The highest point in Grenada - Mount Saint Catherine and its Jungle and Palms

[kylecawazafla]

Mount Saint Catherine is the highest point in Grenada at 2,760 feet (840 meters). 

 

Swimming hole at the base

 

Aiphanes minima - my first time seeing one in their habitat in Grenada! 

 

Heliconia caribae - they love inhabiting shaded vertical cliffs - I'm guessing they're feeding off of percolated water.

 

Lateral branch with buttress roots! First time for everything 

[kylecawazafla]

Scenery along the hike up whenever there is a break in the trees.

 

A "Sap Tree" - the sap is collected and used for medicinal purposes - smells just like Vicks Rub! Prestoea montana around it.

 

The jungle becomes even more stereotypical at about 2,000 feet. Prestoea montana

[kylecawazafla]

Prestoea and volcanic crags

 

One of the more "developed" parts of the path

 

 

My favorite spot!

[kylecawazafla]

Beautiful jungle - totally calm and quiet. 

 

The summit of Mount Saint Catherine is crowned with a Radio Tower - see all the other people resting at the top?

 

Ornithidium coccineum

 

I've never encountered a palm as variable as a Prestoea - except maybe a Syagrus romanzoffiana! 

[kylecawazafla]

About a billion Prestoea

 

 

 

Prestoea infructescences

 

This is Thunder - our tour guide's dog! He managed to scale cliffs and run circles around all of us! Such an athletic dog! 

 

For more photos, go here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/36838058@N03/sets/72157657166315384

[gilles06]

Jolie balade dans la jungle.

Merci pour les photos

[Ken Johnson]

Thanks!

[el-blanco]

WOW!!!!!!!

[Josh-O]

awesome picture tour. I felt like I was there with you.

 

[Central Floridave]

Beautiful photos, thanks! 

[Firepalm]

Great pictures! A seriously dense jungle.

[Jeff Searle]

I really enjoyed your pictures! Do you have any idea on how much rainfall this area receives each year? I love the tropical companion plants too. Thanks for sharing.

 

Jeff

[kylecawazafla]

I'm glad you guys enjoyed the pictures! I'm not sure what the average rainfall is for this mountain, but I often call it "Mount Doom", because you can rarely see the summit from the ground because it's shrouded in clouds almost all day every day. The temperature at the summit was significantly cooler than the base. The base is usually about 87 F/  30 C every day and the summit was probably about 75 F / 24 C.  On a neighboring slightly lower peak, I actually felt "cold" once when a cloud passed through us.