Pool of Siloam Scout then Charlie Checkpoint

“Be fearless. Have the courage to take risks. Go where there are no guarantees. Get out of your comfort zone even if it means being uncomfortable. The road less traveled is sometimes fraught with barricades bumps and uncharted terrain. But it is on that road where your character is truly tested." Searching and testing words of Katie Couric. Scouting with our Hike Leader Mario Russell on the Off beaten paths are always a surprise bag but one of top class adventure. Mixed because we know and accept the associated risks of what it entails. Hiking in general falls into a medium to high risk category depending on type of trail, location and time. After already 2 scouting trips in the morning. We started out again to explore the little renown Pool of Siloam, shrouded in mystery and folklore, in the hills of Campbellton East Tobago. Amerindian loggers discovered it eons ago while cutting huge logs for their canoes. Folklore has it as a dormant volcanic crater forming an ever changing pool. Another spoke of dropping a turtle over 40 years ago and it being found off the Island of Barbados. Heading with our local guide 'Son Son', the plan get to the Pool, climb again the steep ridge then down to the Louis d’Or river and Delaford. However after finding the pool, our guide took us up along the ridge to Checkpoint Charlie, another renown peak on Tobago’s Main Ridge. Summiting the peak we would then turn our focus down to Delaford. Within minutes the trail disappears into the thick undergrowth as we blazed and ploughed through in that general direction. The going slowed and the evening shadows lengthened till we came up on a small tributary of the river. We kept walking alongside till the steep drops started getting deeper than we could handle. We decided to walk along the contours on the left ridge to get to the Delaford upriver road as our GPS suggested. As darkness came rapidly as always in deep forest, we entered a steep dry ravine. Progress stalled as we entered a deep gorge, some 300 feet on one side and 400 on the other. Although our GPS showed we were just 1 km away from the roadway, we couldn’t move forward neither sideways. A hard decision not to continue came easy enough once taking safety into the equation. Heading back up to the ridges we just came from in the deep to spend the night took a lot of will as tiredness mixed with hunger and a bit of dejection stepped in. Cold and hungry, I reminded everyone to fill up their water bottles as we would have no water on the ridges. We would slowly try to retrace our footsteps in the darkness with 8 of us sharing 2 phone lights and 1 headlamp. This meant bouncing and scrapping our legs and shins on sharp broken logs, downed trees, rocks and roots. At 10.00 pm we decided we could go no further having gotten off the original course. We could see the outline of Pigeon Peak and lights of Flagstaff and Charlottesville across in the distance. Our choice to honker down on a clearer ridge meant cold howling wind rustling the trees and us whole night. We cut palm tree leaves from the few surrounding trees for our beds to try to insulate us from the already cold ground. Some lucky guys were able to secure a few as cover. During the night the temperature in the cold windy forest would drop further as we shivered. Here I thought camping in Yellowstone and Mount Rainier National Parks were cold. A slight drizzle almost on the hour on queue would keep us truly engaged. A voice who normally shouts,” Group Hug in the shower” would remark tonight. “ No shame in getting close to each other for a bit of body warmth.” Then later talks of “Naked and Afraid, Man versus Wild,” as the night slowly dragged. After about a decade, some one said, “ What’s the time?’ 2.00 AM. Gosh it was so cold, my legs were starting to catch cramp from the constant shivering. Sunrise would meet renewed efforts as we could make out the terrain to continue. Hitting a high ridge, we would find Checkpoint Charlie after 30 mins. This meant another 2 hour trek back to our starting point as we had blazed and cut shrubs on the way in. Even though we were not to pass back that way. A good habit in unfamiliar territory. As we made our way out, I kept thinking how lucky I was to experience it all and cement an already great camaraderie that exists in our group. All the little big decisions, the constant banter, the shout outs of “be careful, take your time, not there, pass this way” etc. And of course the pick up team bringing a surprise breakfast on the roadway. Once back in the village during the mid morning, villagers would look on with mixed looks of craziness, some in wonder. A spring in the step of "Son Son" as Island Hikers made him feel 20 years younger. His reputation intact and would surely expand. Truly an adventurous scouting expedition and of course, not the last.