Year and Month | December, 2013 |
Number of Days | Two Day Trip |
Crew | 4 – KasunDes, Sri, Me and my better half |
Accommodation | Andiyamalatenna ambalama |
Transport | Public transport |
Activities | Hiking, Pilgrimage, Photography |
Weather | Perfect weather but low temperatures |
Route | Chilaw -> Colombo -> Kottawa -> Rathnapura ->Sripagama ->Sri Palabaddala -> Rathnapura trail -> Galwangediya -> Summit of Adam’s peak -> Nallathanni -> Maskeliya -> Hatton -> Yatiyanthota -> Avissawella -> Maharagama -> Colombo -> Monaragala |
Tips, Notes and Special remark |
**SPECIAL THANKS TO** Everyone who helped me out in species identification |
Related Resources |
|
Author | Ashan |
Comments | Discuss this trip report, provide feedback or make suggestions at Lakdasun Forum on the thread |
It’s very unusual of me to visit the peak wilderness twice within one year but 2013 was a special one. Suddenly out of nowhere the idea popped out and I called my better half and agreed her to join me this time and as usual few lakdasun members answered my calls. I was so happy because Kasun and Sri were joining us, so we won’t feel lonely with their company. I have been through both Rathnapura and Hatton trails but I have not ascended from Rathnapura and after almost 5 years the trail was said to be totally different than the one I knew previously.
Though I was not feeling well I was determined to go ahead and the lovely weather conditions were a blessing for us! After getting to Rathnapura we got in to a Sripagama bus which took hours to get us towards our starting point. After getting to Palabaddala we started our journey after worshiping the ancient temple. The climb was through the village and there was a road which would let you to skip 500 steps. We knew that we had plenty of steps to tackle so we were not worried at all. The occasional stops at small stalls were limited after few halts because the prices were sky rocketing with each and every step we took.
Frequent breaks were taken and we did it in our own pace by giving our muscles to rest a bit. First major milestone was Lihini hela with its modified ambalama. Guys were screaming to Lihini akka while Sri decided to answer them back as Lihini akka the whole trail was like walking through a monastery. After lihini hela we came across few jungle foot path which we used to bypass a considerable number of steps.
After tackling two more peaks we reached the birth place of mighty Kalu ganga where we didn’t forget to taste some fresh spring water. Further we walked counting and celebrating each thousand steps we completed before reaching Geththampana. From Geththampana onwards the whole stretch up to Galwangediya was done recently and the military has done a very good job. It’s simply like walking along a flower garden; the concrete steps were perfectly merged with the forest. We were also relieved that the steepest ascent ended. Next was the best view point of the trail that is Dharmarajagala. The rock plaque of Dharmarajagala produced some stunning scenery. It was getting bit misty but the mist didn’t hang around. After passing Seethagangula of Palabaddala trail we reached Heramitipana where we filled our stomachs with some hot “elawalu roti” and descended to Galwangediya. While passing Galwangediya we decided that it’s better to stay the night at Adiyamalatenna ambalama since staying at uda maluwa would freeze us.
Lucky us there was a stall near Adiyamalatenna ambalama where we could order rice and curry as dinner and that was like a bonus to our tired souls. The ambalama was perfectly renovated and we were amazed by seen the condition of these. The night was indeed a long one because despite been equipped with all the clothing, sheets etc it was too cold (roughly below 10c). Though three of us had some sleep Sri couldn’t get sufficient amount of sleep and he was wondering around jabbering about some fantasy’s he had (probably we guessed that his neurons got freezed or something). At around 3.30am we got ready and started tackling the Maha giridambe and reached Uda maluwa at around 5am. Uda maluwa was packed and we somehow found some room on a step. Police guys were chasing away local and foreign visitors who were obscuring the view somehow we were lucky enough to witness a superb sun rise.
|
The descent was always the difficult part specially been steps that’s going to cause few problems. Though the pilgrim season had started only few weeks ago there were plenty of travelers. We also managed to enjoy some stunning scenery while descending to Nallathanni. The Nishshanka lena which was found after Seethagangula was something new to us. The monk at the cave said that this was a cave where King Nishshankamalla rested while climbing up towards Adams peak. Finally we reached the end of the never ending descent and gulped some cold water before getting in to a Hatton bus to get back to our destinations. From Hatton to Colombo it’s very difficult to get a bus or train during the pilgrim season and the ques were so long. We opted to break our journey by taking a bus towards Avissawella and another one from there which was the right decision at that time. This was another superb and special journey to me and I’m happy that few friends did join with me on it.