Rise before dawn with the First Reformed Church (Sully) IMPACT team for a challenging sunrise hike and a surprising discovery about ‘charcoal hands.’ Dive into the unique culture of Marsh Harbour, from local markets to a mysterious 300-foot-deep natural freshwater pool hidden in the Abaco forest, and finish the day with fresh seafood by the beach. Read the full story of this unforgettable day, told by Jager!
I’ve never been a huge morning person, and with that comes the struggle to get out of bed. My wife Leah can tell you all about that no doubt! But it was easy to rise early this morning with the plans we had and where we would get to spend them. At 5:30 AM, me, Leah and a few members of the Impact team loaded in the van and headed down the rugged path. We stopped before we hit the paved road to unload and head up a small mountain before the sun came up. The hike was steep and challenging but we all made it to the top. There was confusion in the early light why everyone’s hands were black, but we realized it was charcoal from trees that were burned in the fires. The sunrise was just as beautiful as everyone had hoped, slowly peeking over the ocean line.
We safely traveled down the mountain and back to camp to clean up for breakfast. Breakfast was splendid as always, with french toast, scrambled eggs, and sausage up for grabs. We are very blessed to have the ladies in the kitchen that we do here at Camp Abaco. After food and socializing, we headed to the dorms to prepare for the day ahead.
We loaded the vans at 9 AM and drove into Marsh Harbour. Our first stop was at a small farmers market where a few locals were selling their produce. We had an array of options, with things like jelly, donuts, loaves of bread, homemade jewelry, and bagged lettuce. It was awesome to be able to experience farm to table in the Bahamian culture. We continued through town exploring and checking out the local area.
Our next stop was a gift shop with many options for souvenirs and clothing, as well as some practical everyday items. We all explored the shop for a while and then hit the road to a unique destination.
Almost 30 minutes south of Camp Abaco and Marsh Harbour, we found ourselves traveling through the tall, skinny trees of a forest on a very narrow path. The vegetation in Abaco flourishes, easily and quickly growing over pathways. The path continued for what seemed like forever as branches and brush were scraping up against the sides of the vans. We came to a halt and began unloading our towels and floaties. Kyle informed us this was a one-of-a-kind swimming pool, naturally created by our creative God.
The team formed a single file line to head down the small path, surrounded by thick vegetation and poison wood, a plant that is unfortunately common. We quickly came upon a beautiful hole in the earth, filled with shimmering blue freshwater. About the size of a small pond, the natural water source has a known depth of more than 300 feet deep.
The team took pleasure in relaxing in the refreshing water and jumping in from the sides for a good chunk of the morning. After everyone had their fun, we dried off and packed up to head to lunch.
Pete’s Pub (a local restaurant) was our destination for our lunch, offering a well placed, beach-side location with plenty of options on the menu. The team enjoyed tuna, conch, shrimp, and a few other fresh seafood options. We continued our exploration around the Pub’s bay with sightings of sheepshead, crabs, and a barracuda.
After everyone finished their fantastic lunches, we hit the road to continue to our next excursion. The next destination was a location that goes by the name, “Long Dock”. Located in Cherokee, “Long Dock’s” water remains knee deep for a 1/4 mile or more!
Our team was able to soak in an awesome and memorable experience that included snorkeling, finding sea creatures and relaxing on the beach. Many different sizes of conch were found, an enormous hermit crab, enough sand dollars to make us rich, and an octopus! That was my highlight of the day, seeing such an extraordinary creature God created. We wrapped up and dried off once again, and headed down the road back to camp Abaco. We wrapped the day up with dinner and our nightly impact meeting, to recap and share our day.
– Jager Huyser
