down. Cool to fight through the current at the base and walk up to the waterfall. The current makes for a leisurely exit from the gorge.

Shoulda brought the GoPro but didn’t so I stole these from the ‘net.

We’ve arranged with Ninja to take us to Trafalgar Falls on the way home. I’m a little surprised at this as we’re both tired and drenched but we decide to give Ninja an extra EC$150 for a tip and the side trip.

We give a lift to a young girl who has walked up from somewhere. She’s pierced and tatooed everywhere with blue hair. She’s taking 4 years to sail bum her way around the world, she’s looking for her next boat out. Now she’s met some Rasta who is letting her spread her hammock on his veranda. I think her passport is between her legs.

Trafalgar Falls is spectacular but of course we have to hike up the slippery, rocky watercourse to where the hot water comes out and mixes with the cold water. We’re too tired to climb to the higher pool – it’s VERY slippery but relax in the lower pool, then climb back down.

Ninja takes us back to Sea Cats and seems happy with the extra we gave him. We say fond farewells and go out to Milu where we drop our wet clothes instantly and get into warm dry gear. The sun is out so we’re warm fast.

Good, long, day.