Riding and All That

Yesterday the ambitious F&T crew took on the challenge to do a 71 mile ride from  Mineral Heights in Clarendon to Chris Dalrimple's place just outside of Priory, St. Ann. Not being one of the ambitious ones, I decided to ride until I felt like quitting then taking off to enjoy the day at Chris' beach.

So off I went on an uneventful ride with Charles and Chuck from Mineral  Heights to Jucci in  Clarendon Park and after a short stop, Alrick and I rode off to take on Melrose Hill in Manchester.

Alrick humored me by staying with me until he sighted the first of the A team coming and took off like a light.

 I thought I was doing quite well until my derailler started to give problems as I ascended the hill , causing my chain to fall off and become entangled in the back spoke. Gary (Shawn's driver ) was close by and stopped to help me. He got the chain back on, but by then, I had lost the impetus to ride so jumped into the support vehicle that he was driving.

As we started to ascend the notorious Shooters Hill in Manchester (which I find has suddenly been rechristened Penn Hill,) we saw Bernadette who wanted some supplies from the van. As the hill did not look too daunting, I took our my bicycle and decided  to give it a try. I guess I rode about 1/8 of the hill before I decided that life was too short for such a struggle and after trying unsuccessfully to get the support
vehicle to pull me up hill by holding on to the stem of the side mirror, decided to still get some exercise by pushing the bike uphill instead. (Holding on to the stem of the side mirror as the vehicle drove, felt like my arm would be pulled out of the socket! I had seen Shawn do it earlier but I guess he has an expertise that I don't!)  That too did not last too long so I returned to my favourite past time, driving  in the support vehicle and listening to good music and watching the others struggle in the sun.

I was really proud of Shawn for this was his first ride with us and he did quite well though. He  actually completed the entire 71 miles and told me he had a wonderful time. Incidentally, there is no doubt in my mind that Johann is by far the strongest and best  F&T rider.

By the time  got to the top of that infamous hill, I decided it was time to go to the beach  and thankfully Nicky allowed her vehicle which was being driven buy Ulette to be commandeered.

Chris'back yard.  ()A Samira Bowden photo.)

We were pleasantly surprised to see that the road from Spaldings to Cave valley in St. Ann was beautifully paved, really great surface and I regretted for a while that I did not have my bicycle to fly off the hill in that section..

We got to Chris' by 12.30pm . (we  had actually left Kingston at 5.30am although the scheduled departure time had been 4.30am.) Anyway as I got there the beach was very inviting and I saw "Ask Dr. Mary" swimming and joined her. It was then she revealed that she had been the first female to ride from Kingston to Negril. I knew she was an outdoor lover but would never have known she had that particular distinction.

Stewie, Pat and crew soon arrived and as usual Stewie had his  stash of vodka so we started out having a breathless afternoon. After the mannish water and curried goat I was hit by a severe case of niggeritis and had a wonderful sleep.

 I think the last masochist aka rider,( Aytollah) rode into Chris' place about 5pm. Most of the riders did not even seem to have the time to enjoy the wonderful beach but as they say, different strokes for different folks. 

 I drove back to Kingston with Charles 1st and needless to say, slept most of the way.. ....even now, I have no  clue where my bicycle , bicycle rack or helmet is.

What the heck, I know it is safe somewhere and I did indeed have an absolutely wonderful day with the crew, including Chris, who unfortunately returns to England in 3 weeks. Will really miss her as she had been  my Beverly Hills Saturday riding partner for quite a long while/.


Ps. Gary knows where Noisy River is. I thought it was in Manchester but it is in Trelawny near Troy. Hoping to go there soon,

Hiking to the Blue Mountains

(This is the 2nd in the series entitled "Enjoying the Simple Life" being published in Caribbean Today.)

You know a number of persons overseas like to talk about Jamaica being a one season country…….perpetual summer all year round, they say. However, I am here to tell you that we also have some very serious winters. I am not about to say this is islandwide but I remember having to turn on the heater in my car in Saldings, Manchester one night. As to the Blue Mountains, since we started gathering data on the temperature in the 40’s, the records show that twice there was frost present there.

Frost or not, it can get extremely cold up there. I remember once hiking to the peak to watch the sun rise and nearly freezing to death in the rush! We had set off from Whitfield Hall at midnight and reached the 7,400 foot peak at around 4am. Well, I am here to tell you that during the approximately two hour wait till sunrise, the blood literally froze up in my fingers... in fact, I can’t remember feeling any movement in them until we had descended to Portland Gap a couple hours later.

Despite that experience, hiking to the peak is an enjoyable adventure. Our normal routine is to drive up to Whitfield Hall, spend the night and start the approximately four hour trek at about 5 am, just before daybreak.

It is not at all as exhausting as some people seem to think, that is, once you are not totally out of shape. However, according to the records kept by the Blue and John Crow Mountain park rangers, only a few hundred Jamaicans make that pleasant, invigorating trip each year. I am told that among the avid hikers is a Jamaican octogenarian who hiked up to the peak for her eighty first birthday!

The path is well defined, although I suggest that first timers should get a guide. And naturally, it gets easier each time you go. I can recall, the first time I did the trip, some thirty odd years ago, I had to hold on to the tail of the mule that we had hired to carry our gear, to ascend some sections. That was when I was young and unfit! Now the only section I find challenging is Jacob’s ladder and in fact I find it worse coming down than going up as it has a lot of loose gravel and one can slide easily and sprain ankles etc.

Regardless of the challenges, hiking up to the Blue Mountains gives one the opportunity to really enjoy unique Jamaican flora and birds that you never see elsewhere. The path is covered with a variety of lilies and ferns of all colours and shapes. The tree fern which is extinct in most places in the world, is profuse and raspberries and blueberries are all along the path. Then there is there marvel of the Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee being grown on the most precarious slopes. I never stop wondering how people actually keep their foothold on the treacherous slopes on the side of the mountain to plant, tend and reap this world renowned gourmet beverage. But thankfully, they do without getting hurt.

The Blue Mountain range spans St. Andrew, St, Thomas and Portland and the view from every angle during the trek up or down, is just awesome. There is a special lookout just above Portland Gap where you can view the entire north eastern section of Jamaica and the deep, lush forest that makes up the John Crow Mountains. Looking at the vast expanse of hills and mountains covered in every colour of green, reconfirms every time that Jamaica is by far one of the most beautiful spots in the world and after each trip, it seems the beauty has increased. At Portland Gap too, there are facilities that can be rented to hikers who want to overnight or spend the weekends in the coolest, crispest and most invigorating part of Jamaica for just a few dollars.

Yup, hiking to the great blue is definitely one way to enjoy the simple life, but for me the trip can only be taken in the summer!

JOAN WILLIAMS IS A LICENSED REAL ESTATE DEALER BASED IN JAMAICA AND THE AUTHOR OF 'THE ORIGINAL DANCEHALL DICTIONARY AND TOUR JAMAICA.