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When planning our trip to Sri Lanka I'd read lots of reviews on hiking Adams Peak for sunrise and what an incredible experience it can be. I say can be as the chance of the weather being unfavourable is actually quite high - many people reporting that they could barley see in front of them due to cloud cover let alone endless views from the peak.
I had penciled it in to our itinerary as a must and thus I was willing to do anything to make it happen. In order to make it for Sunrise CJ and I had to leave our place in Mirissa at approximately 10pm and settled in for the 4-5 hour car ride (special mention to our Hosts for driving us!) to the base. I still remember vividly looking out our drivers window whilst falling in and out of sleep at around 2am in the morning and seeing this amazing sight in the distance. I wasn't sure if I was more excited that we were finally there or nervous about the fact we had to ascend it in a race against the light (in which we ended up doing with quite some time up our hands).
Adams Peak has huge significance in Sri Lanka, with the mountain being referred to by a number of names across a variety of religions. For example Buddhists believe that the foot shaped mark at the top was that off the Buddha, where as Christians believe that it is the foot print of Adam when first setting foot on Earth after being cast out of paradise.
Regardless, it was an unforgettable experience and one I would encourage for all who plan on traveling to Sri Lanka! I wont lie when I say it was tough - something like 5500 steps (big steps, not your average household ones!) and extremely cold at the top. So if you're planning this hike ensure you have warm gear, something we overlooked coming from the coast.
As you can see from the stars in this shot we were lucky in that mother nature was playing nice... stay tuned for a few from the top for sunrise and hopefully it'll help explain why this cant be missed!
Cheers
D
Signs at the Delps Trail–Appalachian Trail junction at the summit of Blue Mountain, Northampton County.
The 0.8-mile, blue-blazed Delps Trail (named for the village of Delps, where the trail begins) ascends the south slope of Blue Mountain before joining the white-blazed Appalachian Trail at the summit. The ascent is steep and rocky.