Retracing Jacko’s Historical Steps
Located in the center of Dominica, this trail is a bit tricky to find. We stopped at the restaurant right across from Belle Primary School and a friendly lady guided us to where the trail was located. She said to take a left after two corners and drive down. Don't drive down! We made it down alright but got stuck coming back up. Check out our Dominica post for the full story. Don’t risk it. Park along the main road at the top before the road heading down to the river. Walk the road down to the river and you will see a small hut and some materials with yellow rope going across the river. There is also a Jacko Foundation sign on a tree nearby that lets you know you are at the right spot.
We changed into our swim suits and water shoes then waded across the river. Once across, we followed the yellow rope as a guide up to a field of fruit and coconut trees. As we got closer we were met by a man with a machete. Though it may sound like we were entering a horror movie, it was nothing like that! The man who greeted us was named Mal and he was out tending to the property. He was very friendly and shared down to earth vibes. He and his wife Eunice own and maintain the property as well as the trail. We then spoke to Eunice who filled us in on how to enjoy the trail. She told us not to hike the Layou River portion as it was too high that day. We were only able to go to the end of Jacko’s Steps where a small river meets the Layou. We paid the fee of 20EC per person to use the trail (and included a fresh coconut at the end!).
The trail began with a steep uphill climb to where a slave settlement used to be. There are remains of old equipment and wood but we could not tell if this was actually used by Jacko and his runaway companions or if they were left here afterwards. A dog named "White" led hung around us and guided us throughout the whole trail. His sister "Brown" also joined up at times. You can see her in the main photo at the top of this post if you look closely… After 20 minutes or so you will reach the steps. They are pretty steep at parts and since it was rainy they were quite slippery so we had to be careful. There are ropes at some of the steeper points hooked up to old metal clips that helped us during these parts.
It was an incredible feeling being able to walk the same steps that Jacko and his companions used to escape the British! They lived off this land for over forty years until a surprise raid came and Jacko met his demise. There are hundreds of steps carved into the mountain and you can appreciate how much time and effort went into making them. The trail went on a little longer after the steps leading to the Layou. We hung out for a few to rinse off and enjoyed the area to ourselves.
It was much easier on the way back going up the steps and we cut out a little time. When we reached the property again Mal greeted us and shared more of his story about how his father owned the property and had handed it down to him. He also told us how it is to live off the land and how he appreciates it's beauty every day. Then Eunice grabbed a long tool and guided us back towards the river where she plucked a couple of coconuts off of a tree for us to enjoy!
While enjoying this fresh fruit she explained that there are several colors of them though they all taste the same. Then she explained how she grows breadfruit, mangos, dasheen, beans, olives and much more. She spoke about their experience dealing with Hurricane Maria which was scary and how lucky they were that their property was safe and dry. They are vegetarians and either hitchhike or have her daughter come by to bring them into town if needed. They are proud and friendly people who love where they are and how they live. They insisted that we spread the word about them and to have our friends to come visit. After scooping the last bit of coconut gelatin, so not to waste good fruit, we headed back to the river where we waded back across. Here we met a group of English hikers where gave them the run down of our unique experience.
