The Via Ferrata
We got up at 1:45 am for a 2:00 am breakfast (first breakfast in Lord of the Rings fame). at 2:25 am our guide arrived to begin the summit for the sunrise. By 2:30 am we had arrived at the gate, but it was closed - the rain had hardly stopped all night! So we stopped in at another hut to wait - first an hour, then an hour and a half
Finally, at 4 am, the gate was still closed so we went back to our hut and crawled in bed - wondering whether we would even get to see anything else.
ALL OF A SUDDEN, at 5 am, the lights came on and the gate was open!! So we hustled our stuff back on and started to chat about what to do ... we were told that it was really too late to do both, summit AND the Via Ferrata, after some discussion we advocated for going UP the Via Ferrata (rather that what almost everyone else did - going down) and then hike straight up to the summit. That would cut off about 2 hours and we would have plenty of time!
The world's highest (Guiness Book of World Records) and Asia's first Via Ferrata!! Here we are negotiating a turn and wire bridge!! Laughing and lovin' life!!
Chad brought up the rope at the end and I was just in front. You can see the path we have taken here nicely!
Tom is just in front during this leg of the climb and you can see everyone else ahead. The bridge here was our longest and required quite and interesting negotiation at the end!!! The guide is right at the front already moving around (yes AROUND) the rock to climb higher. Just a little mist and fog, nothing we hadn't seen before, after all, we do this in Colorado in the rain, sleet, AND ICE!!!
Stoney and Jon were right behind the guide so you can see how steep some sections were! grinnin'
Our guide - he was totally awesome!!! He deserved a very nice tip, no doubt!
Finally, at 4 am, the gate was still closed so we went back to our hut and crawled in bed - wondering whether we would even get to see anything else.
ALL OF A SUDDEN, at 5 am, the lights came on and the gate was open!! So we hustled our stuff back on and started to chat about what to do ... we were told that it was really too late to do both, summit AND the Via Ferrata, after some discussion we advocated for going UP the Via Ferrata (rather that what almost everyone else did - going down) and then hike straight up to the summit. That would cut off about 2 hours and we would have plenty of time!
The world's highest (Guiness Book of World Records) and Asia's first Via Ferrata!! Here we are negotiating a turn and wire bridge!! Laughing and lovin' life!!
Chad brought up the rope at the end and I was just in front. You can see the path we have taken here nicely!
Tom is just in front during this leg of the climb and you can see everyone else ahead. The bridge here was our longest and required quite and interesting negotiation at the end!!! The guide is right at the front already moving around (yes AROUND) the rock to climb higher. Just a little mist and fog, nothing we hadn't seen before, after all, we do this in Colorado in the rain, sleet, AND ICE!!!
Stoney and Jon were right behind the guide so you can see how steep some sections were! grinnin'
Our guide - he was totally awesome!!! He deserved a very nice tip, no doubt!
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