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#160978 - 01/23/12 05:47 PM The Most Scary Walk Ever
under10kg Offline
newbie

Registered: 01/19/12
Posts: 14
Loc: Australia
WARNING

This backpacking walk as a lot of exposure. The person videoing this did not clip in to the old guide wire.

Check out the video video







Edited by under10kg (01/23/12 05:51 PM)
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#160984 - 01/23/12 06:55 PM Re: The Most Scary Walk Ever [Re: under10kg]
oldranger Offline
member

Registered: 02/23/07
Posts: 1735
Loc: California (southern)
Looks like the route could use a little maintenance. What is the point of not clipping in?

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#160987 - 01/23/12 07:40 PM Re: The Most Scary Walk Ever [Re: under10kg]
Glenn Offline
member

Registered: 03/08/06
Posts: 2617
Loc: Ohio
HUGE pucker factor - even sitting in my chair! smile

Great shot, though.

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#160988 - 01/23/12 08:03 PM Re: The Most Scary Walk Ever [Re: Glenn]
TomD Offline
Moderator

Registered: 10/30/03
Posts: 4963
Loc: Marina del Rey,CA
Here is an article about it-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caminito_del_Rey

Built over a 100 years ago; hard to figure out how they did it. Must have carried everything up by hand, including water to mix the concrete.

One of the comments on YouTube says that the guy who shot this was killed in the Himalayas last year-fell into a crevasse.


Edited by TomD (01/23/12 08:05 PM)
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#161007 - 01/24/12 08:18 AM Re: The Most Scary Walk Ever [Re: TomD]
skcreidc Offline
member

Registered: 08/16/10
Posts: 1590
Loc: San Diego CA
There is no steel IN the concrete...no wonder the thing is falling apart. Supposedly, it is closed now and they are in the process of restoring the walkway.

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#161013 - 01/24/12 09:54 AM Re: The Most Scary Walk Ever [Re: oldranger]
Glenn Offline
member

Registered: 03/08/06
Posts: 2617
Loc: Ohio
Maybe the guy wire isn't all that solid?

Kind of reminds me of the line from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, where they're about to jump off the cliff. One says, "I can't swim." The other says, "That's OK - the fall will probably kill us."

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#161016 - 01/24/12 10:12 AM Re: The Most Scary Walk Ever [Re: Glenn]
oldranger Offline
member

Registered: 02/23/07
Posts: 1735
Loc: California (southern)
Originally Posted By Glenn
Maybe the guy wire isn't all that solid?



A very likely possibility. Still, even a marginal tether would be better than nothing at all. I have placed a lot of protection that probably wasn't all that great, but that might have worked if I just slipped a bit. Something is better than nothing, especially when you are desperate.

It is an interesting route. Sometimes you are cruising up flawlessly formed steps and then you are instantly thrust into situations where roping up is a really good idea.

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#161028 - 01/24/12 11:34 AM Re: The Most Scary Walk Ever [Re: TomD]
BrianLe Offline
member

Registered: 02/26/07
Posts: 1149
Loc: Washington State, King County
Wow, cool beans. I really like Spain anyway, so one more incentive to go back; I hope the very strained Spanish economy allows them to follow-through on repairing and reopening this.

Thanks for pointing it out.
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#161033 - 01/24/12 11:52 AM Re: The Most Scary Walk Ever [Re: BrianLe]
skcreidc Offline
member

Registered: 08/16/10
Posts: 1590
Loc: San Diego CA
I suppose they have via ferrata all over Europe.

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#161055 - 01/24/12 04:14 PM Re: The Most Scary Walk Ever [Re: oldranger]
Jimshaw Offline
member

Registered: 10/22/03
Posts: 3983
Loc: Bend, Oregon
As in Alpine climbing, they may have felt that using protection would slow them down too much to get to their destination on time. Its a long trail. From a climbers point of view it ain't nothin - I've been in a LOT worse places without a tether. shocked Your body does get used to the exposure and stops puckering on its own. crazy After while there is no body fear left - just careful movement. smirk

Not that the movie isn't awesome, but its a walkway afterall, maybe a deteriorated one, but its no polished granite slab.
Jim smile
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#161057 - 01/24/12 04:34 PM Re: The Most Scary Walk Ever [Re: Jimshaw]
oldranger Offline
member

Registered: 02/23/07
Posts: 1735
Loc: California (southern)
I don't think I would literally rope up to pass the exposed bits, but you would lose an insignificant amount of time to clip in to the available cable. Note that the videographer is no longer with us, evidently after taking one chance too many on a crevassed glacier. Being a desert rat, glacier travel is definitely not something I have experienced extensively, but I understand it is a good idea to always rope up on a glacier.

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#161059 - 01/24/12 05:11 PM Re: The Most Scary Walk Ever [Re: under10kg]
billstephenson Offline
Moderator

Registered: 02/07/07
Posts: 3917
Loc: Ozark Mountains in SW Missouri
Yeah, I'm not taking that walk. Way too much pucker factor there for me.

The camera work is great though, and I was surprised to see so many others wandering around there.

Sorry to hear about him getting in the accident. He was definitely a risk taker. Way to far out there for me to follow, but he must of had nerves of steel.
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#161061 - 01/24/12 05:19 PM Re: The Most Scary Walk Ever [Re: TomD]
billstephenson Offline
Moderator

Registered: 02/07/07
Posts: 3917
Loc: Ozark Mountains in SW Missouri
Originally Posted By TomD


Thanks for the link Tom. This picture of it they have there really shows it well. If you look close you'll see a few people on the walkway.
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#161091 - 01/25/12 09:27 AM Re: The Most Scary Walk Ever [Re: billstephenson]
frenchie Offline
member

Registered: 10/05/05
Posts: 461
Loc: Lyon, France
The Caminito del Rey is famous for some hair raising parts, crumbling cement and rusted handrails (I didn't try...)I encountered a number of passages on smooth rock face above the sea or void I didn't enjoy at all.
I had a different scary moment on my last hike in the Vosges area, where the trail crosses a main road at the top of a pass. Come out of the woods after a steep way down, cross the road dodging traffic, the other side is a big concrete abutment (?) wall, with a vertical metal scale. Go up the scale slippery in the pouring rain, with trucks and cars rushing, full speed, two feet behind your butt...Vanish into the woods again with a relieved sigh.

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#161426 - 01/29/12 04:02 PM Re: The Most Scary Walk Ever [Re: under10kg]
timo Offline
newbie

Registered: 01/27/12
Posts: 7
Loc: Monument, Co
All I have to say is NOT ME. not without at least holding onto the guy wire.

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