Adam's Peak - 07 February

What would prompt an individual to climb Adam's Peak? I can't find the answer to that in my extremely sore legs. Divine inspiration - I don't think so - it's more like insanity. But this mountain has been climbed for at least 1,000 years and I really didn't want to be left out. Adam's Peak has been the object of worship and pilgrimage for Buddhists, Hindus, Christians, and Islamists for centuries. The summit is at 7,359 feet. Of course we didn't start at sea level, but rather at about 4,600 feet. There is a lighted staircase all the way to the top. We started the climb at 12:30am. It's recommended to climb at night to avoid the heat of the day and then be there to witness the dramatic sunrise. It took me 4 hours to climb but alas I got to the summit too early. Lynsey and I arrived at the top at about 4:30am and then shivered until the sun started to rise a little after 6:00am. The guys made it upper faster but their only reward was longer shiver-time. How happy I was that I brought along my new sweatshirt and windbreaker AND that I also carried along my fleece and shell. It was quite chaotic at the top as there were many pilgrims since it was a holiday weekend (Poya Day on Monday). The sunrise really was very nice - and intense - at that elevation. We then fought the crowd to get to the other side of the mountaintop to view the famous and dramatic Shadow of the Peak (shown in photo). The trip down, though faster, was harder than the trip up. Oh, my aching knees. When I got to the bottom I looked up to see the top - if I would have seen that in the daylight before my ascent I probably would have said forget it.