Via Ferratta Pt 1

The cool thing in town to do these days seems to be Via ferrata. Everyone has been talking about it. So Andy came to town I had the day off so we decided to give it a go. For those not familiar with via ferrata; it was developed in the Dolomites of Italy, 'By way of the iron road' i believe it translates. The basic idea is that someone bolts an iron ladder across or up the rock with a cable to protcect against falls, and you can hike in more places. This via ferrata route is on Ajax Peak, which you can see from town.

The hike up follows a creek bed. This was an amazing part of the hike. It reminded me very much of the grand canyon. Very colorful, steep, and many water carved rocks. Here, Stu basks in the awe of the river bed.

The river bed, as is common in these parts, had a lot of old mining trash in it. Here is an old bull wheel. The wheel is a little taller than myself. I always find it interseting to see these aspects of the past. The valley was a completly different place last century. I think I could have done well in the mining era. It would've been awful cold though!

Here is a nice picture of town from the begining of the route.

At the begining of the route there are signs, "experienced climbers and mountaineers only Technical terrain beyond" Good thing I spent all that time climbing in college instead of going to class! This is the first cable that we encounter on the route. It isn't really needed but it is a nice comfort for a lot of people. The exposure here is not too bad. You are maybe 10 or 15 feet of the deck, although you would roll down a steep hill for a while if you slip. Might as well clip the cable.

Here I am enjoying a sit early on. We were with a big group so there was plenty of time to spend relaxing and enjoying the views. This picture is a somewhat typical view. Narrow trail flanked by a straight vertical wall going up on oneside and down on the other. The side going down varies in elevation from about 20 feet to 300 or so. You get pretty comfortable with the exposure, but it's still best not to look down to often. Not a place for those scared of hieghts.