George Town
A dramatic golden sunrise set the scene for a much-anticipated day of adventure. Boat projects kept the crews of both Crossroads and Paradigm Shift occupied throughout the morning. Following lunch, Barry and I took our dinghy over to Paradigm Shift where he and Greg would work on a few more projects (they never end) under the watchful eyes of Jaxon and Cooper. Glenda and I summoned her chariot (dinghy), powered by a team of 20 horses (outboard), and set our sights on the land of discovery. Through hundreds of boats we weaved, dodging anchor lines, small boat traffic, and sand bars. The destination was north -- the Salt Monument, which stands watch over the anchor-bound kingdom from the highest point on the highest hill. With great care and forethought we secured our vessel and embarked upon the latest of many great adventures together. We surveyed the scene, left then right, and identified a small gap in the foliage where more than a few had traversed before us. Brave Glenda led the way.
The melody of a lone songbird resonated in the wind. We continued to a point where that sound was overtaken by that of the ocean's surf. Intrigued, we temporarily abandoned our original mission in favor of discovering the beach. Oh, my, what a beach it was. The sand was soft, deep, and clean with a gentle slope that produced a tranquil lapping of the waves. We were captivated by the lure of the ocean and walked a great distance south, away from the monument. All was good, however, and this setting had these explorers basking in our element. At the next break in the dunes we turned right, back into the forest and refocused on our original mission.
Through the brush we went, working our way through palm fronds and sea grapes. Along the way we spotted several natives keeping vigilant watch over our every movement -- a giant lizard, a colony of arboreal termites, and the evil serpent. With extra caution we proceeded onward, undaunted. Cairns stood as evidence of those who came before us. A tiny sign pinned to a tree reassured these intrepid adventurers that we were making progress toward the summit.
By this time I was in the lead and joyfully heralded our arrival at the top of the mountain. Glenda ascended the final few steps and we both stood in amazement at the beauty of the anchorage below us. I removed our water rations from the backpack, enjoyed the moment, then captured it with a selfie. (Without pictures, did it really happen?)
Alas, there was one problem ... we were still one peak away from our destination. Our beach walk had taken us further south than we had thought. We inched our way to the precipice and surveyed our options. We had no choice but to descend into the Valley of Shadows to reach the other side. We carefully placed our flip flops into the smallest of slots in the vertical rock face as we first descended to the forest floor before traversing the flats and finally ascending the northern slope. Again, with careful placement of feet and hands, we worked our way to where the canopy opened unto the bluebird sky. There it stood before us, the Salt Monument, erected generations ago to guide sailors into the salt ponds. We paused to take in the exquisite 360-degree view and the refreshing breeze.
Although we had encountered nary a soul on our journey through the wilderness, it seems several folks had approached from the opposite direction. We stood proudly as a fellow explorer captured our souvenir photo. We had seen and conquered which left no other option than to return to sea level and report our findings. The tide had receded while we were away, but thanks to careful planning, our chariot was still afloat. Again, all was good. Back to Paradigm Shift we headed, this time into the wind-driven chop, catching quite a bit of splash along the way. Once cleared for entry by the two sentries on duty, Glenda and I sat on the bow in the sun to dry off while sharing notes and photos of our latest grand adventure.
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