Words can't describe the incredible beauty of the island of Dominica. This is a place where the mind can relax and your eyes can wonder. The overwhelming cover of green and the spectacular view from atop the winding roads seemed so unreal I almost had to pinch myself to assure that I wasn't dreaming. Even after exploring the jungle I still felt as though I was watching a documentary on the discovery channel. The drive to our hotel was awe inspiring painting permanent pictures within my mind. Upon arriving to our temporary home I couldn't believe the view form our balcony. It overlooks a carpet or lush rainforest where it meets the Caribbean. That evening we had the chance to watch the fiery red sun meet the cool blue sea, creating a kaleidoscope of color in the shy. When darkness finally set in the stars came out to illuminate the night. Peepers filled the warm air as we walked around the area. By eleven we were all pretty tired, having almost no sleep the night before, we decided to call it a night.

If there is a heaven on earth then it lies right here
This place where plants rule supreme and rain flows like tears
In Dominica mountains climb from the ground and disappear into clouds
Here trees grow to reach the stars and stand in infinite crowds
Before the days end the sky is filled with effervescent light
The sun goes down the stars come out to reveal the night

The hike up to Boeri Lake was absolutely amazing. On our way up the first stretch of the trail we saw a hot spring that trickled out the side of a mountain. We also noticed a gradual change in geology that affected the vegetation of a stream that ran parallel with the trail. As we began to hike the stream bottom had an orangish substrate and little to no algae growing in that part of the stream. Chris Kocher, a representative of Wildlands Conservancy, attributed this to the amount of iron present at this point of the stream. As we continued to walk, the stream began to change over from having a bare underlying substrate to one that was covered in a green splendor of algae.

The trail consisted of steep uphills and a soggy, slippery surface that forced me to be very aware of each step that I took. When we reached the top of the first peak I was in awe of the picteresque scenery. The view was monopolized by a series of giant green mountains and valleys that held centuries of wildlife secrets within it's grasp. After finally reaching the lake I decided that the best way to fully appreciate its beauty was to jump in and become part of Boeri's majesty. As I treaded water, I rotated around in a complete circle and admired the mountains which stood guard over the lake. Here we used a prob, donated by wildlands Conservancy, to measure certain factors within the lake, such as: pH, dissolved oxygen, redox, TDS, and temperature. We collected all the necessary data and headed back to our workstation, where Mr. Leonhardt and Chris Kocher completed graphs that we later analyzed, questioned, and hypothesized.