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| The jungle on Nevis Peak |
“That was your warm up. Now you climb.”
Those were the words of our buff 57-year-old guide as we stood in a scraggly jungle of moss-covered trees, vines and ferns, staring at a criss-cross ladder of tree roots that ascended heavenward. We’d been walking up hill for the past 20 or so minutes, going deeper into the thick lush bush that carpeted the slopes of the volcano dominating the small Caribbean island Nevis. If I wanted to get to the summit in my quest to climb 40 volcanoes by the age of 40, then the only way was up.
What attracted me to Nevis Peak was its height – just 985m, so not too difficult (at least in my head) – and the interesting descriptions on various websites claiming that a muddy scramble with ropes was needed to get to the summit. Oh and, of course, Nevis is a beautiful, sparsely populated island in the Caribbean with golden sand beaches. My boxes were ticked. Well the internet research wasn’t wrong. For two hours we hauled ourselves up the volcano, clambering over horizontal tree trunks and boulders, shimmying up tree roots, and finding muscles to pull ourselves up mud-slick ropes when tree roots weren’t present. Around us, the sounds of nature rang out; the creaking and groaning of tree on tree as the wind whipped the branches and leaves, while the sing-song of birds cheered us on.
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| The midway point |
The higher we went, the more moist it became; outside the jungle, we caught glimpses of whirling mist, but under cover, moss was laden with dew drops and decomposing plant matter turned into a viscous brown sludge at my feet. It smelt of earth, and wet and rot. For a hot and dry island, this was one soggy centre.
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| Gailey and his pristine white t-shirt |
And where there was water, there was mud. Great loads of it, in fact. I was smeared in it, my arms and legs coated, my finger nails caked. Gailey, our guide, wore a white t-shirt – I looked at him enviously; it was still pristine.
Finally, after a particularly tortuous push through a gorge of mud, we walked out of the jungle into the light. Here we were at the summit – a small grassy clearing surrounded by bramble-like brush and ferns.
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| View from the summit |
Bizarrely the patch was dry – I sat down thankfully and surveyed my surroundings. We were cocooned in cloud; there was no view, which was common for the summit of Nevis Peak. Somewhere out there, supposedly, were golden beaches, the mountainous form of St Kitts and, further in the distance, Antigua. I couldn’t even see the crater. Yet, regardless, celebrations were in order – I’d bagged volcano number two on my #40by40 quest. Inside, I danced a jig.
After a quick break – and an attempt to wipe off as much mud as possible – we were off, slipping and sliding our way down the volcano, and in search of a shower or at least the sea for a cooling dip.
How to do it:
British Airways flies from London to St Kitts, then jump on a 45-minute ferry to Nevis. The volcano hike requires a good level of fitness (and no aversion to mud) and takes around 3-5 hours return. It is recommended that you have a guide, as some parts of the trail, particularly at the base, are hard to follow and other parts are dangerous. I used Sunrise Tours www.nevisnaturetours.com.
My trip to Nevis and climb of Nevis Peakwas done independently. All opinions are my own.
Katrina Megget 
Well done, you. You are well on your way now. I love the nonchalant pose of the guide. He has hardly broken a sweat. And I love the high-wattage smile on your face!
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