Blog No 18 Boiling Lake of Dominica
In October 2013, Michele and I traveled to the tropical island of Dominica and stayed at Rosalie Bay Resort on the east side of the island. It was wonderful way to rejuvenate from work as well as to escape the spectacle of the major news outlets having a fit because the Obamacare website wasn’t working. They continued to focus on this topic for weeks after we returned. How quaint!
We took delight in being lulled to sleep by the sound of the ocean each night. During the day we journeyed to various attractions of the island in our rental car—hiking in pristine jungle and searching out numerous scenic waterfalls. The island had about 70 thousand inhabitants, small enough that almost everyone knows each other. After a few days on the island, we learned it was considered rude not to pick up a hitchhiker.
I enlisted a young guide to take me on the 6-hour, arduous trek (round trip) to Boiling Lake in the Morne Trois Pitons National Park. The trail ascended up a mountainous slope and when we reached the top we enjoyed a scenic view of the ocean behind us. The diversity of the tropical forest, orchids, butterflies and birds surpassed anything I had experienced on any other Caribbean Island. We labored along a rocky trail through the Valley of Desolation, carefully choosing our steps through the canyons with puffs of white vapor emanating from crevices, and a strong smell of sulfur dioxide in the air. I would have been hard pressed to make the descent down to the lake without my guide leading the way and assisting me through the more difficult parts. Boiling Lake is caused by a fumarole that is filled with water and the temperature at the center of the lake can reach 92 ⁰ C (198 ⁰ F). Sometimes the lake is obscured by fog but on this day the boiling cauldron near the center of the lake was visible much of the time. The cauldron in Boiling Lake is not caused by boiling water but by gases bubbling up from deep inside the fumarole.
A similar hot water lake formed in New Zealand after a volcanic eruption of Echo Crater in 1917. This lake is vast compared to Boiling Lake but has a lower temperature of 55 ⁰ C and is covered with steam. Both lakes appear to be boiling but the bubbling is actually caused by carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfuric gases coming up to the surface.
Boiling Lake
Valley of Desolation
Guide making soap from native plant
Steam escaping ground
My guide
