Peter's Rock to Cinchona

Date: February 23, 2013
Number of Hikers: 3 from Engineering Survival + many more courtesy Jamaica Hiking and Heritage Tours
Quick Overview: A "fat-burner" hike put on by Jamaica Hiking and Heritage Tours. The hike took us from Peter's Rock to Cinchona Botanical Gardens via Clydesdale, St. Andrew, Jamaica.

The Details:

Jamaica Hiking and Heritage Tours organised this hike which took us along old unpaved roads passing through coffee farm lands. We walked on roads all the way as opposed to tracks so we didn't have to worry about getting scratches and cuts from walking through a forest. It took us a little under three hours to complete this fairly easy hike which only had a few steep hills closer to the end. Along the way we stopped by Clydesdale where there exists the remains of an old coffee mill complete with a waterwheel. I remember camping out in the 90s at clydesdale as a child and it was a bit sad to see how this quite historic coffee mill has severely deteriorated since then. Cinchona botanical gardens was beautiful as it always is, with the sad exception that the main house has deteriorated beyond repair. Nevertheless we enjoyed the time we spent there, during which we discovered sections of the gardens that some of us who had been there before had not seen before. It's truly a beautiful place and worth the visit whenever you get a chance. We certainly would love to go back there and camp out for a night or two, it most definitely would be a great experience.

Route map, including pictures and elevation profile can be found here.

Holywell Moonlight Hike and Bonfire

Date: February 23, 2013
Number of Hikers: 1 from Engineering Survival + many more courtesy Train Fit Club
Quick Overview: Moonlight hike & bonfire put on by Train Fit Club. This trail had us walking the short road up to Holywell Park from the usual parking lot.

The Details:

We drove up together as a group and left the cars in the parking lot before heading up by the road to Holywell Park. This was a short approximately 45 mins walk up in the bright moonlight that lit our way. There wasn't much need for additional light but a few persons had flashlights and headlights handy just in case. Upon arriving at the park, we assembled outside the main office where the bonfire was started. We entertained ourselves with good company and conversation before being served some delicious Jerk chicken. Marshmallows and wine were plenty as we enjoyed the lovely views of Kingston and Portmore and the bright night sky. Many headed back down at approximately 1am but a few brave souls remained and camped throughout the night. It was a chilly 17 degrees Celsius but a wonderful night and camping - for those who stayed back - was had. No route map available but enjoy the pictures.

Redlight to Ena's Haven

Date: December 16, 2012
Number of Hikers: 3 from Engineering Survival + many more courtesy Train Fit Club
Quick Overview: A fitness hike put on by Train Fit Club. The trail took us from Redlight District, St. Andrew, Jamaica, in a circular route, ending at Ena's Haven.

The Details:

 Train Fit Club's Fitmas hike took us along a combination of trails and roadways. It started off with us going down a trail which passed by some homes in the Redlight community and ended with us crossing a river before making it out to the main road in Maryland, St. Andrew. From here on we continued mostly on roads before ending at Ena's Haven, a children's home. We hung out for a while, relaxed and ate before most people went home. Three of us, however, decided to do some more exploring in the area and made our way to a waterfall near by. Entertained ourselves there for a while before heading home. Route map, including pictures and elevation profile can be found  here.

Waterfalls, Beaches, St. Mary! - Kwaman Falls, Tacky Falls, Salt Bay

Date: January 26-27, 2013
Number of Hikers: 3
Quick Overview: Robins Bay, St. Mary, Jamaica to Kwaman Falls then to Kwaman Beach then back to Robins Bay on Saturday, January 26th. Drove to "Roadside" near Islington, then took a short hike to Tacky Falls and back, then hiked to Salt Bay and back.

The Details:

The plan for the first Engineering Survival adventure for 2013 was for us to do a hiking/camping trip in the Robins Bay area of St. Mary, hiking the trail to Kwaman (or maybe it's Kwame) Falls and exploring some of the surrounding trails in the area. Generally, this is the plan we stuck to but in typical Engineering Survival style things evolved once we got to St. Mary. In the end we ended up checking out four locations and camped out for a night with another hiking group. The trails we ended up doing along with short descriptions are as follows:

• Robins Bay to Kwaman Falls

This leg of our weekend adventure was fairly easy. It took us about 90 minutes or so walking at a very comfortable pace and stopping to take in the sights a couple times along the way. The trail was mainly typical Jamaican jungle, but since some of the journey was along the coast there was some variety to the vegetation (yes, I know...my description is vague). As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, so with that I'll leave you with a trail map, complete with elevation profile and pictures here.

• Kwaman Falls to Kwaman Beach then back to Robins Bay

On our return from Kwaman Falls we decided to take a detour and explore Kwaman beach which we had never been to on previous visits to the area. This proved to be a good decision as the beach was very beautiful. Met upon some tourists there as well, who had stopped by on jet skis. We spent about 60-90 mins on the beach just exploring and having a good time. Trail map, with pictures, available here. Upon returning to Robins Bay we tent camped for the night along with another hiking group.

• Roadside to Tacky Falls

The following day, Sunday January 27, we drove to a small community referred to as "Roadside" which is not too far from Islington, St. Mary. Here we asked for directions and we were told to contact a local resident whose name I cannot remember right now who would be able to take us to Tacky Falls. Turned out to be fairly easy to find him after asking around the community. The hike to Tacky Falls was much shorter than expected but was a bit treacherous. The trail was steep and very slippery in parts but we took our time so it worked out quite fine. The guide first took us to the top of the first of two major drops. We had to be careful here as the rocks were wet and slippery and any fall here would almost certainly not end well. We then proceeded to the base of the first drop which looked to be about 100 feet. The water levels there were not very high, not more than knee deep. We hung out here for a while, then headed back up to the start point without going to the base of the second drop. Our guide said the trail down was pretty dangerous and he didn't want to take us down. Trail map, with pictures, available here (as you'll see the trail is very short).

• Roadside to Salt Bay

While we were at Tacky Falls, our guide told us that we could fairly easily make it down to a fisherman's beach at Salt Bay. He told us the trek to the beach would be along what was a driveable road that was made un-passable to motor vehicles by Hurricane Sandy which hit Jamaica in October, 2012. Almost immediately after getting back from Tacky Falls we went on our way to the beach. As expected, it wasn't a very demanding hike and took us about 30-40 minutes. We spent about 60-90 minutes at the beach then we headed back up to our starting point and then headed home. Trail map, with pictures, for this section of our adventure located here.