The Boiling Lake

Today we had the opportunity to hike to the Boiling Lake and through the Valley of Desolation. We were expecting a quick hike and some nice views so we were extremely surprised when we found out that our hike would be at least three hours each way and we would be rock climbing, scaling mountain sides and crossing over rivers.

As strenuous and challenging as it was, it was all worth it. The views a long the way were incredible as we could see mountain after mountain in the distance. I hadn’t realized that Dominica was created by volcanoes that are still active around the island. Though they are five hundred years past being due to erupt, the slow and steady release of gasses helps decrease the pressure of the nine volcanoes. We passed through sulfur springs and walked around vents emitted boiling water naturally from the earth. The runoff from the vents creates warm and murky rivers, filled with deposits from the earth, sulfur, and rainwater.

When we first reached the Boiling Lake, we were a little disappointed. I couldn’t see anything due to what seemed like clouds. Little did we know this fogginess was caused by the steam from the boiling lake. When a gust of wind pushed the steam away, we were able to see a legitimate boiling lake. The volcano beneath the lake releases gasses hot enough to heat the water continuously. It was amazing to see that natural processes of the earth could create something like this. The hike was definitely worth all the scrapes and bruises.