Yes, those are actually my feet, and yes, I'm perched on the side of a mountain face, standing on iron rungs that have been mounted in the rock. The only thing below me was the valley floor... 2,400 feet down.This was part of the via ferrata, half trail and half climbing course, that takes you 2.2 km along the edge of the mountain, crossing cable bridges, steep ladders, and these iron steps along the way. The word via ferrata is Italian for "Iron Road," because of the metal steps and ladders that form the path.
The one I did here took approximately three hours and was absolutely insane. I'm not sure how I broke the kung fu grip I had on the safety wire in order to pull out my camera and take the two pictures above, but I'm glad that I did. This via ferrata has only been open for two weeks, and apparently no one has died yet, so that's good. I did it by myself, totally alone, without a guide or a partner. In the entire three hours, I never saw another person as I made my way down the mountain. I have a ton of videos and pictures from the via ferrata, but only have time to show the two above, and the two videos below. The second video is me standing on the shorter of two cable bridges, and the first is me standing in the middle of the 80-meter Nepal Bridge, which is the last thing you cross before the via ferrata ends. That bridge was nuts... there is barely anything to hold onto on the sides, so you're basically just walking along it with your hands at your sides. In the video, you can see me holding onto a thick cable, but you can only reach that cable in the middle of the bridge. Otherwise, it is too high to grab onto. Plus, the bridge is totally unstable, so every step you take sends the bridge swinging and swaying. In the end though, I'm very glad I did it. There are only a few other people at the hostel that I've met who have done it. Even a guy I met yesterday who has hiked Schilthorn three times (the biggest mountain in the area, 7 hours straight up) said he could never do the via ferrata.
3 comments:
AWESOME!!!!!!!
My heart skipped a beat just reading your blog. I can't imagine what it actually felt like doing that climb. What beautiful views.(Your Mom almost fainted reading about it).
Hey Brandon, Dad said to me this morning before I had a chance to come down and get on the computer..."You better take a tranquilizer before you watch Brandon's latest blog". Right away I thought you were hurt doing something crazy. Well, you were doing something crazy but I have to tell you...I am soooooo proud of you for climbing that mountain!!! There's one trait you certainly don't lack and that is confidence. You had confidence that you could tackle such an amazing feat. You had confidence in the trail, confidence in the equipment and most of all you had confidence in your own agility and in yourself, something you can truly be proud of!! Watching those videos I became a little unnerved..being suspended so high up with nothing but rocks and water below. You accomplished a feat not many people can say they did. And the hiker you talked to who said he couldn't do it...amazing. What beautiful country you are seeing. Love the pics of your foot with the town below...absoluting breathtaking. I know you don't want this stay to end. See all you can, there's more to come. By the way...DON'T YOU THINK YOU SHOULD HAVE GONE WITH SOMEONE?! Had something happened to you no one would have known where you were...then they would have had to deal with me, and you know that's not a pretty picture!!! Til your next blog..STAY SAFE..love you, mom
Respect man- that looks quite hardcore. I'm intrigued that you were critical of the safety on the Via as this is in Switzerland where I have heard the Via quality and safety is best. I recently did two vias in switzerland and found them safe, although I do get the feeling that you are a bit screwed if you fall because in many places I don't see how you could get back onto the route!
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