Pedra da Gavea!

Here is, as promised, my post about Pedra da Gavea. Pedra da Gavea is one of the several iconic monoliths that make Rio's skyline famous. At 842 meters above sea level (thanks Wikipedia!) it is a challenging hike that my pictures really don't do justice, but let's just say it was the most exhilarating hike I've ever done and the feeling of accomplishment when I got to the top, plopping down to eat a banana on a rock above the clouds, was unlike anything I've ever felt before.

Having a moment with nature above the clouds at the top of Pedra da Gavea 

When my friend Alodie called me at 9 am that Saturday morning to invite me to go hiking with her I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Turns out the level of difficulty for the Pedra da Gavea is high, and I was finally able to gauge that as I made my way up with my dinky little converse and pristine (not for long) white canvas bag and everyone coming down seemed to be an extremely fit, male MMA fighter, carrying carabiners and ropes and covered in mud. Some of the people making their way down were also covered in cuts and blood, and we even passed a pile of vomit, probably the result of someone getting a little too much heat and feeling dehydrated as a result.

Before it got steep (and before we got all muddy!)

There were several portions of the hike that were so steep that no dirt trail could be built so we were literally scaling rocks that were practically vertical with our bare hands and no equipment. Sometimes there were sketchy metal wires coming out of the rock that we could cling onto, but most of the time we had to find grooves in the rock or rely on the good ole' tree-root/branch grabbing technique (and hope they don't snap haha). There was one stretch in particular near the top of the mountain where there was a huge bottleneck because you literally could not climb the rock without some sort of mountain climbing gear that I, of course, did not have.

The steepness begins! The hike felt like one long obstacle course---so fun!

At this point many of the more nervous hikers (aka women) dropped out. A friendly Brazilian guide lent me and Alodie a rope so we could make it up this steepest part of the climb. Once we made it past, we were truly at the point of no return. Tired and hungry (the hike takes at least 2 hours each way), we pushed forward and perhaps 400 meters later we ended up in a grassy clearing at the top of the mountain right as the sun began to come out. Our timing could not have been better. We avoided the heat during the excruciating climb up (and still managed to arrive completely dripping in sweat) and were greeted by an amazing view of Rio only just  beginning to unveil itself as we sat down for a mid-day snack. It was so relaxing to just gaze out into the lush abyss below me of the Tijuca forest. Also I had fun watching several hang-gliders soaring around me, as Pedra da Gavea is the typical launching spot in Rio for that activity. Although I think that in terms of view, Dois Irmaos is more picture-perfect because you can see the entire Zona Sul close-up, Pedra da Gavea is a more rewarding hike overall because it is so much higher. It also has a view of Barra da Tijuca, the newest part of Rio that is often compared to Miami for its luxury high-rises and huge, American-style streets.

Made it just in time for the clouds to lift aka time for some tanning! #winning

We tried to spend as much time at the top as possible, knowing that the descent would be just as hard (and slippery, woohoo!) as going up. After saying a farewell for now to the total calm at the top of Pedra da Gavea, we tried to make our way down as quickly as possible before the sun went down. However, our trusts Brazilian friend with the rope was nowhere to be found when we go to the steepest portion, and there was a huge back-up as one woman was having a nervous breakdown on her way down, virtually paralyzed mid-descent. At this point, it was time to get creative. What did I do? I decided to wedge in between two of the huge rock facades and then when I got to the five foot drop to get back on the trail I used a Brazilian man's shoulder as a stepping stone! Now that's what I call jeitinho brasileiro! Haha! For those who don't know, the jeitinho is the expression for Brazilians' particular knack for finding a creative solution to whatever problem they may have.

I pretty much slid down the rest of the mountain (OK so not really, but kinda....mud+extremely flat shoes=moments of sheer terror/awesomeness due to spontaneous "skiing" down steep rocks) and let me tell you my thighs were FEELING it the next day!

My Brazilian friend Thiago told me that every year people get seriously injured climbing Pedra da Gavea and sometimes there are even deaths. The very next day after I climbed it, I was watching the news and saw that a group of bandits mugged 40  hikers at the top of the mountain. They stole money, cameras, iPhones, and even tennis shoes....yikes!! Pedra da Gavea is hard enough as it is! Talk about bad luck...and dedicated muggers... I definitely feel very lucky I didn't hike a day later, and the incident was a wake-up call reminding me that it may be extremely beautiful, but it's still Rio and I need to be careful EVERYWHERE in this city!!

Thanks for reading!!
Beijos,
Marie