Weddingbee Blog

Another excursion we were stoked to do was hike the Gros Piton! Gros Piton is the second largest mountain on St. Lucia, after Mt. Gimie, and rises 2,619 feet. We had heard it was a tough hike, but didn’t realize how tough until we started the actual hike!

Gros Piton, as seen from the water

We woke up early and had a hearty breakfast on the beach. It was pouring while we ate, but by the time we left for the mountain the storm had passed.

You can see it was a nasty morning shower; however, we took the rainbow as a good sign that the weather was clearing!

The trek to Gros Piton was a fairly short car ride from our hotel. We were met at the foot of the mountain by our guide (you can’t hike up without one). Before we even started, we were advised to purchase any supplies that we might need at the little store. We took this opportunity to stock up on bottled water, trail mix, and a backpack. You can rent backpacks at the store, which is great news for tourists who didn’t think to pack one!

The start of the hike

As soon as we started the actual hike, I knew it was going to be a tough climb. There is a trail, but it’s not the type of trail we were used to hiking. It was filled with boulders. We were literally on all fours climbing up rocks! OK, maybe that was just me because I was being super cautious due to the fact that the rocks were wet and really slippery from a rainstorm earlier in the morning. But it was hard! And extremely steep! Oh and super hot! It was beyond humid due to the rain. I don’t think it helped matters that we were carrying a ton of stuff in our backpack (lots of bottled water, snacks, and two cameras…I like to take a ton of photos). OK, I lie… we weren’t carrying a heavy backpack, Mr. B was (isn’t he the best?!). Heavy pack + extreme humidity = a very difficult hike (even with countless water breaks)!

That’s the trail.

View of the ocean as we hiked up the Piton. For the most part, all you see on the hike are trees, but occasionally a killer view like this is visible.

A view of the island

We made it to the halfway point and decided we had had enough, so we took a little water break and then trekked back down the mountain to wait for the other couple from our hotel who came with us. As we waited for them in the little village, Mr. B pulled out his cell phone and started showing the village children some apps (like Bebot and, of course, Angry Birds). Kids LOVE iPhones! He quickly made some friends and played with the youngsters for a quite a while. Then his phone died. However, the lack of a technological device didn’t hinder their spirits! The kids wanted to keep playing with Mr. B and challenged him to several running races!

This is the little village. Mr. B can be seen in the blue shirt (right) buying a Coke and a new (dry) T-shirt.

Showing the kids his iPhone—notice he is now wearing his new shirt.

They really wanted their photo taken, so of course I obliged them.

After all of the hiking and playing, we were exhausted! Luckily we were back at our resort by lunchtime and were able to eat a nice meal and relax poolside the rest of the day!

This hike is definitely a must if you visit St. Lucia. Yes, it is very difficult and long, but it’s such a great experience! Apparently only 50% of tourists make it to the actual top. A lot of the locals we spoke with had never even tried the hike! We plan to tackle (and conquer) Gros Piton next time we visit the island! Our only advice if you plan to hike Gros Piton would be to check the weather beforehand and, if it looks like rain in the morning, I’d save the hike for another day! The rain really makes the rocks very slippery. Oh, and make sure you bring the right type of shoes! Mr. Beanstalk forgot his sneakers in Boston, so a few days before the hike we had to go shopping in town to get him some new shoes!

Has anyone tackled Gros Piton or a similar hike?

Miss a honeymoon recap? Catch up on the Beanstalk honeymoon here:

• Arriving in Paradise
• A look at our Villa
• Chocolate, Yum Yum