Stairway to Heaven !!!

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So…Adam’s peak. The guide books describe it as a stunning climb up a pilgrims mountain (apparently it’s the place where Buddha first stepped on earth). We decided to give it a go…sounded like fun.

Oh boy ! Talk about hard work !! It turns out Adam’s peak is a 2,500 meter tall perfect 45 degree mountain peak. The nice people of Sri Lanka have built steps all the way up…but that basically means a stiff climb up over a vertical kilometer…stairway to hell more like !! Oh..and just to cap it, it turns out the best thing is to see sunrise - so that means a 3am start. Perfect.

Anyway…it was great fun (once complete) and the sunrise and views are simply stunning.. hopefully from the pictures you can see how cone perfect the peak is towering above the rest of the countryside. (check out the amazing spectacle of the shadow the casts by the peak at sunrise over the mists behind)

We arrived in Dalhouise and found a great room (Wathsala Inn), with an excellent view of the river, mountains and AP. However, after a stroll around the tea plantations the rain started! We went to bed not sure that we’d be climbing at 3am - but as we woke - it was a perfect moonlit night (oh joy !!). As we struck out, neither of us had much appreciation of what was ahead….it was a grueling hike up and up, steps and steps and steps and steps (get the picture). It took three hours (apparently on religious days it can take 7 hours - so many people are climbing), but even on our day we passed everyone from young babies being carried to 90 year old women singing happily as they slowly climbed…

The climb was great. Hard hard work but well worth the days of muscle cramp that were to follow…

Now…where’s that cup of tea !!

S&L
xx

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Photos

Something significant...
...but no idea what !

The view from our room
...the day before...Lord of the Rings or what ?

Comments

[Cathy]

a proper sunrise!
Well done guys. Can't believe that you went for another sunrise climb after the Blue Mountain blow out! Looks fantastic.

[Kate]

Oh my God, knackering eh?! Actually, we were so bloody fit from cycling, it wasn't that bad. I could never do it now. After we got down again and had breakfast, we got on our bikes and cycled another 60 miles. I can't even cycle up the road without the help of an oxygen mask. Definitely must start to do some exercise. Not so easy with bambino numero on the way!

[Jennifer]

Good on you
My daughter and myself had every intention of doing the climb in April 2006 but chickened out. We did however get spectacular photos from Nallanthanni. Your photos have given us some hope that one day we may do the climb!! Good on you for climbing to the top; also thank you for sharing your photos with those of us who were too terrified to do the climb.