Hikers go head-tohead with mother nature as they climb La Soufriere (+video)

Heavy rainfall, wind and fog shrouded the entire La Soufriere trail for most of the morning of April 9, 2022 — exactly one year since the volcano erupted explosively in St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Carly-Ann Fergus

But these conditions were not enough to deter hikers from ascending the 4,048 ft mountain to observe its changed landscape and hopefully take a peek into the crater.

Several hikers, including SEARCHLIGHT reporters, Bria King and Katherine Renton gathered at the beginning of the Windward trail sometime after 7:00 a.m on Saturday to begin the trek up the mountain.

“The visibility was low so I didn’t get to see it in its full glory but going after the one year anniversary felt like closure or coming to terms with a traumatic event that happened,” hiker Carly-Ann Fergus told SEARCHLIGHT.

Fergus, who was born in St Vincent and the Grenadines, but resides in New York said she was happy to have the experience, especially after being present for the eruption last year.

“There were difficult moments…as we were nearing the summit or the mouth of the volcano, there was a lot of gravel so it was slippery and having low visibility, that was a little terrifying but I enjoyed most of the hike up…” she added.

Saturday was the first time that Christine Bayawa of the Philippines climbed La Soufriere, despite living in this country for the past six years.

SEARCHLIGHT REPORTERS, Katherine Renton (front) and Bria King (middle) head back into more stable territory, lower down the volcano, after being battered by heavy rains and wind at the crater’s edge. (Photo credit: Edson “Tequila” Reece)

She journeyed to the summit of Soufriere Mountain with some of her colleagues who work at the Health Solutions Inc.

Lilla Carnel Guyon

“I didn’t expect that I would enjoy it because I’m not an adventurous person but because of my friends, I feel like ok, let’s go and try. Imagine, I’ve been here since 2016 and I wasn’t able to go up the hill; only now for the first time,” she said.

Like many hikers who visited the site early on Saturday, Bayawa and her colleagues were not able to see the changed crater but she is willing to hike the mountain again sometime in the future.

Romaldo Joseph, a nurse at the Modern Medical and Diagnostic Centre told SEARCHLIGHT he thinks more people should take the opportunity to hike La Soufriere.

Having hiked to the volcano both before and after the eruption, he noted the changes in the landscape which resulted in his group getting lost.

“The roads are different but…there are markers to look out for. People put stones or they tie stuff on trees to tell you that you’re on the right path,” he said.

Saturday marked two times that hiker, Lilla Carnel Guyon climbed the mountain to the volcano this year.

Romaldo Joseph

“I think it was really important for us to be here one year after the eruption to see the different people who are here. I see tourists, I see locals and I think it’s just a nice experience that brings us all together,” she said.

Guyon explained that she liked thinking of the hike in two parts — going up, which is tiring but rewarding and coming down, which is a more calm and blissful experience.

She believes that the hike is a really good way for people to see how the landscape has changed.