This grueling 23km urban loop was certainly a test of fortitude for myself and Luna the White Sheppard. It started in Maraval with a jog along Saddle Rd. This segment lead us into the battle against the unforgiving Paramin inclines, which took us all the way up to Meyah River. At this point, a soak in her first pool was absolutely a just reward, it also put us in the the right gear for the upcoming rush!
Onward to Blue Basin
This river is the source of the Blue Basin Pools. The trek from here, took us through the old Cameron Valley cocoa estate. Under her dense canopy, we got our fill of crags, gullies and cascades.
These features were each striking in their own right and offered ample opportunities for us to jump, scramble and climb. The topography of this segment was a gratifying lead up to the final plunge into the delight of Blue Basin Waterfall.
Fun fact
This waterway is quite significant to Diego Martin. During the 17th century, it served as the water supply for the sugar mills and rum distilleries of the area; this included the historical Water Wheel which was used to crush the sugar cane for these industries. After the abolition of slavery in 1834, many estates involved in the sugar industry collapsed and were eventually used as cocoa (research) estates. This accounted for the cocoa trees noticed on the river banks as we made our way out.
Morne Coco or bust
As we made our way toward and over Morne Coco, the sun at this point quickly made those Blue Basin turquoise pools, seem a distant past. The only saving saving grace now was the La Seiva River entry at the end of Herrera Trace. We kept a steady pace but always begged the question, "where is hell is Herrera Trace?"
We eventually got to it. This connector route is not very popular, however, at that stage of the mission, it was desperately longed for and embraced. It gave us the refreshing boost we needed to execute a fairly fast river trek back to our Maraval start point; Mission 2 complete!
