Reef Bay Trail

Two friends and I went on an awesome hike on Saturday! First off, we took the car ferry to St. John which was fun in itself. 

The start of the trail is about 5 miles inland from the ferry dock and starts up in the mountains.

The ruins of Miss Marsh's house is one of the first places we pasted. Back in the day you had to get permission from Miss Marsh to continue down the trail. Well, until 1938, when she was murdered for her wedding ring!

In the lower section of the Reef Bay Valley, there is a fresh waterfall that is surrounded by large, smooth rocks with dozens of drawings and symbols that have been carved in to them. These rock carvings and water pools are known as the petroglyphs. The petroglyphs were created by the pre-Columbian inhabitants of St. John known as the Taino indians. Before the arrival of Christopher Columbus in 1492, and the subsequent annihilation of the native population, the Tainos inhabited the islands surrounding the Caribbean Sea. Supposedly, the carving are next to water so the reflections were sent up to the heavens.

Almost at the end of the trail is the Reef Bay Plantation where they made sugar and rum.

In 1908, on the last day the mill was open, a fifteen year old worker boy died here by being crushed in the gear assembly next to the rollers.

Mmmmm....honey...

Behind the horsemill, about twenty yards inland from the beach, is the well preserved above ground grave of W.H. Marsh. His two daughters are buried nearby. The Marsh family own the mill and much of Reef Bay.

The end of the trail...

We then hiked back up the 2.5 mile trail, not a bad sight at the other end of the trail either...