We set off and, after 20 meters, we are scrambling up a scree slope that makes the previous steps seem like the stairway to heaven. At the top of the scree slope is a vertical 10 foot climb. Charles, despite the climb being twice his height and wearing essentially all terrain flip flops, makes the climb quite easily. I follow him up, but now start to have doubts about the wisdom of trying to get this photo. Next as we walk across more scree slopes, Fatima tells us the story of the American tourist who fell on this route recently and lay in the sun for 2 weeks before they found his body. The body was only located due to the vultures and eagles circling above. Fatima’s insistence that he died as a result of not having his medication with him as opposed to the fall, is of little comfort to us. We push on through undergrowth, scree slopes and open flat land. On the flat land, Fatima advises us that many snakes are in this area and to look where we are treading. I don’t have a problem with this as I am wearing military issue desert boots. Charles on the other hand has already started collecting cactus in his feet looks wary upon hearing about the snakes. Before long, we reach another vertical climb. Bigger this time at 12-15 feet, we go up. I am hoping they don’t keep getting bigger. After 40 minutes following Fatima we arrive at the ledge above the Treasury. It is now hotter and the ledge is about 6 feet wide. I stand up with the camera and take one shot as dizziness and blurred vision hit. I sit down in a hurry but Charles doesn’t notice as he is pulling cactus thorns out of his feet. I try to stand up again but what I believe is vertigo starts to come on again. Charles realises there is something wrong as I sit back down. He offers to take some pictures and I hand him the camera. It is weird, that I have never suffered from this before and this is not a good time to start.
Pictures taken, Fatima explains that we need to take a different route down that doesn’t involve any vertical descents. This we assume is good news.; we assumed wrong. We start moving along the cliff face parallel to the ledge. At first the path is wide and I assumed this would be the same for the rest of the journey back to the visitors centre.
The path begins to narrow and then disappears. It is at this point I realise that Fatima’s route requires us to cross a 8 inch ledge with a drop onto a scree slope of about 8 foot. Below was a 1000 foot drop into the gorge. We clear the first ledge with ease and relief. The path widens again, but I suspect not for long. After another 10 minutes, we reach a narrower ledge, which Fatima walks across with ease. She has clearly done this many times before. This one has no scree slope below, it is a straight drop into the gorge. I now realise that that we are in a place where we have no right to be without professional mountain climbing equipment. We get across this ledge but on the other side you have to climb further into the cliff face, before dropping down again onto the path. The adrenalin rush from these ledges and the rising temperature are causing me to sweat heavily. I am losing fluid at an unhealthy rate. We move on as the path reappears again, hoping it stays with us forever. It doesn’t. The next ledge is the narrowest yet. We need to climb up about 12 inches but we are helped by an incline in the cliff face which forces our body weight left. This is the hardest one yet; but by the the time we have cleared it I realise that we are at the apex of the path and we must now cut in away from the cliff face. We do, and it is a welcome relief to be away from the gorge edge. We climb up scree and through undergrowth for another 10 minutes and emerge into the open. A goat herder and Fatima are talking and we take shelter inside a rock overhang to keep out of the sun. To say we are tired is an understatement. I am also burnt on both arms.
Fatima points out a cave about a kilometer across a flat piece of grassland. She tell us to climb the steps to the right of the cave and that the path will take us back to the visitors centre. We set off, relieved that the ground is flat and that we are almost back at the entrance. We reach the cave and climb the steps. We get lost for about 45 minutes but eventually find our way back to the entrance. Back at the hotel, a cold shower goes a long way to reducing my body temperature and I sleep early. A normal day’s sight seeing turned into the most amazing adventure, albeit a risky one.
No comments:
Post a Comment