Op-Ed, Part 2: Belize Adventure Continues with Waterfalls, Mountains and Jaguars, Oh My!

Editor’s Note: This is Part 2 of a series by Olasee Davis on the St. Croix Hiking Association’s recent trip to Belize. Read Part 1 here.

The first morning in Belize at Pals On the Beach hotel was beautiful, with birds — particularly the Frigate birds and Brown Pelicans — flying in the open blue-grayish sky as the sun rose over the Caribbean Sea. We started off with a healthy breakfast, ready for our day of adventure.

This second part of my series on the St. Croix Hiking Association’s Belize adventure covers our first hike on foot. We visited Billy Barquedier National Park, known for its gorgeous waterfalls and wildlife such as jaguars, tapirs, ocelots, howler monkeys, snakes and more.

As we got to the park, we met a ranger who gave us a brief history of the park, which is newly established and spans between 7,000 and 10,000 acres of evergreen tropical rainforest to ensure the protection of its unique fauna and flora. There are more than 300 species of birds, a network of caves that offers a glimpse into the ancient Mayan civilization, and several stunning waterfalls that leave you rejuvenated and at peace with nature.

I asked the ranger how “Billy Barquedier National Park” got its name. Believe me, you don’t want to hear it. It is a kallaloo of stories with different tales about the history of the name. In the early 1960s, a barquedier, which is a structure like a pier, was placed across the creek. Thus, the creek was named in part for the nearby barquedier, which is also spelled “barcadere” or “barquadier.”

Barquedier is a place where logs are stockpiled to be transported to a sawmill. The national park we visited is a secondary rainforest, not a virgin rainforest, due to logging for decades. How the name Billy came about is fascinating. According to the older people of the area, the owner of Barquedier was named Billy. His name was William “Bill” Newman and he was the agent of the Western Land Syndicate, a company that operated 1,000 acres of banana and citrus where the national park is now established.

Nonetheless, it was a group of villagers from Steadfast Village in the area, ordinary people like you and me, who organized themselves and fought socially and politically to protect the area. For years, the people lobbied the government of Belize and the area was declared a national park in 2001. Today, the park is co-managed by Steadfast Tourism and Conservation Association, which was created in 1994, and the Forest Department of Belize.

With that being said, we hikers were “fired up,” as former President Barrack Obama would say, to explore the area. However, when the ranger mentioned jaguars (Panthera onca) being in the park, the largest wildcats in Belize and the entire Americas, everybody said, “What! Jaguars? Oh my God.” Believe it or not, no one “chickened out,” which means not being afraid to hike on the trails of the park. However, the ranger cautioned us to hike together, or at least two persons together, if you had a sense of fear of the animals.

Jaguars see humans before you see them. They are solitary animals, living and hunting in the forest except during mating seasons. These animals didn’t evolve eating large primates, and don’t normally see humans as food. According to wildlife biologists, of all the big cats, jaguars are the least likely to kill and eat humans. Most attacks come when the animal has been cornered or wounded.

At the park, some hikers went to the waterfalls. Others, like myself, hiked in the mountain forest to conquer the summit. The trail we took to the mountain is called “Jaguar Trail.” Believe me, it was very steep in some areas with steps, benches and ropes to hold onto and rest as you pleased while climbing up the mountain. I believe there were about 10 of us hikers that decided to climb the mountain. In the group, I decided to bring up the rear because sometimes there might be somebody in need of help.

In fact, on this adventure hike there was no park tour guide. It was a self-guided tour. In other words, all men and women were for themselves and God for all. However, not too long into the hike, there was somebody struggling. I said to myself, “Oh God help me” because I wanted to see the mountain summit. I asked the hiker, Vivian St. Juste Schweizer, why not turn back and join the others to the waterfalls? She said no, she would stay where she was until the other hikers returned from the top of the mountain. While trying to comfort her, she felt bad because she was keeping me back from hiking to the summit. Then suddenly, she said, “Olasee you go and leave me here.” I said, “What? You got to be crazy. There are jaguars in the forest.”

I said, “No, honey, I can’t leave you here.” I said, “What about the jaguars?” She said, “Let them come, but you go.” I asked, “Are you sure?” “Yes,” she said. So, I took off thinking about her safety. I said a little prayer, “God please protect her.” Not too long up the mountain, there was another hiker struggling. I encouraged her and we both made it to the summit where the rest of the hikers were enjoying the stunning view. We who were in the mountain later joined those at the waterfalls.

We hiked with food, drinks and everything that we could carry in our backpacks to the waterfalls. It was not a difficult hike. As we got close to the river, we hiked down into steps and walked across the river holding a rope to get us to the other side. It was an adventure. I loved it. Eventually, we met the other hikers at the waterfalls having a great time. Oh, what heaven on Earth at Billy Barquedier National Park.

This hidden gem of waterfalls in the forest valley of the park offers breathtaking natural beauty and unique experiences that will leave you in awe. That evening, we were off again to Hopkins-Driftwood Beach Bar and Pizza Shack where we danced and ate. As we rested our heads on our pillows that night, we thought of tomorrow’s next set of adventures. Today was awesome.

— Olasee Davis is a bush professor who lectures and writes about the culture, history, ecology and environment of the Virgin Islands when he is not leading hiking tours of the wild places and spaces of St. Croix and beyond.