Winding Up

For over a year I had been discussing climbing Sri Pada (Adam’s Peak) with several friends. This is the highest point on the island and a religious shrine, especially for Buddhists but for others as well (there is a footprint of the Buddha on top, one of the three places he set foot in Sri Lanka). Climbing it is an act of earning grace, especially during the lunar month of March–April. Its summit is over 7,000 feet, but the climb (rather the walk) up begins at about 3,500 feet. Traditionally one tries to climb after midnight so as to