It's fair to say we're not exactly the religious types, so scaling over 5000 steps in order to reach a sacred rock wasn't high up (excuse the pun) on our agenda. That being said, Amelia and I like to challenge ourselves, especially if its free!
To reach 'Adam's Peak', a 2,243m mountain, tourists and pilgrims alike base themselves at 'Dalhousie'. From Kandy we travelled by bus (via Hatton) to reach the 'base camp'. I like to think I'm not easily disconcerted, but I must admit the last part of our bus journey was enough to give me sweaty palms! It was a single lane mountainous road, with only small tea trees to stop our crammed bus from veering off the edge. Even though the road was only wide enough for one way traffic, that didn't stop lorries and other vehicles from hurtling along in both directions. Almost every passenger on the bus inhaled with shock when we met a car on the apex of a blind bend! I was sure at that point we were going to see the car putting the 'barriers' to the test, but somehow the driver managed to squeeze past unscathed.
Accommodation in Dalhousie was easy enough to find, we checked in at 'Achinika Holiday Inn' for 2000 rupees (£10). The room was nothing special, but it needn't be as we wouldn't in it for long - the majority of people start the climb in the early hours to avoid the heat and to be at the summit for sunrise.
Adam's Peak is well known for the 'Sri Pada' aka 'sacred footprint' rock formation - one of the most celebrated places of pilgrimage in Sri Lanka. Four of the world's major regions have their own story behind the 'footprint': Buddhists with Buddha, Hindus with God Shiva, Christians with St Thomas and Muslims with Adam.
Other than the climb, there isn't a great deal to see or do in Dalhousie, so we spent the rest of our day enjoying the views from the hotel's balcony and 'fueling up' for our hike.
By 8pm we'd showered, prepared our bags and gotten into bed for some shuteye.

Until our alarms rudely awoke us at just before 2am we were sound asleep. For me, getting out of bed at that time was probably the most challenging part of the day! We both felt groggy, but once we were up and out with our teeth cleaned and backpacks on, we felt ready to tackle the task ahead. We set off with our torches shining brightly along a pitch black road. From the road we could actually see a long trail of lights appearing to lead the whole way up to the summit (it transpired that the illumination was coming mainly from an abundance of food and drinks stands!).
I'd read that during certain times of the year Adam's Peak can be unbearably busy. We were there a week after a major religious festival but it was surprisingly quiet. Two Dutch girls and a French man were the first 'foreigners' we met during the climb. The Dutch girls were friendly and even kind enough to share a climbing tip they'd received from an experienced pilgrim they were staying with.. Zigzagging was the their advice - so rather than just plodding straight up and continually using the same muscles, zigzagging uses a wider variety of muscles and therefore reduces 'the burn'! I must admit it worked a treat and Amelia was especially grateful, as her legs were feeling the strain of our initial straight up technique.
The ascent was slightly easier than I'd anticipated, but that didn't stop me from being absolutely gobsmacked by the elderly pilgrims climbing it with us. Some of them were at least seventy and plodding along with a walking stick! Most of them were understandably struggling, but the determination they had was truly inspiring. As well as the persevering elderly, we also passed by babies and young children being carried by their dedicated parents.
Amelia and I, aside from using the same zigzag technique, were deploying slightly different tactics. Amelia was using the 'slow and steady wins the race' whereas I was going in bursts and then stopping for Amelia to catch up.
Even with our different approaches, Amelia and I reached the 'peak' at a similar time. It'd taken us just over two hours, which is classed as an admirable time, even to those that regularly climb it. Feeling pleased with our accomplishment, we strolled around the summit and had a look at the indentation... sorry footprint.
Finding a good spot away from the crowds proved difficult, but Amelia did a good job in spying out a secluded little balcony with possibly the best view 'in the house'. Whilst waiting for sunrise, we tucked into some snacks we'd bought from Dalhousie and spoke to a friendly Canadian backpacker. To save on accommodation costs the Canadian and his friend had camped out overnight on the peak, a good idea I thought (Amelia didn't concur).
Sunrise was mesmerising, there was a slight morning mist in the valley but aside from the early fog it was a beautifully clear day. Once the sun had risen we walked around the other side to see the shadow of Adam's Peak being cast over the landscape below, again a sight to behold.
We started our descent at around 8am. It was tough on our aching legs, but with our newfound knowledge we were able to combat the pains and get down in just under an hour and a half.
For one of the first times in Sri Lanka we actually felt a pang of hunger for rice and curry! The portion size for breakfast (as usual) was more than adequate to fill our grumbling stomachs and perk us up for the stumble back to our hotel.

After we'd stretched our tightening muscles and packed our bags, we made the treacherous journey back towards Hatton..