Gros Piton Climb

Our big to-do on St. Lucia was to climb the Gros Piton, 786 ft up. It is the 2nd highest peak (Mount Gimie not near the coast is the 1st) on the island. The hike takes 4 hours and is an intense climb which can only be accomplished with the assistance of a guide. We arranged this activity for our first full day there.  We thoroughly enjoyed the aggressive climb, and although it was a relatively overcast day, we still had a gorgeous view, awesome workout, and met another couple who we instantly became friends with for the duration of our vacation.

 Ready, set, climb!

 Our guide said we could grab mangos along the trail to eat at the top with our prepacked lunch.

 We had many break points for water, which the guides insist.  Each person must have at least 1 full liter of water to start the hike.  Here we are a quarter of the way up.

 There was a nice view of the coast although the clouds hovered.

 The climb was full of rocks and natural steps giving your legs quite a work out!

 We are halfway up now.  The Petite Piton, slightly smaller than the Gros Piton we are hiking, is off in the distance. 

 Here is a better picture of the Petite Piton.  Our resort would be positioned to the right in the mountians above that bay.

We made it!  We felt on top of the island.  There was a nice breeze on the peak.  We ate our peanut butter sandwiches. (Kevin and I had our driver stop at the super market on the way from the airport to Ladera for some food/beverages for the trip.  Smart move!  Saved money in the long run because we didn't order out every single thing!)   We also enjoyed the mangos but joked that we needed floss up there because it was all stuck in our teeth.  :)

 Our vacations wouldn't be the same without strenous adventures like this!  We both love them which is so fun!

Our hiking buds, Drewry and Russell from Virginia.

 

Last glimpse before beginning the descend down the mountain.

We relaxed and enjoyed wine and cheese in the warm mineral bath upon arrival back to Ladera.  This eased our sore muscles. 

Later we watched the set go down behind the mountains.

Then we met our "friends" on the walk from dinner.  These frogs were found throughout the grounds.  They were huge and cool to see.  Don't worry, they were never in our open air suite.  However, we did see quarter sized tree frogs on rare occasions and twice a harmless lizard.  I was orginally nervous about what might wander into the room not having a wall on one side, but people were right.  There really weren't any visitors, and it was no big deal.