Carpenter’s Rock Trail, from a starting point at Shirley Heights Lookout, was the target for the EAG monthly hike on the overcast morning last month. Our usually energetic and enthusiastic vice president Jason Colbourne introduced trip leader Junior James and National Parks new Environment Officer Dr. Brian Cooper. Dr. Cooper proffered a welcome to the National Parks, indicating its importance to the overall biodiversity of the island and therefore to our tourism product, particularly via yachting and the increasingly popular ‘eco-tourism.’ He also couldn’t help pointing out that this area of the park is greener than it has been in many years due to the abundant rainfall that Antigua has received in 2011. Truly, many patches that traditionally sported the usual reddish-brown dirt were now covered by vegetation. Another part of the reason for the greenery, Dr. Cooper pointed out, was the conspicuous absence of dozens of free-roaming goats that used to dot the entire area, hillsides included.

He could not be certain about where most of those goats are now located but their absence, coupled with the rainfall, are likely a great part of the reason why vegetation in that part of the National Parks has rebounded so spectacularly. We can only hope that our public service announcements regarding the direct and indirect hazards of free-roaming livestock resonated with some of their owners.

Despite the overcast weather and a few sprinkles of rain along the way, we couldn’t help but pause intermittently to marvel at breathtaking views. One of the great benefits of the EAG monthly hikes is the opportunity to re-discover Antigua…to re-appreciate why so many pay so much to come here. A view of a landscape, bordering a calm blue ocean under cloud-dotted skies, can do wonders for peace of mind that words can hardly convey.

Carpenter’s Rock Trail, according to its signage, is maintained by the Royal Naval Tot Club of Antigua. It exits onto the road that leads to Galleon Beach so we took this path, under clearing skies, making our way across the beach and up to Fort Charlotte. This old fort sits on the headland atop the Pillars of Hercules and, according to a National Parks guide, was named after King George III’s German wife, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz.

Geocaching...is a popular international treasure hunt using GPS.

After a brief rest, we continued on the eastward trail towards Carpenter’s Rock, named after former residents of the area. Here, we detoured to the water’s edge to the awesome rock formations and deep crevices that characterize this slice of the National Parks. The Rock also sported mini wading pools in which a few fish species and a small relative of the sea urchin were among the inhabitants.

Back on the trail, we bid good day to Antigua’s southernmost point, Nanton Point, making our way up the relatively steep hillside that plateaus near the old cemetery. The vegetation on this hillside, as I mentioned earlier, has made such a difference to the vista as one casts a backwards glance toward the ocean. The goats are not all gone; we spotted at least 10 of them, including a few kids. So, they are reproducing but we hope that their numbers will be more controlled than in years past.

As we made our way to the cemetery, we came across a visiting couple who were geocaching. This is a popular international treasure hunt that requires participants to use GPS to locate and to also hide containers all around the world. The couple included Antigua in their vacation in their zeal to locate a container hidden here. We paused to give them a hand with deciphering its location, using an inscription on one of the gravestones to determine the GPS co-ordinates.

The hike was enjoyed by all. Check out our photos from this hike on our Facebook page, Environmental Awareness Group, and plan to join us for our next monthly trek.