Adam's Peak (Sri Pada)


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December 25th 2013
Published: December 26th 2013
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Hike from Dalhousie to Adam's Peak


On Christmas Eve we undertook the 5 hour journey from Haputale to Hatton and then on to Dalhousie (also referred to as Del House by the Sri Lankans) to hike a sacred mountain. We arrived at 6:00 PM, just in time to take a look at the mountain we were going to climb, have dinner and get right to bed, setting our alarm for 2:00 AM.

It is called either Adam's Peak and thought to be the first place Adam touched earth after being cast out of heaven, or Sri Pada, where the Buddha left a footprint on his way to paradise. Pilgrims have been climbing it for over 1000 years. Many people climb the mountain at night so they can be there at dawn to witness the sunrise. The town of Dalhousie is at an altitude of 1200 meters and Adam's Peak is at 2243 meters. The path to the peak is lit all the way and around 5200 steps take you straight up to the shrine at the top.

We woke up a little late and left our guesthouse around 2:45AM on Christmas morning. Looking toward the mountain, we could see the path we would be taking as it wrapped around the mountain all the way to the top. We walked toward the mountain following the flags that indicated the way. Pretty soon we heard monks chanting and saw little tea stalls along the path leading to the first steps. They were made up of just three or four chairs clustered around a table and a counter where a man or woman was boiling water. Other climbers joined us, either with knapsacks and jackets or barefoot in saris. We passed shrines to the Buddha and Ganesh where people had lit little cups of coconut oil and prayed before ascending, and stupas (dagobas in Sri Lanka), either still dark or lit up with bright lights. We walked a kilometer or two, taking in the lights and the smells of incense and wood smoke around us. People laughed and chattered in Sinhala or English as they prepared for the climb ahead. I was a little nervous, not sure if I would finish, and could sense others' nervousness. But more than anything there was a feeling of excitement and of worship in the air. It is impossible to be there and not feel the power of Sri Pada. It is a very special place.

When we finally reached the trail head, under a beautiful arch, monks tied protection strings around our wrists and chanted a little prayer. With the confidence they gave us, we began to climb the wide steps. It didn't take long for the chit chat and laughter around us to subside, especially as the steps began to get steeper. The climb is pretty intense, it is only 3 1/2 kms total distance but the whole way is made up of steps; we were completely soaked in sweat after 15 minutes.

All around us we saw families climbing together, including little children and mothers with babies in their arms. Many of the climbers were barefoot or in flip flops, which are ubiquitous in this country and worn with either casual or formal wear. About 1/2 hour into the climb we began to notice groups of people who had stopped to rest on the edges of the steps, pulling out something to eat or a thermos of tea. Locals will sometimes climb for an entire day to get to the top and then camp all night long before climbing down the next day.

It was eerie and beautiful climbing at night, lights illuminating the steps in front of us but the forest falling away to darkness on either side. People smiled and said hello or wished us a cheery Merry Christmas as we passed. Though Christmas isn't celebrated here, Sri Lankans know that it a religious holiday for foreigners and are very respectful of other beliefs.

As we stopped to drink some water Matt and I wondered at the people around us. Families climbed only as quickly as their slowest member, sometimes with two young people on either side of a grandmother, each holding on to the edge of a sari that cradled the elder's back, helping her to climb. Children of 4 or 5 climbed unsteadily, happily, using their hands and feet while their parents encouraged them. Young monks in bright orange and burgundy robes smiled as they passed; teenagers joked and raced each other to the top.

We put our heads down and kept climbing. An hour and a half in the crowd became denser as the width of the trail narrowed and the steps became even steeper. It felt like we were going straight up now and looking down at the trail lit up below us and the crowd of people moving as one made me dizzy. I started to feel like we were breathing in unison with everyone else. Stopping to rest for a moment, I squeezed over to the edge of the steps and an elderly man, barefoot and dressed in a sarong and short sleeved shirt, stopped to smile at me. "Difficult is it?"

I smiled back and said "Yes." He patted my arm and said "Almost there."

We continued to climb. Closer to the top the steps became yet even steeper and railings appeared on either side. People now used arms to pull themselves up and we did too. It would have been impossible otherwise, our legs were vibrating. The climb slowed as the path narrowed even further and we all snaked up the mountain in single file. Elderly people moved more slowly, while family and strangers quietly made supportive comments. Everyone waited patiently behind them. I briefly wondered if I would have to give up as my thighs were screaming, but then thought about the thousands of people that had climbed these steps before me, and how they had felt the same, and how they had continued. Matt and I were completely out of breath and could hardly believe it when pilgrims begin to chant all around us, encouraging themselves and others to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

We climbed.

Closer to the top we heard many voices and looked up to see the first faint glow of a pre-dawn sky and then, all of a sudden, after one final surge, we were there. Hundreds of people were crowded into the shrine on top of the peak, huddled in corners trying to keep warm, lining the curved edges of the dagoba wrapped under blankets, all waiting for the sun to rise. There was a sudden jam as people stopped to remove their shoes. We bent over as best we could in the mass of flesh and took off our hiking boots, holding on to one another so as not to get separated. After that we allowed ourselves to be carried through, over the final steps and onto the open platform at the very pinnacle of the peak with everyone else. We shivered as we were drenched in sweat and cold winds blew from every direction. People held their hands out to fires and lit incense and coconut oil and prayed. Everyone waited for dawn.

As the sky turned pink the drumming and chanting began. We stood shoulder to shoulder, some people praying, as the mountains below us appeared. The clouds parted and the mist danced and rolled. It was 6:16 AM on Christmas morning and the sun was rising. Matt and I didn't speak, we just watched the show in awe. It was an amazing experience: enjoying the view we'd worked so hard for, standing next to people that had struggled alongside us, everyone just so grateful for the beauty all around us.

After what seemed like an hour, we stepped down from the shrine, put our boots on, and started our slow descent. People were louder now, less connected. The feeling of anticipation that had united us was gone. Our knees groaned, but the climb down only took 1 1/2 hours.

After breakfast and a shower we left to catch a train for Colombo. The rest of the day was rather pedestrian, the train and yet another hotel room. But the magic of the morning stayed with us the whole day.

It was a happy Christmas.


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26th December 2013

Christmas on Adams
What a wonderful experience - thanks for sharing.
29th December 2013

Thanks so much
I thought that you guys were crazy when you talked about doing this but I can see that I was wrong for maybe the second time in my life. Thanks so much for your commentary and beautiful pictures. It's not quite like being there but as close as I'll get to being there. I anxiously await your next installments. Love to you both and take care of yourselves. Your Most Beautiful Aunt

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