Since we had missed the opportunity to climb Montagne Pelée on our previous trip to Martinique, I was most eager to get there this trip, despite all the schedule constraints. It was however the rain season, with two storm alerts issued during our stay, and the weather window was hard to assess. Which is why we made an attempt only the day before we left, despite warnings of heavy rains (sometimes, somewhere, on the island). Arriving at the bottom of the shortest trail rather early, with a cloud-free top.
However, mist, then clouds, quickly built up and changed the vista in a matter of minutes, sometime allowing glances to the Atlantic or Caribbean coasts, sometimes closing in entirely. To the point that we never saw the top of the volcano, the 1929 cone, or even the bottom of the caldeira from the rim!
The path itself was well-marked and easily manageable even in wet weather, if steep at times. We got particularly lucky to hit the refuge hut near the rim at the very start of an heavy shower, and to return to our starting point before the next one, while benefitting from the drop in temperature to more tolerable values. A few hikers that we met on the trail did not get so lucky!
