Not a Stairway to Heaven

Those who know me best, know when I am telling the truth.  They also know that I am a terrible liar.  And this is not the Stairway to Heaven.  Nor are these the droids you are looking for. Rather it's a stairway to an old abandoned radio tower at the top of a very steep and overgrown mountainside.

In this first image, taken by my best friend, you see me resting behind a bush to gain shelter from the fine mist that is falling.  It's soaking us through and through.  With all of our camera gear in our back packs, we're attempting to stay as dry as possible.  It didn't last long...

Moving Up

The incline surpassed 45 degrees for a majority of the hike.  As you can see in this picture, a majority of the hike were we either entering or leaving the clouds.  It was nearly silent and motionless in this part of the hike.  

Moving Down

 This might be the best depiction of the steep terrain we encounter.  Also note the width of the ladder.  If you wanted to pass someone, you had to "step outside".

The Intensity of the Angle

 Thought I would include a high contrast version of the pulley system used at the top of the hill to bring up supplies to the radio tower.  As you can tell, from it being in black and white, it hasn't been used in a while.

Pulley System at Top

 On the way down, it started clearing up again.  If you follow the scene from the bottom left of the image, you'll see how steep the stairs get.  And how rapidly they drop off.

Finally Clearing Up

Camera Stuff: Canon G10 and a waterproof Casio.  Both were backup cameras as the primaries were safely tucked away to be protected from the constant mist.