Photo blog: The hike to Capiat

Capiat is a mountain village scraping the clouds above Montrouis, Haiti. It's perched on an icy spring that bubbles like crystal, irrigating acres of vegetables and breadfruit trees.

Last Thursday, I made the 4-hour hike with a team of missionaries from Alabama. It was strenuous, but breathtaking.

Here's a photo blog of our journey up the mountains and into the mountain oasis.

It was perfect weather for a hike. We left at 10:30 am, as tropical storm Emily threatened to thrash Haiti's southern coast with heavy rainfall.

The sky in Montrouis was a delicious blue. We set out on a road steep road leading to Capiat.

Horses, donkeys and goats graze nearby, with no owners in sight. As I panted with the ascent, I fought the urge to try my luck at bareback riding.

After 45 minutes of hiking, we made it past the first village and onto a bridge with an amazing view. One of the missionary women took my photo -- hope you're happy, Ma!

Taking photos was an excellent way to chug water and catch our breath. The road took a sharp turn skyward after this point, the most tedious part of the hike.

As we climbed higher into the mountains, the coast reappeared and shimmered behind towering palms.

We reached some farmland on the outskirts of Capiat. My Keens were muddy and kept sliding off my feet as the road narrowed into a rough trail.

Nearing the summit, we walk through more irrigated farms and a new perspective on Haiti's coast.

We reached Capiat. Families gather along the cement constructed waterways directing the fresh water spring down the mountain.

Men and women gathered to wash clothing, bathe and socialize under breadfruit trees.

Children from Capiat poured out of the village to stare at our team of blancs and Canaan kids.

Whitney (left), me (center) and Rebecca, part of the Birmingham missionary group, cool off in the deliciously frigid mountain water.

The missionary women visiting Canaan posed before some of us (daringly) submerged ourselves in the icy oasis.

I was incredibly happy to have made it. Capiat mean't that the the rest was downhill from here...

The sky was getting dark and it started sprinkling. We decided to leave, fearing tropical storm Emily was finally done brooding in the ocean below Haiti.

We passed more horses and donkeys tied up next to the road, while little kids peeked out of small houses and called out for candy.

I was amazed at this donkey, weighed down but walking ahead of his master. Most of the time, I see donkeys refusing to budge while their owners whip them on the side of the road.

It was a relief following the road downhill after a strenuous ascent.

The rusting roof of a house peeks out from behind a cornfield. 

A tiny house is engulfed by the mountains.

From the mountains, we could see the tip of Gonave Island.

A stunning photo of the coast and the dazzling water of the Saint Marc Channel.

As we neared Canaan, more horses munched. As I once again considered a bareback ride to carry my tired body home, a man popped out of the bushes and startled me.

All signs of a storm disappeared, and in the last leg of the hike, we were able to see the distant Massif de la Selle (left) and Gonave Island (right) on the horizon.

As the Canaan kids and fellow missionaries made it back to Canaan in Montrouis, it felt amazing to be alive and exploring this beautiful country.

Thanks for hiking with me!