Author Archives: John Boyd

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About John Boyd

I have been hiking the hills and beaches of St. Croix, Virgin Islands for over 35 years and in retirement, decided to become a Heritage Hiking Guide specializing in the local history, geology, plant life and environmental changes that accompanied all groups of settlers over the last 3000 years. Unfortunately, aging of my body has temporarily limited my aggressive physical activity and I am using my intrinsic curiosity to explore the very obscure history of St. Croix prior to World War I. The oldest recorded History was dominated by the actions of Absolute European Monarchs who claimed ownership of the Island. Of course, all their actions were reported upon by official scribes who were controlled by censorship. Regardless of the outcome, reports were always positive until the king was dead and a new monarch crowned.

Cross Country with a Compass

Posted on November 4, 2011 by John Boyd

Most people with a military background are familiar with the basic use of a compass although it is rapidly being replaced by GPS and Google Earth. Also, the Garmin application for a cell phone does a credible job of tracking … Continue reading →

Posted in Boyd's Botanica, Judith (Soldier) Hill, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Nature Concervancy – Estate Little Princess Greathouse, St. Croix

Posted on August 16, 2011 by John Boyd

The plantation system of the Virgin Islands is very well documented with the Danes having kept incredibly detailed records of their period of colonial rule of the Islands. Scholars have been studying these records and The St. Croix Landmark Society … Continue reading →

Posted in 2012 Season, Little Princess, Uncategorized, Whim | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Hiking with Children – A Million Dollar View!

Posted on July 31, 2011 by John Boyd

My grandchildren are capable of some pretty incredible hikes with prior planning and their effort at Goat Hill was spectacular, but that is another story. On Sunday July 17, I decided to see what kind of shape they were in … Continue reading →

Posted in Christiansted, Hiking with Children, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Hiking with Children – Ham’s Bluff

Posted on July 25, 2011 by John Boyd

Our trip to Frederiksted began with a stop at the Playground in town across from the Fort. My granddaughters love all of the equipment and search for the best in each park. In this case the incredible swings won. Both … Continue reading →

Posted in Hams Bluff, Hiking with Children, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

St. Croix, a 15 mile walk from Fort to Fort.

Posted on July 20, 2011 by John Boyd

I had a great day on July 3, doing the Fort Christiansted to Fort Frederiksted, 15 mile, walk in about four hours and forty minutes or a pace of 3.2 miles per hour which was good enough to put me … Continue reading →

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The Difference Between Hiking, Walking and a Guided Tours.

Posted on May 29, 2011 by John Boyd

Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in a natural environments usually along know trails. For humans, walking is distinguished from running in that one foot is always touching the ground. Running begins when both feet are off … Continue reading →

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Hike to Hams Buff & Maroonberg

Posted on April 29, 2011 by John Boyd

  The short walk up the hill from the National Guard Training Center at Hams Bluff should be a major attraction for visitors and a mandatory coming of age for every student in our local schools. The area is rich … Continue reading →

Posted in Hams Bluff, Lighthouse, Maroon Ridge, Maroonberg, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Point Udall @ Et Stykke Land, St. Croix

Posted on April 19, 2011 by John Boyd

100 Million Years of History  Et Styke Land is the name of the estate at the Eastern most end of St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands and it’s history was pretty much written in stone 100 million years ago … Continue reading →

Posted in 2012 Season, Cotten Garden, Cramer's Park, Et. Stykke Land, Issacs Bay, Jacks Bay, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

The Wills Bay Baths and The Sugar Factory!

Posted on April 13, 2011 by John Boyd

In my last post about the walk from Carambola to Wills Bay, I promise to comment on a trip to the Wills Bay Baths if I ever did the hike again. Well my friend Mitch scheduled a large group from … Continue reading →

Posted in Annaly, Carambola Trail, Davis Bay, Prosperity, Sweet Bottom, Uncategorized, Wills Bay | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

In Search of a Water Fall – Hiking the Hams Bay Gut.

Posted on April 4, 2011 by John Boyd

I am definitely excited over hiking the Hams Bay gut on another occasion. This is not yet one of my primary destinations for a lot of reasons. On the negative side there were the ants. Millions of the little critters … Continue reading →

Posted in Caledonia, Hams Bay Gut, Nicholas, St. Croix Plants | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments