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As promised here are some more photos of the overlooks recently cleared by Jeff Chabot and his crew of intrepid volunteers. From those of us who hike the trails of St. John:
THANK YOU!!!
View from the Bench on Caneel Hill
The Caneel Hill Bench
View from the Caneel Hill bench
Hikers following the Caneel Hill Trail beginning from the National Park Visitors Center in Cruz Bay or from the Caneel Hill Spur will arrive at a wooden bench just before they reach the summit of Caneel Hill. There is now a view from this very welcomed resting spot that at least for the view to the north goes, rivals the view from the viewing tower at the summit. This thanks to the hard work and dedication of the trail crew from the Appalachian Mountain Club.
In the last few years, the Maria Hope Trail has become a popular hiking venue. Passing through shady lush tropical forest, this old Danish Road provides Maho and Cinnamon Bay campers with convenient access to the Reef Bay Trail, historically significant ruins and a scenic overlook with bird’s eye views of Maho and Francis Bays and vistas extending eastward to West End Tortola and beyond.
There have been some complaints, however, about the fact that the trail runs over private land at the lower elevations. There is now a cure for that. Down on the lower section, just before the wire fence that crosses the trail, there is a nice trail that switchbacks down the hill and comes out at Maho Beach, just east of the green building on the beach.
Alternate entrance to the Maria Hope Trail
There is a road sign (West RT. 20) where it comes out.
This new section of trail passes through the flats just inland from Maho Beach before the it begins its steep uphill climb.
Maho Bay Flats
The low lying flats present a unique forested environment without thick or thorny undergrowth making it easy to pass though and enjoy.
Want a beautiful and exciting alternative to the Lameshur Bay Trail between Lameshur Bay and Reef Bay? We have one for you and it is one of the most dramatic, scenic and exciting hiking trails on St. John – The White Cliffs Trail.
trail to the ridge
Beginning at Lameshur Bay, take the Lameshur Bay Trail as far as the Europa Bay Spur. Turn left onto the Europa Bay Spur and follow it to the coral rubble and rock strewn beach at Europa Bay.
Turn right and head towards the south end of the beach. You should be feeling a cooling breeze and hearing the sounds of the surf breaking and the melodious rhythm of the small cobbles and pieces of coral rolling back and forth in the surge.
big rocks on trail
Walk along the shore until you reach the steep hill coming down from the cliffs. Turn right along the base of the hill (it is cleared) and go about 150 feet in from the water. Bear left and diagonally up the hill. You want to stay just to the right of the big rocks and in a short way, you will start to see a track that heads straight up. Follow it to the top of the ridge….”
Near the top is a turn off to the right with magnificent bird’s eye views of Europa Bay and the big salt pond behind it.
When you reach the ridge, a short walk to the left will bring you to an overlook with great views to the southeast coast of St. John all the way out to Rams Head.
View of Europa Bay Salt Pond
View of Europa Bay
View towards Ram Head
Now for the trail: Walk west along the ridge. The trail goes to the left side of the ridge, down a bit and then back over the ridge and down a bit on the north side of the ridge. The trail gets better as you go. If you are bushwhacking at all, you missed it. Just keep heading west.
Agave on trail
Passing a rather large agave in then middle of the trail, follow the trail straight up the ridge. After you pass over a short rocky section, you will come to an area of large cactus.
The trail isn’t very noticeable here, but you can keep just to the right of the first couple of cactus and then bear up and left to reach the top of the cliff. There are a few little agaves but it is easy going. You should be at the top of the cliff with the ocean straight down below you. There is a section of stone wall at the edge.
What we’re calling the White Cliffs Trail may have been a footpath for those traveling between Lameshur Bay and Reef Bay, but this part where you first get to the clifftop and the section of stone wall appears to be an old road.
Now you will be walking west along the ridgetop. On your left the hillside descends steeply towards the White Cliffs and the rocky shoreline below. Wowie! Awesomely dramatic! And lots of outstanding photo ops also!
The views to the south are superb all along the trail and there are more orchids blooming along the trail than I have seen anywhere else on the island. If you look closely, they seem to grow along the trail, but not much away from the trail. They were just starting to bloom before Christmas.
From here, the trail is obvious and follows along the side of the hill and goes straight toward Reef Bay.
You will emerge from the trail at the east end of the beach not far from the beginning of the White Cliffs.
Entrance to trail from the beach at Reef Bay
If you want to find the trail from the beach at Reef Bay, walk east along the beach until you are a few hundred feet from the end. There are two round bushes on the beach, out toward the water. Both about 6 feet tall, look the same, and are maybe 20 feet apart. Head into the woods from between the bushes, bear right and sort of follow up the left side of the gut. Look for the cut stumps. It is probably easier to find from the Europa Bay end.
If you haven’t had enough by now, you can easily reach the sugar mill ruins at the end of the Reef Bay Trail and continue your explorations, such as the petroglyphs, the Par Force Ruins and the Great House. If you don’t want to backtrack you can also return to Lameshur Bay via the Lameshur By Trail.
Turner Point Trail Hike, St. John US Virgin Islands Saturday 01/09/2010
The adventure begins - Haulover Bay, East End, St. John
Ezius Ashley and I arrived at Haulover Bay on the East End of St. John around noon on Saturday. Ezius is only ten years old, but is the best hiker I ever set out on the off the beaten track trails of St. John, with the exception of the infamous Trail Bandit, I must ad.
This was my third attempt at this trail, my last two terminating at the ruins on the ridge above Elk Bay. My goal this time was to descend the other side of the hill to Water Creek, and see the ruins there and more importantly to make my way around the bay to the next point where an old cannon stands partly buried in the sand.
The Route
Turner Point Trail Map
We proposed to follow the shoreline of Haulover Bay heading west to the end of the beach. From there, a footpath of sorts leads into the bush rising to the top of the hill that forms the point separating Haulover Bay from Elk Bay and descends down to the cobble beach at the eastern extreme of Elk Bay.
Elk Bay can also be accessed from the south side of the East End Road (heading east) at the top of the last (highest) hill before going down into Haulover, where a trail descends steeply through a dry cactus scrub environment and leads to the beach at Elk Bay.
I find the Haulover access to be much more pleasant, cooler and more scenic, but both ways are possible.
Elk Bay
Scramble
The trail Ezius and I take crossing the headland between Haulover and Elk Bays leads us to some flats where a huge tamarind tree stands in an area surrounded by the skeletons of century plants that have succumbed to the disease that is currently decimating the species on St. John.
Reaching the beach, we begin our walk west on the rocky shore enjoying the rhythmic melodious sound of the cobbles being washed back and forth by the waves. At about the middle of the beach there is a rocky outcropping that we must scramble over. A flat rock along the way provides us with some nice views and cooling ocean breezes.
wrecked boat
The next stretch of beach is much the same as before. We continue walking west over the colorful, round cobblestones passing a wrecked boat that had washed up on the beach.
We continue west for about 100 more yards scrambling over a small rocky outcropping, until we find the path, presently marked by pink ribbons that leads into the forest.
After a short walk over the flats behind the beach, the trail leads us up the hillside to the ridge.
ezius cuts away catch n keep
The ruins of several structures lie on the ridge top.
We spend some time exploring the ruins and Ezius helps clear access for a photograph, clipping away a patch of catch n keep.
On the other side of the ridge we pick up a trail going down the hillside. This trail is steeper then the last and it’s not long before we reach more ruins lying along the mangrove lined shore.
ruins at water creek
red mangroves at water creek
We have reached Water Creek a small protected cove completely lined by red mangroves. Snorkelers arriving aboard the sailboat, “Breath,” are exploring the undersea community of fish and sea creatures in the mangrove environment.
The ruins here are in better condition and more easily accessed than those on the ridge. Nearby we find a well, many old bottles and a goats’ skull bleached white by the sun.
In order to reach are goal of photographing the cannon we must bushwhack along the coast to the next point of land. There’s no trail so the going is slow, but we’re intrepid explorers and we emerge from the forest at the rock and sand beach just south of water creek.
There’s our cannon!
map
the cannon
We return the way we came, arriving back at Haulover Bay at about 4:00. We had been gone about four hours. I’m tired, Ezius’s battery is still on full charge.
Watching one of the last of the undeveloped sandy southwestern beaches go the way of the big money seems to have drawn me there lately; getting there while the getting is good, so to speak. Made me think of the archived photos I have of those pre-development days. when a rugged trail lead to the point and the eastern and western beaches.
Ditleff Point
This photo was on the cover of old editions of St. John Off the Beaten Track. To get here walk south along the coast from Ditleff beach.
Tide Pool
"the times they are a changing"
Native fishermen used to use Ditleff Beach for picking whelk, diving conch and inshore fishing. Before that the Tainos had established a settlement there.
Ditleff Beach Western Side
Ditleff Beach is a sand and coral rubble beach. Even if land access is closed the beach remains public and can be accessed by boat or by swimming or snorkeling from Klein Bay.
Beach Fish Bay Side
Rubble beach on the Fish Bay side.
View of the beach from the old trail
The previous owners, Dow Chemical heirs, I’m told, wanted to keep the Point as it was save for bulldozing a dirt track over the old narrow trail. When they passed the new owners decided to develop.
Overview
The Point as seen from the Fish Bay Road before development.
White Bay, Jost Van Dyke, BVI
Yesterday I headed over to Jost Van Dyke, carrying with me two old friends, whom I haven’t seen in many years, and a copy of an book given to me by Joe Jackson, a book of photos of the Virgin Islands published in 1970, several of which were taken in Jost Van Dyke.
The mission of the day, besides just having a good time and enjoying a lobster dinner over at Abe’s in Little harbor, was to try to take photographs from same positions as the 1970 photographer and present them side by side. Images changed only by some 38 years of time. (I was fairly successful and am working on a blog presentation of these photos – soon come)
The trip turned nostalgic as I presented the book to the Jost Van Dyke natives and residents all of whom were fascinated with the old studies of Jost Van Dyke. My friend, Steve Coakley, took us in his taxi to some of the spots that I need to access.
Ivan and Steve check out the 1970 Virgin Islands book
We drove up the road to the west of Great Harbour for one of the locations, and Steve decided to continue over the ridge and down into White Bay to check out Ivan at the campground. Heading down into the valley I shot the above photo of White Bay, which brought back memories of my first visit to that bay back in the same year that our book was published, 1970.
White Bay Nostalgia
My girlfriend at the time and I were over at Foxy’s when we first heard about the beautiful beach just over the hill to the west. We headed up the rugged jeep trail on the western side of Great Harbour, in the bright morning sunshine. At the top of the hill, a narrow shaded footpath led down through thick bush into the next bay. At the bottom of the trail there was a small opening through a thicket of sea grape trees. We stepped through and were greated by one of the most magnificent sights I have ever experienced. This long pristine white sand beach, backed by coconut palms and sea grapes was totally untouched. Not a soul or a house could be seen anywhere. The waters within the bay were crystal clear, with the characteristic mix of blues found in our shallow indented bays. Not far offshore were the reddish tints created by the coral reef that protected the bay from the open sea.
The beach extended to a rocky outcropping around which was another stretch of coral sand beach. We had passed through a portal into a tropical paradise more beautiful and romantic than even the imagination could conjur up.
I told Steve this story and he told me that he, although born and bred on Jost van Dyke, had the same feeling of awe when he first encountered that beach lying beyond the opening in the sea grape trees.
White Bay Today
Today, White Bay, is not quite the same. It’s still beautiful, but fairly well developed. Whereas a sailing publication advised mariners that there was swinging room behind the reef within the two bays for two or three vessels and if you encountered that many you were advised to head back to Great Harbor and anchor there, today that concept is a joke. In addition to the many, many more than three vessels one can find at any given time at anchor in the bay, mini cruise ships such as the five masted Club Med often anchor just outside the reef ferrying passengers back and forth to the shore. There are now bars and restaurants, campgrounds and guest houses and villas. In general it’s a bustling party atmosphere, still cool, just very different.
Ice on St. Thomas, Danish West Indies 1856
“The use of ice in St. Thomas, as in all large tropical towns, has become so common that ice is considered an indispensable article in daily housekeeping; every day all reasonably prosperous families receive certain quantity of ice from the Ice House. Only he who has felt the burning rays of the the tropical sun is able to comprehend the refreshing and invigorating experience of enjoying ice chilled beverages, it is generally agreed among doctors that the large consumption of ice has contributed greatly towards improving health conditions. But how is it possible to procure such large quantities of ice when the temperature rarely goes below 25 degrees C., (77 degrees F.) or to keep water frozen here when it so readily evaporates?
“In order to understand this, we must request that the reader accompany us to Wenham Lake near Boston. It has been freezing hard for several days and hundreds of people are busily working on the thick, glacial surface of the ice. Some are engaged in sweeping away the snow, others in sawing six inch deep furrows in the ice into regular blocks. After receiving a strong blow, they fall apart and are transported by horses to the large ice storage house by the shore. When spring arrives, these large blocks of ice are transported in railroad cars to dispatch terminals in Boston. The ships carrying ice are lined with hay or sawdust, and into these are loaded one block right next to another so that the entire cargo forms one large connected mass of ice. In St. Thomas, the ice is kept in local ice houses, large wooden structures with double or triple layered walls, the intervening space filled with ashes or sawdust, which protect completely against the effect of the burning sun rays. In this manner, over 200,00 tons of ice are exported annually from Wenham to the West Indies, Calcutta, Manila, Canton and other places. In Calcutta, a cargo of ice is paid for with a corresponding weight in cotton. There is hardly any place able to compete with Boston over this export commodity, as the ice of this lake resists to an unusual degree the effect of heat. The reason is that the lake receives no effluence of rivers but only that of springs; therefore, the water is extraordinarily clean, and moreover holds a lot of cold as it freezes at a very low temperature. This supply of ice has also brought along another advantage for the inhabitants of St. Thomas. The prosperous merchant can now, in addition to the produce of the tropics, also provide for his table North American vegetable, fruits. oysters, newly churned butter, etc.”
From: Islands of Beauty and Bounty Translated by Nina York from the publication, “Dansk Vestindien,” 1856
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Press Release from St. John Film Society:
We have a wonderful event planned for next Wednesday night at Cinnamon Bay Amphitheater. We sent out the press release on Wednesday (hope you received it!) and would love a mention on your fabulous site if you have the time and space. This event local filmmakers: Joan Keenan, Janet Cook-Rutnik & Bill Stelzer. We also have some very special visiting guests. Thanks in advance and hope you can make it!
Halloween Costume Prize Columbus Georgia
The Uptown Tap and The Vault, 1024 and 1026 Broadway, Columbus, Georgia, will award a five-night free stay (with meals) on St. John, Virgin Islands to the best overall costume.
Small Plane Crash on St. Croix
A single engine Cessna 177 enroute to St. Thomas crashed while attempting to return to the airport on St. Croix killing the three people aboard
Today’s Photos I’ve included some sunset photos here again, I hope I’m not overdoing this, but the light was sooooo nice!
Miss Michelle's Pre K Kids in Halloween Costumes
Sunset over Great Cruz Bay, St. John Virgin Islands
Chocolate Hole, St. John USVI - Late Afternoon Light
For parents of the Lower School Kids and anyone else who’s interested – here’s a video of the kids who did a little parade at the upper school:
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