Horton Plains and World's End

    How does one accurately describe a hike to the end of the world? I'm not sure but I'll tell you how we got to World's End.
    Our trip to Horton Plains National Park began early, right around 6 AM. The sky was bright but the sun had yet to appear above the horizon. When we finally ascended the hilly plateau where the park is located, the sun had risen and was beginning to warm the stones and tree tops.
    Horton Plains lies within Sri Lanka's only cloud forest - a place where more than half the annual precipitation comes from the dense banks of fog that roll through on a regular basis.
   We hiked under full sun but felt only a little of its heat because we passed through forests of primeval-looking trees that resembled the giant ferns that grew during Jurassic times. All around us ruby red rhododendrons the size of trees stood clustered in thickets. The path alternated between hard packed dirt in hues of crimson, orange and ocher, and rocky stretches that required not only deft footing but also stair-climbing efficiency. I paused numerous times just to catch my breath.
    When we arrived at last to the place called World's End, we found a sheer precipice more than 4,000 feet above the forest floor. The viewing platform was constructed of sturdy concrete but as there was no railing or guard rail, even catching a glimpse of what lay below was an experience in controlling vertigo and trusting that your legs didn't go wobbly at the last minute.
   We skirted the noisy and irreverent cluster of tourists and found a quiet corner to just sit on huge rocks and take in the cool air. Bubbling little springs emerged from under rocks to form the headwaters of three of the island's rivers: the Mahaveli, the Kelani and the Walawe. Baker's Falls dumped enough water over a sheer black rocky outcropping to mist the mosses, lichen, flowers and trees that grew a good distance away.
    At the end of our hike, we'd walked nearly seven miles, most of it either downhill or uphill (both ways!). But it was a location never to be forgotten as well as an accomplishment in physical endurance. Feet firmly on solid ground never felt so good!