The next morning, we woke up around 2am and had a quick breakfast. We brought dried food such as bread and biscuits. When I looked at other climbers slurping on their hot cup noodles, I was so envious! Regretted not bringing cup noodles up because there was hot drinking water although no hot shower!
Very soon, we were all geared up for the climb to the summit. It was pitch dark. All of us wore head lamps so that our hands could be freed to hold on to any ropes or railings as we pushed forward. No overtaking was allowed too as the path was narrow. It was dangerous too as 1 wrong move could lead to serious injuries. Everyone waited patiently and walked in an orderly manner.
Raring to go!
As we went further up, I felt more and more breathless. We made more and more stops to catch our breath and sat down at any empty spaces by the side. Hubby could probably sense that I was really tired as I was quiet during the climb (usually I talk alot). Afterall, not everyone who climbed the mountain could reach the summit. Although I didn’t know the ring was already in his pocket all this while, I knew I wanted to reach the summit very badly too! It’s gonna be a personal achievement!
Resting by the side 
First light
At last, we saw the peak from afar and many people were already crowding round the summit for photos! After queuing for some time, it was finally our turn to take photos! The summit in Apr 2015 is different from the current one as there was an earthquake 2 months after we climbed the mountain.
Hubby then led us to the space behind the signboard. There, we caught a very nice and unblocked view of the sunrise. The egg yolk was just rising! And we took more photos. Hubby then pointed to a spot and told me to sit. Thinking that he wanted to help me take more photos, I sat readily.
There, hubby went on down on 1 knee. Our friend, who already knew what was happening captured the moment readily! And yes, from that moment on, I was engaged!
We then trekked down slightly, back to where our guide had pointed out to us was the meeting point for the Via Ferrata. We then met up with our Via Ferrata guide while our guide made his own way back down to the hut.
Via Ferrata was exciting to say the least. Our guide lined us up according to our confidence level. Hubby (being his 2nd time on Via Ferrata) was put as the 1st person, followed by our friend, then me and then the guide. Guide wanted to keep him nearest to him in case I panicked! And of course, being near the guide, he helped to take many of photos of me! The view during the Via Ferrata was amazing!! We were just walking along the cliff at many different points. At some parts, my short arms almost could not reach the next handle! Also, there were a handful of bridges to cross. It was definitely scary to look down at nothing below our feet! Words don’t do justice to the experience. I’ll let the photos do the talking!
Towards the end, clouds came in and it started to rain. We quickly finished the rest of our journey and returned to the hut. I really did not like being up the mountain in the rain.
We finally returned to the hut. We quickly packed up and made our way down the mountain. By now, our thighs and knees were breaking. At some point, I really wanted to give up because my knees hurt every step I went down. But I didn’t mention any pain and persevered as I knew hubby was equally tired. If I said anything, he might have insisted to piggyback me down!
We finally made it back down. Sky was already turning dark and there was only 1 van left at the carpark waiting for us (cause we took the longer Via Ferrata route and naturally took longer than others to come down). We had a quick dinner (packed fried rice as part of the package) and boarded the van. Once up, we fell asleep almost immediately. By the time we reached back at the hotel, my legs cramped. And I had to climb up (literally on all 4s) the flight of stairs to go back to the room!
Perrine Travels 