Last of the Year Dec. 31, 2011

Nippy but nice ... just had to get out for the very last one of the year ... many of our hikers are off island, or very busy so it was a short reminiscing hike of our past year's activities ... trying to choose favourites and already planning for January and February.

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It is always fun to take someone who hasn't been there before ...

This is a trail system which suffered from blow down  last year but fortunately there was some help with clearing and signage.

Some unusual tracks too.

Rare to go down to the meadow and not meet someone, as we did this afternoon ... so nice that it is well enjoyed!

Nude Beach Dec. 27, 2011

We began with Plans A, B, C ... we missed the annual Gray Bay Hot Dog Hike ... when the weather threatened to strand us on Moresby Island, we missed the Rennell Sound trip this morning when there was a power outage and snow!

So we settled on Nude Beach ... by accident. It was close to perfect as we accidentally ran into some of the folks who were to go on the original trip ... and after a cold, windy walk on the beach we ended up with a house tour, hot chocolate, cookies, and some beach treasures. And we all made it home in time for dinner with friends and family!

We also have a knowledgeable new Over the Hill Hiker and Aeriel ... welcome all.

Who needed Rennell Sound we found a size 12 runner anyway ..

Take care all - it is really stormy out there now!
Plan D ... Gray Bay and Rennell Sound when the weather permits.

Anguilla - Wardward Point

Beach hike ... yesterday. Wardward Point ... cactus and geocache too. George and the girls headed off ... after navigating along a rough road only to be redirected along a rougher one we got close to the right spot [much of this was from memory of 6 years ago]. We spotted the famous people place ... Pitt-Jolie-Anniston or some combination. Then wound among the braided dune trails, some flooded from the ealier rains ... eventually we got the close to the beach ...

Lovely wind blowing enough to keep us cool, breakers pounding into the beach ... beautiful coral beachcombing, lots of flotum and jetsom ... then we branched off to wards the cactus fields and the marker ... where we expected the geocache.

Success on all fronts ... beachcombing, fantastic views, exercise and the geocache FTF [first to find].

Anguilla ... Iguana Cave Hike

A windy day, so plan B was, hike into the island today, beaches tomorrow. We loaded up the car, headed to the bakery then off towards Crocus Bay for the hike up into the caves and conveniently a geocache called Arawak [the early indegenious people of Anguilla]. 7 of us scrambled into the car.

Stas was prepared with a chair and book, as he is recovering from a hip replacement. We didn't know how long the hike would be ...

Off we went - the beginning of the trail was flooded with the recent rains so George led us around the edges and following the geocache directions we made our way up to the sistern then around to the cave entrance where Julie entered the cave to turn around shortly announcing there were bats!

Some of the rest of us were searching for the red tree beyond the cactus for the geocache ... we never did find the geocache but there were lots of cactus, which tend to make you focus on them!

Defeated but resileant we headed back to the house for lunch and a pool swim.

International Chapter ... Anguilla, BWI

As one of our members is interested in crossing England we decided that we should try walking across some other islands. As Anguilla is a small island we decided it should be our first.

This morning at 7:30 we set off, 7 of us, from Shoal Bay [where we are staying and headed across the island, having checked with the maps etc. so we wouldn't get lost, as if we could!

Apparently we have some geographically challenged hikers, so we kept in a group ... this was not our regular hiking, along trails, but along the roadway ... remember they drive on the left side of the road here and the roads are narrow ... occassional white lines with no sidewalks. Very friendly people ...

Anticipating heat ... we had backup care with MaryAnn and Stas [who had hip surgery very recently] who had water for us and hosted us at Sandy Hill, our destination.

Then we returned to Shoal Bay, by car as the next thing planned was energy balancing exercises, snorkling and beachcombing ...

Next hike not planned but it will involve geocaching.