Lakegala mountain near Meemure.
We climbed this thing. Almost. The last 100 meters or so is a pure vertical incline and you have to rock-climb up a crevice, then pull yourself up via a rope that someone attaches. You are hanging by your fingers and toes of a cliff face and this is slightly insane. Our rope wasn’t quite long enough and when the guide asked what religion we were we decided to turn back. When he started chanting ‘Buddham saranam gachami’ I was pretty confident that this wasn’t a good idea.
Climbing Sexy Mountain.
That said, of all the rocks in Sri Lanka, this one has one. Lakegala is a hell of a mountain. I like to call it Ravanlingam. Rumor is that his Pushpaka Vimana aircraft is stashed somewhere in the hills and that Sita briefly sojourned in a cave nearby.
I’ve done some climbing before without too many complaints, but this mountain is something else. First off, just look at it. The incline is really really steep, and you have to walk for like 2-3 hours before you even sight the summit. Meemure is already one of the most isolated villages in Sri Lanka, and this mountain is not a tourist spot, at all. As you get further there is no path, you’re just zig-zagging up hill, on top of crumbly and unstable rock, the sun beating down.
Village dog on Lakegala.
What made it all the more maddening was that we would huff and puff to move like 30 meters up and the village dogs would casually saunter by. They climbed the whole mountain except for the vertical part faster and more efficiently than us. For them it must have been another Saturday. I gave the fellows half of my food but they honestly didn’t seem into it for the lucre. I think it was another place to pee.
Rock pool on the way up. We called it the Jacuzzi
Despite the pain and ultimate fail, this was still one of the most beautiful hikes I’ve ever been on. Meemure is a truly idyllic place, flowing rivers, bathing pools, crystal clear mountain water, verdant shade, impressive rock. With breaks the whole thing took like 9 hours up and down.
I must impress upon you that this is not a tourist destination. We slept on the floor of a temple, ate (amazing meals) at peoples homes and drank water from the mountain springs. My body still hurts, half the posse dropped out at various points, somebody lost a toenail, people threw up and – quite honestly – we almost died.
I can vaguely climb stuff, but there was a point where I was hanging with my fingertips on 5 mm of rock and just praying that I could find a toehold in time. If we slipped I suppose you’d come to a halt eventually, but this would be after losing the skin on half your body by fervently clinging to the rock. I’m rarely scared while travelling, but this time I really was. I was quite honestly thinking about my death or, alternately, waiting 12 hours to get transported out, and came to a realization that my life is going pretty good right now and that I kinda liked being in my own skin, literally.
Of course, that last 100 meters is still the prize. We need to get a longer rope, a younger guide and go back again.
Meemure.
In the age of Google, it is important to use the standard transliteration.
Shiiiiit. :O
Changed it, the post I referenced (http://kaushalye.blogspot.com/2007/12/hiking-in-mee-muray.html) spelled it Mee-muray, but there’s more for Meemure
Quite appropriate that half your pictures are of Kirigalpoththa posing like the badass that he is. :D
Looks fun. Not that I would climb this or anything. :)
Yeah, we were slaving our way up the thing and he’s just casually strolling along like he’s going to the market :D
hahaha :D
It takes a lot of courage to withdraw after climbing that far..
Yes, a lot of courage to withdraw, a lot of stupidity to proceed. We needed longer rope!
Hey
wow mighty Lakegala.I climbed this arouind year 2011 with my crew.The rock is 62.5 ft.Coz i measured it.Few of us managed to climbed to the top.it took us 2 hours to climb this rock.I have climbed so many mountains in sri lanka, but I should say this one is mighty…loved it.
Visit my web site, if you are interested in Climbing
http://www.climbwithdilum.info
thanks
It was exactly what happened to us when we tried to climb Lakegala. But it was bone dry and all the mountain streams had dried up. We were severely short of water and I lost the sole of my hiking shoes which was like loosing foot on those conditions. Dilum who has commented above and Aba with a very capable guide were able to climb to the top. I guess I got cold feet after taking several step above the grass line.
It was exhausting to say the least but it was exhilarating too.
I’d say this one was the toughest I’ve tried. Do I want to try it again with a pair of new boots and a good supply of water? Absolutely NOT.
Here are some pics of the climb and Meemure.
https://www.facebook.com/Hike.Sri.Lanka
interesting. We also destroyed our shoes. The soles of mine are coming off. Meg’s completely went and they just tore away like a wrapper. We would have run out of water if not for the streams. That’s always something we neglect. I also gave half my food to the dogs, but they deserved it.
BTW, that dog had a severe cough when we encountered him (it). How is he now?
The one eyed dog? he seemed fitter than most of us. Depth perception didn’t seem to be bothering him either!
One eyed dogs, lost soles, and a beautiful mountain, I am envious. Failed climbs? don’t fret, I failed 14 times before I could surface at the top of the Higher Cathedral, Yosemite, and even that I took more than 10 hours(Others do it in about 7 hours). Going back again this summer, for a different rock.
Thank you for posting. I think your gang needs some gear and more than a rope for climbing, I see most of the climbers are barefoot :)