Sights and trainers or hiking boots. No food or any changes of clothing are carried because of the weight. It’s just you and the trail! A typical trip to Highland Waterfall in Moriah starts at 9 a.m. after breakfast, some guests on mountain bikes and some in the pickup. The truck travels to Mason Hall and cuts west into the hills of Les Coteaux headed for the lower Courland River valley while the riders head north for Moriah to circle the hills (949 feet above sea level) and approach the waterfall from a higher elevation. The truck stops at a bridge over the Courland and guests set off on foot or bike, following the course of the river. The trail is undulating and scenic, passing stands of over-arching bamboo, forest trees like hog plum and cultivated fruit trees like pommerac, breadfruit, banana and plantain with their beautiful, distinct leaf shapes. The variety of foliage is matched by the variety of birds and wildlife on the trail: unless you are walking with Shadow, the black Labrador, and his owner Camille who often accompanies Gaetano on his hikes. Shadow splashes through the shallow water, chasing after lizards and scaring birds into flight, running in the woods after agouti and manicou – which he never manages to catch. Occasionally, you can spot a water snake in the river; but like all Tobago snakes, it is not venomous. Gaetano recalls one trip when he was walking alongside a slow-moving, swampy section of river and spotted a number of small yellow frogs – which were disappearing, one by one – snapped up by a young caiman. At a pre-determined point on the trail, the riders from the north drop down into the valley and join the walkers on Highland Trace. Sounds a breeze, but Gaetano mentions casually that the trail is 12 inches wide with a gradient over 45 degrees off the horizontal, under a heavy tree canopy. To stay alive, riders must keep their outside foot on the pedal and inside foot held against the hillside. Pure adrenalin! The falls are approached round a bend in the river via a short canyon between low rocks. The force of the tumbling water pushes a current of cool air and water vapour towards you and the current in the water is strong. The falls are 20 feet wide and drop 60 feet into a pool about three to seven feet deep. The thrill is to walk backwards into the falls (protecting your eyes), massaged by the force of the water, until your back is against the rocks and the curtain of water is roaring past your face. Invigorated, the return trip is an easy repeat of the walk-in. As beautiful as the Courland Valley is, Tobago has many other trails; some with stunning coastal views lined with palms covered with long, black and murderously sharp thorns, or mountainous inland views that in season are dotted with orange immortelle blossom or sulphur yellow poui. The further north you travel, the steeper the trails as a rule, but all are in good condition and relatively safe for rider or hiker and grazing cows. Occasionally a trail passes a small dam in the water authority catchment areas, providing a delightful man-made eco system within the natural bio-diversity of the island. Photo: Dawn Glaisher
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The Ins & Outs of Trinidad and Tobago