In The Footsteps of Napoleon
(An article on St. Helena contributed by Éamonn Flanagan)
Eamonn is 2008 Chairman of Mid-Ulster Walking Club, since returning from St. Helena he has walked widely in Ireland
 and often contributes to Mountain Views website

Speery Island,St. Helena in evening sunshine from track to SW Point

Recently, I had the pleasure of making a two-month work related visit to the remote tropical island of St Helena, which is situated in the mid South-Atlantic, (Latitude 16°S – Longitude 5° 45W). The island’s greatest claim to fame is as the place of exile and death of Napoleon, who was imprisoned by the British there from 1815 until his death in 1821. Napoleon was originally buried on the remote island but his body was exhumed and repatriated to France in 1840. The island remains remote even by today’s modern travel standards, although more and more cruise ships are calling for short visits. My journey to the island began with a Thursday morning flight from Belfast to Heathrow, followed by bus and train journeys to Swindon then on to RAF Brize-Norton in Oxfordshire for a midnight flight lasting 9-10 hours to the joint RAF/USAF base on Ascension Island, which is an administrative dependency of St Helena. After an overnight stay in the island’s only hotel in Georgetown (owned by a dentist from Bushmills, Co. Antrim) I boarded the RMS St Helena for an extremely enjoyable and comfortable seven hundred mile, two and a half day, sea voyage to St Helena, weighing anchor off Jamestown on the Monday afternoon. The only way to gain access to St Helena is by sea and to further complicate issues Jamestown does not have a deep water harbour to facilitate large ships so vessels such as the RMS and the growing number of cruise ships calling at the island anchor out in the bay and passengers are shuttled to the wharf using a variety of smaller craft.

St Helena measures 10K by 17K and the total land mass is 122km² (47 sq. miles). South-east trade winds keep the climate mild, equable and changeable. Inland areas experience lower temperatures and more rain than those on the coastline such as Jamestown. Temperatures range between 20°- 32° in summer and 15° - 26° in winter. My visit (July-August) coincided with the island’s winter. As already mentioned St Helena’s greatest claim to fame is as the place of exile and death of Napoleon. The French Government presently cater for tourists interested in Napoleon and have restored the two buildings (The Briars Pavilion and Longwood House) in which Napoleon lived while on the island. The site of his tomb in Sane Valley,a simple affair made up of a broad unmarked slab surrounded by black railing can also be visited. The tomb exudes an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity. Obviously, many tourists visit St Helena on the strength of the Napoleonic links. However, St Helena as a general tourist destination is also growing. Increasing numbers of people are visiting the island, particularly nature lovers and hill-walkers who are finding that the island  with its rugged coastline, divergent landscapes and extremely friendly people has a great deal to offer the discerning visitor.
 

The people of St Helena are among the friendliest and genuine people you could wish to meet. Ethnically, they are a mix of European, African, Indian & Chinese to name but a few of the influences. This diverse cultural mix has been developed over the course of the island’s history since its discovery on May 21^st 1502 by a Portuguese navigator, Juan da Nova Castella (he was actually Spanish). He is also credited with the naming of the island after Emperor Constantine’s mother, Helena. The English East India Company annexed St Helena and was later confirmed as owner by Charter granted by Charles II. The island has remained a British possession since 1673. Large scale immigration by younger ‘Saints’ as the inhabitants are called, has meant that the present population of St Helena - 3,500 is  at one of the lowest levels since the island was discovered. The marketing of St Helena as a tourist destination is a central strategy in an attempt to boost its flagging economic fortunes. In recent years more regular and stronger economic ties have been forged with South Africa.

I did get the opportunity to walk extensively around the island, mostly at weekends since night falls in St Helena at around six-thirty. St Helena boasts a rich and divergent landscape with rocky coastal walks, lush green upland tracks and even some moonscape like, volcanic areas. The island has a series of twenty ‘Post-Box’ walks which have been developed for the walking enthusiast. At the Tourist Office in the centre of Jamestown information sheets with ‘sketch maps’ for each of the walks can be obtained (There is no OS Map for the island). You can also obtain a souvenir Ink-Stamp Book, produced by the Saint Helena Nature Conservation Group (SNCG), which contains a synopsis of each walk and a place to ‘stamp’ the walk’s specific symbol upon it. At the centre of the booklet is a grid which provides information on difficulty, based on a scale of 1 to 9 (with one being easy and 9 being most difficult), the ascent and/or descent (some walks start on a height with the Post-Box at sea level), the estimated time taken to complete the walk are also provided. The stamps themselves can be found within the Post-Box situated at the destination point of each walk. The Post-Boxes are sited on summits or coastal inlets within white cylindrical plastic (water) pipes which are lidded for weatherproofing purposes. They are securely placed in the ground, usually surrounded by a makeshift cairn of stones to protect them from the worst of the elements.
 

The first walk I undertook, and the most popular coastal walk on the island, was from Sandy Bay to Lot’s Wife’s Ponds. The two-and-a-half hour round trip involves a trek up to a ridge roughly midway along a fairly clear albeit rocky and well used path, which is reasonably easy to follow for the most part. There are a few narrow and precipitous areas but these can be negotiated safely with due care. Once you reach the Post-Box and stamp your book you get to scramble down the last twenty metres with the use of some fairly sturdy cable to reach the ponds themselves. Some of the ponds are of swimming pool length, deep and sheltered from the sea by jagged walls, formed by lava deposited in the ocean from an erupting volcano which is no longer active. The reward for all your efforts, especially if like us you visit on a particularly hot day, is to get to plunge into the beautiful crystal clear water constantly renewed by the Atlantic waves which pour over the walls.

Approaching St Helena from the sea, and when travelling around the island four peaks i.e. Diana’s Peak (823m), Cuckhold Point (730m) & Mount Actaeon (770m) in the centre of the island, within the National Park, and Flagstaff on the north coast (688m) appear to dominate the skyline. Yet these four summits are probably the easiest to reach if following the official walk routes. The Diana’s Peak route, which incorporates sister peaks of Cuckhold & Actaeon involves a climb of no more than 213 metres and only attracts a 3 for difficulty. Flagstaff, reached by an easy walk across Deadwood Plain (the site of a large prisoner of war camp during the Boer War) involves a steady climb of about 150 metres and only attracts a score of 2. Of course, one could start these walks at a much lower level, but most of the intervening trek will be along the island’s road system which, while pleasant, does not offer a serious walker much of a challenge.

The most difficult walk according to the guide is ‘The Barn’ (616m). For this walk I enlisted the help of Peter, a local ‘Saint’, who lived nearby in the Longwood Village area. Peter proved to be a competent and extremely interesting guide, who informed me of a great deal of St Helena’s history and culture during our walk. We started at the unused Wind Turbines on Deadwood Plain and climbed up and across the slope of Flagstaff to a height of around 580m. We then descended a steep path to a height of about 400m along a ridge between The Barn & Flagstaff. The path of descent along the ridge meant that to our left sheer drops to the ocean & rocks below were a continual reminder to take due care. The path then meandered across the base of the Barn for about 500m before we commenced the ascent of around 216 metres to the summit. The ascent itself was again fairly steep but Peter’s knowledge and expertise in picking the correct path, particularly across the most precarious parts undoubtedly contributed to making this easier than it should have been. It took about 75 minutes to complete the outward part of the route and two hours to complete the return leg. North of the summit the Atlantic Ocean spreads out to a vast nothingness while West Flagstaff summit is a short distance away. To the South one can view most of the island’s Eastern coast. Immediately below is Turks Cap. Further along the coast Prosperous Bay & Prosperous Bay Plain, Great Stone Top and Gill Point can be seen. To the Southwest the Three Peaks of the National Park rise way beyond Deadwood Plain. Each of these is a destination or on the route of other ‘walks’.

All twenty of St Helena’s official walks (and other unofficial ones) are unique and, while relatively short, offer the walker a wide variety of hillwalking experiences and levels of difficulty. The scenery is quite breathtaking and worth the effort alone. One St Helena attraction which you must climb, should you visit the island, is Jacob’s Ladder situated in Jamestown itself. Jacob’s Ladder was built by the British Army in 1829 as an inclined plane and was used to haul manure up and goods down from the heights 600 feet above. It stretches from Jamestown to Ladder Hill and has 700 steps. You can get a ‘Certificate of Completion’ from the museum at the foot of the ladder if you complete a full ascent/descent.

While the island is remote and it’s not a Barbados or a Bahamas (having no beaches) and is only beginning to develop a tourist infrastructure, it still has a lot to offer. If, like me, you revel in peace and quiet, beautiful scenery, friendly people and good walking – St Helena may be just the destination for your next walking holiday.
 

If interested in visiting St. Helena, you can contact Éamonn 
Telephone : 028 877 48700
or e-mail:  eamonnflanagan@btinternet.com
 

HIKING IN THE GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK

The Grand Canyon in Northern Arizona is probably the biggest hole in the ground that anyone will ever see.  The Colorado River rising on the western slopes of the Rocky Mountains and flowing south-west across the Colorado Plateau to the Gulf  of Mexico has, over some six million years, eroded  a canyon 277 river miles long, in places 18 miles wide and 1 mile deep.
At the bottom, close to the river, the rocks-some two billion years old, have a greenish tinge, ascending through the varied reds of Redwall Limestone and Coconino Sandstone to the youngest white Kaibab formations, some 250 million years old. The changing colours are vivid and beautiful , especially at sunrise or sunset.
 

The Plateau, in desert country, is surprisingly high with the South rim of the Canyon 7000 feet above sea level, the North rim 1000 feet higher. The North rim is closed from the end of October until mid May , the South rim is open year round.   The USA National Park Service tightly controls the area. Payment for access is required, overnight camping necessitates a permit-currently costing 10 dollars, plus 5 dollars per person. It is best to visit in October/November or April/May. Summer temperatures of around 120°F are not uncommon, while winter brings sub-zero conditions and the trails are unsafe.

There are a variety of hiking routes, freedom to roam is not permitted and Rangers will take stern action against anyone who disobeys this rule which is there partly  for safety reasons, but more importantly to ensure conservation of a fragile environment.

The easiest option is to take the Rim Trail along the Canyon’s edge. On the South side, this begins at the Bright Angel Lodge, going either East or West for many miles.The path is narrow, un-surfaced and in  places very close to an unguarded edge with a drop of  hundreds of feet beyond—not a place for those with vertigo.The reward is quite spectacular, ever changing views of the rock formations and colours of the canyon, here and there distant views of the Colorado way down at the bottom. With luck, a Condor may soar past , riding the updraughts.  However, the real adventure is a walk down into the Canyon, giving a totally different perspective and appreciation of its vastness.  No permit is required for a day hike but the National Park advice is that descent marks a hiker’s entry into a world where preparation, self-reliance and common sense are crucial.

Trails are maintained paths, steep, with many steps and occasional  precipitous drops close to hand. The Bright Angel Trail, 12 miles long, drops 5000 feet from the South rim to the Colorado River, crosses a suspension bridge and ascends past Phantom Ranch beside the river, another 12 miles to the North rim.  However, unless transport is available on the northern side, the only option is to return south, either on the Bright Angel or South Kaibab trails.  A day return trip is only for the very fittest—24 miles, descent/ascent of 10,000 feet, with the ascent being from 2000 to 7000 feet. The best plan is to book a bunk in the Phantom bunkhouse—as far ahead of trip as possible-walk down (allow four hours) overnight at Phantom and breakfast there, then walk back up (allow six/seven hours). Make sure to carry as much water as possible, although some is available en route, especially in summer.

Hikers share the trail with mules-carrying tourists or goods-which have the right of way. It is necessary to stand, quite still, off the trail as the mule-train passes and be rewarded, just occasionally, by a gruff ‘thank ye ‘ from the wrangler.

The Grand  Canyon is one of those special places where walking is by far the best way to experience its majesty.  The excitement of a hike down into the depths, emerging covered with the red  sandstone dust, will live long in the memory, the genuine greeting ‘’Have a good day’’ has special significance here.

The example of a National Park, well managed for  conservation, staffed by people so obviously enthusiastic about their heritage, who wish to share this with visitors and then pass it on, unspoilt, to their children, is impressive.  Perhaps, in Northern Ireland, we could learn some lessons from their example.

Ronnie Carser 

Kilimanjaro

A report on a recent trip to climb Kilimanjaro by Thomas McKenna ( Wee Binnians ) .  Some of Thomas's excellent photographs will be added shortly .  

We were a team of seven, six men and one woman all with one aim - to stand on Uhuru Peak - the summit of Kilimanjaro .  Our starting point was Machame Gate , a few hours drive from our hotel in Moshi . 
Day 1 .  Following the holdups for registration we were at last on the mountain .  Our hike today took us through dense forest , along dirt roads and trails to Machame Camp at 3000m .  Already the effects of altitude were starting to show with a number of the team suffering from headaches . 
Day 2 .  Our first night in camp could not be described as restful .  However daybreak saw us ready for the hills .  The cool morning gave way to warmth as the day progressed and we moved out of the forest .  Our climb today took us to 3900m before we descended to the next camp on the Shira Plateau completing our second day of eight hours plus walking.  Evening brought on a beautiful sunset which cast a warm glow over the mountains.
Day 3 .  This was to be another long day starting with a five hour uphill climb to Lava Tower at 4600m before dropping down to Barranco Camp .  The rock formation on this section was amazing .  Signs of old lava flows were everywhere .  This was the first time we felt close to the main rock base of the mountain with its snow cap towering above us . 
Day 4 .  The first of our short days started with a 300m high climb on the Barranco wall which ended up as abruptly as it started. A climb which , while not technical , was challenging with exposed sections giving fine views of the valley.  We continue around the mountain and down to Karanga Camp at 3600m . 
Day 5.Another day with only four hours of walking to do , we followed the trails to@ at 4600m.  The views of the mountain above us where scary and we still had almost 1300m to climb to reach the summit.  The remainder of the day was spent resting, packing rucksacks and preparing for the summit climb . 
Day 6.The big day has arrived !  Why are we not more excited?  I suppose because it has just gone midnight and it is bitterly cold.  However we are ready , and start the long climb up to Gillimans Point or the lower summit as some people call it. The night is long and cold and progress slow because of the loose scree .  Every time we feel that the summit is within our reach we encounter someone turning back .  Not only is their summit bid over but they look very ill .  Daylight finds us closer to the summit snows but Gillimans Point is still two hours away .  After a long hard slog we reach Gillimans Point .  All that is left is the gentle stroll to Uhuru Peak which we reached at 09:00 .  The views from here will always be in my memory ; dark blue skies and summit snows merge into the white clouds below us.  Celebrations over, photographs taken, there was only one way to go-down .  So we start out on our return journey back to Barafu Camp .  Here , following a wash, change of clothes, a rest and some food we start out for Mweka Camp a three hour walk away . 
Day 7.Following a good night’s sleep we broke camp and prepared for our final days walking.  This was my first day free from altitude sickness since we started the climb.  After packing was complete our porters sang a few local songs and we walked down to the park gate where we said farewell to all our guides and African friends who were going home .  Once final registration was completed we were on our way back to the hotel and a well earned rest before we went on safari. 

This was an enjoyable and very successful trip , greatly enhanced by the use of good guides and porters who spoke excellent English and had a happy spirit which I found infectious .  The company we used was Adventure Alternative who are based here in Northern Ireland .  They were very contactable and quick at providing information when requested.  Too all others considering such a trip , I wish you well and a safe journey. 

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