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Trip report #7
Trip report #7
OK folks- Our last day...and this one was a winner!!! A most interesting experience...
Our "new thing" for this year was to hike the Ram Head Trail. Husband, twin #1 and I, left Lavender HIll at 8, and arrived at Salt Pond at 8:40. Geez, I do like that ride.
We park, and head on down to Salt Pond and over to Ram Head Trail. It is getting hot already.Lots of switch-backs and is rocky. Have to watch your footing. Down to Blue Stone Beach- neat!!! Back up again-- hot, hot, hot. Don't forget your water!~!!the landscape is totally different than anywhere we have been on STJ- lots and lots of Cacti. Have to be careful of the sliding, loose rock. Once we were at the top, we felt like we were on top of the world!!! Deep, deep crevices and gorges witht he watersplashing up between the rocks.
Book said the trail was 1 mile- took maybe 40 minutes, one way. It was worth every step!!! We are all in pretty good shape- I would not say that it is NOT an easy hike. I would call The Lind Point Trail an easy hike. Even Twin#1 said that it was not easy and she's 16 and in incredible shape from lax, and volleyball and swimming.
OK...now all along our hike, we saw discarded wet clothing strewn about...a belt here, and pair of pants hanging from a tree, and pair of sandals on BlueStone Beach...and a back pack with dry clothes laying on top. We thought it kind of peculiar...and even a little creepy. So we are hiking back to Salt Pon and we meet a Natl Park Ranger coming towards us. We cahtted about the hike and told him about the clothes. He then preceeds to tell us that we have been witness to illegal immigration!!!! Boats from Haiti or other islands make there way to these secluded beaches, the illegals swim to shore, discard their wet clothes and someone has left them dry clothes, and they assimilate into STJ !!! It was really freaky!!! then he asked us if we heard anything, and of course we had heard rustling in the bushes, but just thought it was lizards or mongoose, but the ranger said that it may have been illegals and they were hiding when they heard us coming. EWWWWWW!!!! The clothes were still wet, so they hadn't been ashore for very long, and there was that backpack with the dry clothes!!! the ranger said that he makes that hike up Ram Head every other day. He is not so much after the ones that come ashore, but the profiteers that run the boats and make the money!!!
We were the only ones on that trail that morning. After this, I would not be alone or women hiking alone. I was def a worthwhile hike and a highlight of our trip. Twin#1 said it was "so worth getting up for!!!"
We then hiked over to Drunk Bay. There were 2 ladies gathering salt from the salt pond there, between Salt Pond Bay and Drunk Bay. We stopped to talk and they told us that the conditions have to be perfect to collect the salt. they had about 2 huge buckets of this pure sea salt. the last time was years ago. when it rains the salt dissolves and you have to wait again until a drought when the pond starts to dry up and the salt collects around the edges of the ond. It was very interesting to talk to them. Drunk Bay is a "must see" too, as long as you are over here. Of course we all left our own little sculpture.
that afternoon we decided to try Trunk , since this was our last day. there was not a parking place to be found, so we headed back to Hawksnest. the waves were huge!!! and the snorkeling was poor since the wave action had gotten everythig all churned up.
We were all sad when we had to leave the beach...Hawksnest was THE FIRST beach we had been to, on our first trip 8 yrs ago, so it is special to us.
Our "new thing" for this year was to hike the Ram Head Trail. Husband, twin #1 and I, left Lavender HIll at 8, and arrived at Salt Pond at 8:40. Geez, I do like that ride.
We park, and head on down to Salt Pond and over to Ram Head Trail. It is getting hot already.Lots of switch-backs and is rocky. Have to watch your footing. Down to Blue Stone Beach- neat!!! Back up again-- hot, hot, hot. Don't forget your water!~!!the landscape is totally different than anywhere we have been on STJ- lots and lots of Cacti. Have to be careful of the sliding, loose rock. Once we were at the top, we felt like we were on top of the world!!! Deep, deep crevices and gorges witht he watersplashing up between the rocks.
Book said the trail was 1 mile- took maybe 40 minutes, one way. It was worth every step!!! We are all in pretty good shape- I would not say that it is NOT an easy hike. I would call The Lind Point Trail an easy hike. Even Twin#1 said that it was not easy and she's 16 and in incredible shape from lax, and volleyball and swimming.
OK...now all along our hike, we saw discarded wet clothing strewn about...a belt here, and pair of pants hanging from a tree, and pair of sandals on BlueStone Beach...and a back pack with dry clothes laying on top. We thought it kind of peculiar...and even a little creepy. So we are hiking back to Salt Pon and we meet a Natl Park Ranger coming towards us. We cahtted about the hike and told him about the clothes. He then preceeds to tell us that we have been witness to illegal immigration!!!! Boats from Haiti or other islands make there way to these secluded beaches, the illegals swim to shore, discard their wet clothes and someone has left them dry clothes, and they assimilate into STJ !!! It was really freaky!!! then he asked us if we heard anything, and of course we had heard rustling in the bushes, but just thought it was lizards or mongoose, but the ranger said that it may have been illegals and they were hiding when they heard us coming. EWWWWWW!!!! The clothes were still wet, so they hadn't been ashore for very long, and there was that backpack with the dry clothes!!! the ranger said that he makes that hike up Ram Head every other day. He is not so much after the ones that come ashore, but the profiteers that run the boats and make the money!!!
We were the only ones on that trail that morning. After this, I would not be alone or women hiking alone. I was def a worthwhile hike and a highlight of our trip. Twin#1 said it was "so worth getting up for!!!"
We then hiked over to Drunk Bay. There were 2 ladies gathering salt from the salt pond there, between Salt Pond Bay and Drunk Bay. We stopped to talk and they told us that the conditions have to be perfect to collect the salt. they had about 2 huge buckets of this pure sea salt. the last time was years ago. when it rains the salt dissolves and you have to wait again until a drought when the pond starts to dry up and the salt collects around the edges of the ond. It was very interesting to talk to them. Drunk Bay is a "must see" too, as long as you are over here. Of course we all left our own little sculpture.
that afternoon we decided to try Trunk , since this was our last day. there was not a parking place to be found, so we headed back to Hawksnest. the waves were huge!!! and the snorkeling was poor since the wave action had gotten everythig all churned up.
We were all sad when we had to leave the beach...Hawksnest was THE FIRST beach we had been to, on our first trip 8 yrs ago, so it is special to us.
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Pete (Mr. Marcia)
- Posts: 1471
- Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 4:48 pm
- Location: Madison, Wisconsin
The first time Mrs. JT and I did the Ram Head Trail we were feeling pretty smug afterwards while laying around Saltpond. Then around noon this Catamaran comes in to the bay and two young guys and gals swim in to the beach and proceeded to walk up to Ram Head with the guys wearing shorts and the cute young thangs wearing bikinis. They all had flip flops. No water. They came back about an hour and a half later, just as happy as you please. They told us that they do it regularly and have carried coolers up for full moon parties.
By the way for all who are intimidated about the walk, I gotta tell you, about 10 years ago my wife was in a horrific auto accident. Her knee cap was in 9 major pieces and she has a metal bar going the length from her knee to ankle. Doctors said she'd never be able to do any strenuous hiking again. She does the Ram Head trail every trip to the STJ.
By the way for all who are intimidated about the walk, I gotta tell you, about 10 years ago my wife was in a horrific auto accident. Her knee cap was in 9 major pieces and she has a metal bar going the length from her knee to ankle. Doctors said she'd never be able to do any strenuous hiking again. She does the Ram Head trail every trip to the STJ.
When you find yourself in a hole.... quit digging.
