Ian Lockwood

In the last month I’ve had the privilege of climbing Sri Pada (Adam’s Peak) twice. On the first trip two, days after Christmas, I went with my father and school friend Peter Florrrimell and his son-in law Keith. We approached the peak on the popular Hatton Path and then came down the longer Ratnapura Path. As is my usual pattern, we stayed overnight on the peak, camping out with pilgrims and then awaking early to catch the ethereal sunrise and mountain shadow. A highlight was the long walk through the different vegetation zones of the Peak Wilderness Area. Our legs were very sore by the end but we appreciated the beautiful forest that we passed through. I was especially pleased with the bird sightings and enjoyed great view of several endemic species, including the Yellow-Eared Bulbul (Pycnonotus penicillatus) that is included here.

Two weeks later I lead a group of OSC students up the Peak for a similar overnight experience. This was a significant trip since OSC has not done a Sri Pada trip in recent memory and it was nice to share this important place with my geography students. Oli Toore-Hancock, OSC’s secondary principal, came along as a female chaperone. Everyone put up fine with the 4,600+ steps, primitive sleeping conditions (like a “bus stand” as I had promised), basic food and it ended up being a very successful trip. We returned on the easier Hatton Path after short cutting over from the Ratnapura route.