Climbing Victoria

ABOVE: The object of their affection- the mighty Victoria Peak.

You start climbing Victoria Peak up a dry creek bed that eventually turns into solid stone. Most of the way to the top is 60 degree or more incline up wet stone. Good foot holds but very slippery. At this point it is a good idea to have some basic climbing gear to help over the "rough spots." Marcos, my Belizean guide and friend is an accomplished climber. I am not. When the climbing became too difficult or too dangeous in my opinion, he would fix some ropes.

The "trail" continued straight up then veered left onto a very narrow path (2 feet) with a 700-800? foot fall over the other side. Not good for those prone to vertigo. Soon we reached a vertical rock face that had to be climbed. It's only 50 feet or so and with good climbing gear not a problem. From this point you climb another series of small steep inclines. And here the forest is almost magical. A very wet tropical forest environment dripping with moisture and moss. Then you reach the summit! The total time it took us from camp KM 19 to the top at KM 28 was approx. 7 hours of hard hiking/climbing.

Most people or groups give up before reaching this point. I believe it is because a lot of guides expect people to climb to the top, stay 15 minutes, then climb back down and make that difficult hike back to KM 19. That's a 12-14 hour day and most expeditions that have tried find that there is not enough daylight to complete the hike before sunset, so they turn back. We did not have that concern because we camped on the summit. It cleared when we reached the top and the view was inspirational. A thick carpet of unbroken forest and mountain ranges as far as the eye could see. But quickly it changed and the clouds moved in. The winds picked up along wih a strong drizzle. We pitched our hammocks among the stunted growth of foliage and spent an enchanted night listening to the winds roar with a thick mist swirling around us.

The next day, day four. We were completely fogged in. No view, just a strong wind from the east. We climbed back down Victoria Peak. We used the ropes to rapel over the most dangerous areas and we arrived back at camp KM 19 in about 6.5 hours.

There is a wonderful jungle stream close by with a small waterfall that created an exhilarating shower. A great place to wash away the days hike and get refreshed. Our group shared a small pint of Jack Daniels I brought along to celebrate our accomplishment. Marcos told me that less that 200 people have reached the summit of Victoria Peak. And unless you are well prepared I can see why. We were well prepared.

The next morning, day five we hiked from camp KM 19 all the way back to the Belize Cockscomb headquarters. Approx. 12 miles. We saw a "Bush Dog" cross the path in front of us. We walked in the rain. We saw a grey fox and listened to Toucans singing in a tree. We saw a snake whip past. We slipped and fell on the wet trail. We were happy campers.

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