Sunday, December 13, 2015

La forêt de Thy

Distance: 13.8 km.  Elevation low/high/total: 18/248/646 m.
Difficulty:5.8/10.  Scenic: 9.1/10

A hike into an area that is generally avoided.  But the payoff - a fantastic "baignade" made it worthwhile.  Click pic for album, the geotrack is here

First hike in a month and a very nice one.  the region is not one that is often hiked apparently.  But we had an uneventful time and ended up at a baignade (swimming hole) that appears to have been in use since the early 1900s, likely established a "resort" area for mining crew.   (Note added after some research: The spot is apparently called the "Grosses Gouttes" and we found a written record of Scouts visiting there in 1935, but no discussion of who built the place.  We also got more confirmation that this is a dangerous place to visit given tension with the nearby tribes). There are steps and concrete sitting area built into the hillside lining one side of the natural pool.  No one else was there except us and a sizable number of very hungry fish.  The hike is relatively flat; the flora is as diverse and interesting as anywhere I've seen on the island.  We saw giant taro,a bamboo forest, picked and ate wild raspberries and even passed through a birch tree grove.  Definitely worth a return visit.


No comments:

Post a Comment