Mostly a picture show, and barely a hike. Start on page 3 of the picture link above to see all the hike pictures.
I've been liking the Work in a Hike During a Cruise, but the Bahamas don't present much of an opportunity. Until I noticed a sign at CocoCay (properly known as Little Stirrup Cay) labeled Nature Trail. CocoCay is Royal Caribbean's private island, only about a mile long, and I've been there a number of times, but I've never done this. My wife was fine with me running away, so off I went, not knowing what to expect.
Thanks to one dude, I finally noticed this guy hanging out.
After maybe a quarter mile of following signs, I came to the, ahem, trailhead.
I was pleased to see it was an actual trail after following dirt roads before the, ahem, trailhead.
I was quite happy, as there were interesting things to see, like neat looking trees.
Occasionally, I'd wander off trail, finally answering the question of whether employees lived here (yes, I found their quarters), and finding little surprised like this termite mound.
There were several beaches I didn't realize existed, including this far flung one, which had a bar. Probably not the greatest job on the island given how (relatively) few people come out this far.
The trail got rockier, reminding me of New Hampshire.
More side paths, more abandoned beaches. Cool to know you can have a beach completely to yourself on a small island where at least 2000 people are hanging out. The trail actually started closing in a bit, and I came to this.
End of trail?? Wait a minute, I haven't reached the end of the island, which must be close. I don't think so. There was a herd path going ahead, so I kept going and shortly came to the end.
Yay, I traversed a whole island, ha ha. It was a beautiful day, as the humidity wasn't too bad, and the trail was shaded by trees by and large. I followed the road for a bit, and shortly came across this.
Perhaps the neatest spot on the island. I spotted a platform, and got an interesting view over much of the island.
It was too hot on the road, so back to the trail, where I was now hurrying, underestimating the length of the trail. I didn't want to wife to worry or feel abandoned, so I boogied on back. Like a few other times, she wasn't worried at all, and said I had no reason to hurry. Ah well. At least I got a cold (tasty!) beer that much quicker.