Schlepping to Seguin with Several Seniors

(did you like my attempt at alliteration...nice huh?)

Striking a pose on the hike back home.

Weekend before last 6 teachers (myself included) and all 23 members of the QCS Senior class participated in the annual senior hike up to Seguin. This was the same hike that a few of us participated in over Spring Break....with a few differences.

Fun girls!

Difference one: distance. When we did our hike, the tap tap that took us to the start of the trail dropped us off a teensy bit early....about 6-8 miles early. Also, on this trip we were stopping in Seguin, not continuing on to Jacmel. This made all the difference in out attitude and our feet. (I chose to wear tennis shoes instead of my trusty Chacos which also made quite the difference).

Katie and I along the trail!

Difference two: luggage. Spring Break hike = we had to take everything with us. Everything. Tent/hammock, food, water, clothes, all on our backs. Senior Hike: instead of camping in the woods, we were staying at a cabin; a marvelous cabin where they set up tents for us, provided us with ample drinking water, cooked all our meals for us. Without sleeping gear, cooking stuff, and food on our backs our packs were much much lighter than the other trip.

Difference three: Rain. Lots. And. Lots. Of. Rain. About halfway up the mountain on the way up the skies opened up and a rain of apocalyptic proportions fell down upon us for the next 2-3 hours. Our group of 29 was scattered over a couple of miles along the trail. Some students took shelter under moto stands or abandoned buildings while others had to suffer the relentless rain while walking along the trail.

We sought shelter from the rain in an old, abandoned building.

Difference four: no camping...well, different camping. We slept in tents, but that was the extent of the "camping." An interesting man named Winnie has a cabin settled on the outskirts of the Pine Forest near Seguin. His cabin has a dining area, kitchen, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a cute living area and a large yard perfect for setting up several tents.

The first afternoon as students were trickling into the cabin area, drenched with rain and shivering from the cold (yes, cold, in Haiti. It was quite chilly up in the mountains all weekend. I loved it!), our hosts were grilling up chicken that smelled as if it was sent down from heaven. We spent the evening talking, laughing, warming up, and having fun. The next day our group walked to a waterfall near by and explored for a bit before being chased back to the cabin by the rain that came down.

We played games in the woods on our way to the waterfall. 

A group followed the little river to find some more falls.

On Sunday our group rose early, dined on a delicious and carb-filled breakfast of spaghetti (seriously) and headed back down the mountain. Racing the rain, our pace was much quicker than on the way up to Seguin. The trail was mostly downhill with the exception of a few very nasty, very steep mountains. We arrived back at our starting point and waited on the vans to pick us up. Sore, dirty, and successful in our hike. I was glad to have the chance to get to know these students better and to revisit such a beautiful part of Haiti.

The QCS Senior class of 2012!