Guías de Viaje
Rise to Auyantepuy (Part 3/4)
Continuation to the narration o a rise to the Auyantepuy(part 3/4). To see the previous page, hacer clic aquí. To see the beginning, click here.
Day 3: From "El Peñon" to the summit of the Auyantepuy
After a good lunch, we left "El Peñon" and started the rise to cover the 500 meters that separated us from the summit.
The path yet to walk.
Ascending through rocks and mud
The ascent is very tough. At the beggining between rocks and mud. Some of the rocks are slippy, which makes the way tougher. The path of the roots comes up. In some parts you have to go in "four legs", following the rule of having always 3 points of support, between legs and arms. The rain made us companion the whole way. It was an intermittent rain, sometimes soft, sometimes strong. We finally arrived at a dry place, next to the wall of the tepui. In fact, the soft inclination of the wall protected the place from the rain, as the fine sand evidenced.
next to the wall of the tepui
We were cold, thanks to the height approximately 2200 meters. We had no choice but to do the warm-up exercises before and after lunch
Next to the wall
Seeking for the group heat
Being next to the wall of the tepui is a fail-less sign of proximity. There were just 200 meters from height more. The most difficult, but the most beautiful.
The first rope
The final stretch is one of the most exciting emotions that you can have. There is a mix of fatigue, fear og the difficulty of the way and satisfaction for being in one of the most especial places in the whole world. Short after having initiated the final stretch, we found one of the many ropes that were placed there to help the excursionist. It is the first test, relatively easy that helps you gain more trust.
The most difficult test
Short after, the most difficult test comes. You have to climb a very tall rock, by leaning upside and impulse with your arms, and if you have big legs, with them as well. A helmet protected our heads, because the place is very narrow. In a certain point you have to grab another tope and change position to finish this difficult stretch.
You arrive at some kind of canyon between the tepui and other huge rocks of about 100 meter height. The vegetation... Beautiful!; Ferns, bromeliads and flowers decorate the walls and places outside the way. The fog gives a mysterious touch to the place, making it almost magical.
The satisfaction of doing a so difficult ascent, plus the adrenaline that is produced by the risk of a fall, makes the ascent to not even be tiring.
The challenge continues
The next rope is the next daring step. Our guide tied himself to the top of a rock in order to support us with a harness that protected us in case of a fall. Now the arms are the ones which impulse us up and the feet the ones which helps us as support.
When you turn back, the view is beautiful: the light, the vegetation, the vertical walls of the tepui, the effort of the next to go up and from the pemons who help him. That single vision makes all the sacrifices that were done worth it.
The way keeps and four more ropes, all simple compared to the previous
The top
Finally, the top. The thrill of having arrived and the congratulations of the ones who have preceded you. The pemons (always so fast, even with the burden!) waited us with a hot chocolate that tasted as glory.
In this part, the tepui had no natural "hotels", as it is in the case of Roraima, to locate the tents. As our group was numerous, the tents had to be put in two separate areas.
The moisture was big. In our case, the rain followed us the whole time. (Wet, tropical forest), giving us little rests which we used to take photos, walk the sourroundings and admire the vegetation.
We invite you to follow our excursion. We are already on the top. On the next page we will narrate you our stay on the top of the Auyantepui and the descent. Click here to continue..
Fin Espacio Publicitario
