Jamaica 2014, Day 4 – Blue Mountain Hike

We just woke up from our afternoon’s rest at about 11:30pm to get ready and meet the rest of the group in preparation for the Blue Mountain hike. We met at the host Euton’s house at midnight, ate some bananas and headed out to conquer the Blue Mountain. The Blue Mountain is the tallest mountain range in Jamaica, reaching its peak at 7,402 feet up… trust me I didn’t know I was that high up. It’s said that on a clear day you can see Cuba. We were more excited about seeing the sunrise, but of course this hike wasn’t a breeze.

Positive and encouraging people were key for the 8-hour hike. In the beginning we were amped and ready to go. The energy levels were high, people were laughing and smiling, all was well. About three hours in, there was a big difference. The chattering, laughter, joking all stopped. People were getting tired, some even wanted to stop including myself. It started to feel like we were never going to reach the top. Every time a turn approached we thought the peak is what we were going to see, but instead it was more walking. I remember at one point I was really tired and almost wanted to give up and one of my friends Jadian said to me, “Come on, you can do this.” Though he didn’t say much, those few words of encouragement helped me to gather myself and keep pushing to reach the top.

The climb was more of mental challenge rather than just being in shape. You could be in shape all you want, but if you aren’t mentally prepared, then it may be a bit of a struggle trying to reach the top. When we reached the top, it was a beautiful thing! We were cheering, excited, and relieved plus we were in the clouds. We didn’t even notice how cold it was until we settled down, Ms. Briggs was right about wearing those layers. We even met some more hikers from Belgium who began their hike at 2am. Patiently we waited to see the sunrise while eating snacks and chatting amongst ourselves. When we reached the top it wasn’t super clear, but fortunately we were able to see a bit of the sunrise before the clouds blocked the rest.

The experience was a very interesting one. Although it was pretty tough we were able to bond, and help one another out. I was very proud of the group; I felt that all of our hard work paid off. I was happy that no one gave up when we felt that we couldn’t go on. Would I climb another mountain? Maybe. I now have a feel of what to expect and how to handle the challenges. Humility is definitely a leadership goal that people could grow from. We couldn’t tell how close we were, we just had to go by the expected arrival time that was given. You had to trust yourself, each other and that there was a top of the mountain. Mountain climbing isn’t easy but with positive people, encouraging people, humility, and being mentally prepared you can do it.

Taniya, 16, The SEED School