We only got 2 hours of sleep following the treehouse picnic so that we could make the 3-hour drive south to Adam's Peak (Sri Pada) and climb it before the mist rolled in. At the top of this 2,243 meter mountain, it is believed that Adam (ya know, the one that was going out with Eve) first stepped on the planet after being cast out of heaven. Or some say it is where Buddha last stepped before heading towards heaven. In any case, it is a special place and the footprint is supposedly inside a locked room at the top. We started around 8, after visiting the little base camp restaurant/store - last chance for any necessities. Within the first 20 minutes, I stopped about 30 times to take pictures. There are waterfalls around the mountain about as often as there are Starbucks in LA. Maybe more. Plus it’s rainy season, meaning powerful waters and a thriving rainforest. Kyle, Senaka, Gamini, Tharanga, and I essentially had the mountain to ourselves. We saw more monkeys than tourists (it’s actually been like that the whole time here – very few foreigners). From December to May, however, thousands of pilgrims crowd the narrow steps every day and have been for over 1,000 years. The majority of people walk the illuminated path at night to watch the sunrise from the summit. There are rest stops along the way and there is a great tradition of bathing in one of the rivers (with waterfalls sandwiching the placid section) to refresh for the rest of the hike. Senaka, Gamini, and Tharanga were all prepared and jumped in on the way up, busting out their toothbrushes and soap and then drying off and changing clothes. Kyle and I tweeked the tradition a bit and opted to go on the way down, closer to the van and dry clothes. I can’t help but think of turkey as I write about pilgrims. It’s making me hungry. A few minutes into the ascent, we were greeted by a monk who lives in a rock cave on the side of a waterfall. He says a prayer for every pilgrim that passes, culminated with the tying of a string on the right hand. I felt very Karate Kid. We were not alone on the hike. Initially, we had one dog that climbed the steps by our side (we named him Jerome). By the end, we had 5. And the few other climbers we saw had canine guides as well. They must make the trek a few times a day. After 3 hours of steps, we reached the top to find a locked gate. Out of nowhere, an old man appeared and opened it for us, then disappeared again. The small room with the “footprint” is locked during the off-season. The view was obscured by mist and wind was blowing us off balance, so after a few photos we walked back through the gate. On a clear day, however, you can see all the way to Colombo (65 km). For the second time, the man mysteriously appeared, and scared the hell out of me. He welcomed us into his modest summit home for warmth and tea. The descent was much quicker (though I’m feeling it in the calves now), and we got to the van and headed for Nuwara Eliya (Nu-rel-iya), the highest town in Sri Lanka. As we drove away from Adam’s Peak, I had a camera full of pictures, a bag full of wet clothes, and an ankle full of leeches.

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