Via Ferrata climb in La Huasteca

Last Saturday a few friends and I climbed the “Independence Peak”, a mountain about a 10 minute drive into la Huasteca canyon and easily visible from my neighbourhood. The route is called the Via Ferrata Ruto Vertigo, and is an 8-hour, overwhelmingly intense experience that is quite difficult to capture in words. I’m still not sure how I (a person who is afraid to stand near the top of a ladder) managed it. The best explanation I can offer is that in the moment there was no option to turn back or stop moving, so the necessity to survive trumped fear, and the mindfulness of the next ten seconds squashed the broader concerns of how foolish the whole expedition was.

It was an exhausting and scary experience but one from which I felt a great amount of personal accomplishment. I’m happy now to say that I’ve done it, and not to do it again!

Above is a video I edited with footage from the GoPro camera worn by Jenny, a new friend in our group. The 13-minute video is really the best way to experience the challenge and exhilaration of the trip — I highly recommend a watch. I have also compiled a photo album which is below. This mixes my photos with photos from the GoPro and a few taken by the guides.

Thanks to Ryan, Rebecca, Jenny and Rachael for the awesome adventure, and to Ezekiel and the other guides at Geo Expeditions for taking us up and bringing us back in one piece.