Sri Lanka: Adam's Peak

Adam's Peak

After completing our house-building work in Sri Lanka, we still had some energy left over. So, Lisa and I decided to go climb a mountain. Actually, Lisa (who is a marathon runner) had her heart set on climbing the mountain. Not to be outdone, I had to join her. :o) The mountain, called Adam's Peak, is the second highest peak in Sri Lanka. It is 2243 meters (7359 feet) high and includes what is probably the highest outdoor stairway in the world - 5200 steps. (Mary, you would have been in your element!)

This is no ordinary mountain. At least four major religions claim it as their sacred space:

--Muslims believe it is the place where Adam first set foot on earth after being cast out of heaven;
--Buddhists believe it contains the sacred footprint left by Buddha as he headed towards paradise;
--Christians believe it contains the footprint of the apostle St. Thomas;
--Hindus believe it contains the footprint of the Lord Shiva.

And for those who don't like any of those interpretations, it's also called Butterfly Mountain - the place where butterflies go to die.

Most people do the climb at night, because of the daytime heat, and because of the spectacular sunrise that can be viewed at the top of the mountain. We set off at 2:00 AM and did most of the climb in the darkness, although part of the route is illuminated. I made it to the top just in the nick of time to catch the sunrise - around 6:00 AM. The last hour of the climb seemed never-ending. My legs were numb. I had to drag myself up the last 1000 steps!

Me lighting incense on the way to the top

Pilgrims await the sunrise moment

At the moment that the sun starts to peek over the horizon, everyone starts to do this eerie, spontaneous chanting. I couldn't tell what they were chanting. But it had this really odd effect of making it seem like it was the chanting that was keeping the sun afloat!

Sunrise from Adam's Peak. Definitely worth the climb!

At the top, orange-clad monks performed Buddhist rituals. Then, as quickly as they came, the crowd began the stampede back down the mountain. I was amazed at the people who had made the climb. There were many elderly men and women, most of them walking barefoot. Young children, some of them carried by their frail fathers. And they all seemed to be doing it with such ease, compared to my laboring! I've heard that some pilgrims make this climb every year.

The first rays of light illuminate the crowd

The crowd heads back down the mountain

Yes, the sunrise was magnificent. But - I now know what hell feels like. It must be this: Spend four hours climbing up 5200 steps. Turn around, and climb them back down again. I would have thought the climb down would be easier. Not so. It did take a little less time (3.5 hours instead of 4) but my legs shook and wobbled all the way down. I descended like an old lady - one foot on the stair, second foot on the same stair. Rest. One foot on next stair, second foot on same stair. Rest. We were virtually the only tourists in the crowd; everyone else seemed like locals. And just as in India, the Sri Lankans loved to stop and chat with foreigners. All along the route, I heard the same question: "Hello! Which country you are from?" For the first couple hours, I enjoyed the friendliness and answered anyone who asked.

But by the end of the climb, I was so hurting that all the attempts at conversation quickly became an annoyance. Here I was, barely able to place one foot in front of the other, and they expect me to chit chat?! I'm sure I seemed rude - but eventually, I stopped answering altogether and just focused my energy on making my way down the stairs without tripping and falling. At the base - pure exhilaration. I have never been so happy to see our driver! So would I do it again? When we met back at the bottom of the mountain, Lisa swore she would never do this again. I agreed. But now, with my legs recovered and visions of that spectacular sunrise still in my head - I wouldn't rule it out! (How about you, Lisa?)

Comments

[shannon]

My Friend, Lari, is coming back to Sri Lanka on July 12th. I have been forwarding your blogs to her and she really enjoys them. How long are you going to be in Sri Lanka?

[sister M]

wow-the original Stair-Master! And you're accumulating some major good karma points, (whether or not you like it!)

[DonnaK]

why does this story sound familiar? Did you do something like this in India? The photo of you lighting the candle is incredible. Next time you're in Paris, go to the Louvre and see Georges DE LA Tour's Joseph the Carpenter. ( You might be able to find it on the internet) Also many of Rambrandt's works deal with extreme contrasts in light and shadow. What a treat! What a treat. St. Thomas got around. Left footprints from Sri Lanka to Chennai.

[M. Ashraf]

I have just done the climb and it is exactly as you say. Going up is not the problem but it does seem never ending. Coming down is another story! It is one of the most excruiatingly painful things I have done. Three days later and my legs have still not fully recovered. However, I am really glad that I did the climb. The views at sunrise are beautiful and uplifting and being part of a tide of humanity (including the old, very young, the affirmed and the disabled) of tens of hundreds of people, making the same difficult journey up the mountain and down again, was truly amazing. It is a humbling and unforgetable experience in all respects.

[Basia]

M. Ashraf: I agree - I'm really I happy I had this experience also.

[trish Alexander]

I have just read the experience of climbing the peak and it so matched my own experience 11 years ago i am reliving all the pain that I felt in my legs trying to walk down again after 2 hours of lying exhausted at the top. No sunset thepeak was shrouded in cloud

However I have just walked the overland track in Tasmania with my 2 sisters, all 68 km, 11 years later and wow we did it. I,m well over 60 now. So Cradle mountain in Tasmania and Adam's Peak Sri lanka have become for amazing markers on this wonderful journey.

[Basia]

Hi Trish, a Tasmania trek sounds wonderful! I used to live in New Zealand, and not visiting Tasmania while I was so close has always been a regret of mine. Congratulations on doing the trek and the mountain...

[Howard]

Terrific photos and account. You may be interested in a recent, well-reviewed novel in which Adam's Peak (the title of the book actually) features both literally and symbolically. Informative author website below.