I must admit, upon looking at this magnificent wonder I got nervous. Not because I’m scared of heights, but I didn’t know if these old knees would hold up. I want to say there is over 700 steps to the top and I wanted to prove to myself that I can do anything. In the military I loved rucking marching and I pride myself on being able to tackle any situation. Obviously, I’m not in military shape, but mentally I can still do it!
My friends, Jeremiah and Kirk got a chance to witness greatness that day as I dragged myself up those mean steps. I remember it like it was yesterday (September 2019), it was a very clear day in the city of Guatape, Antioquia and the sun was beating down on everyone. We just took a 2 hour drive from Medellin to get here, so I had plenty of time to talk myself out of it. My tour guide Eddie said just put one foot in front of the other and take your time. That is exactly what I did. I took a 2 to 3 minute break every 15 to 20 steps to save energy. At first, I thought I would be a little embarrassed due to me stopping so often. 10 or so minutes into the journey, I saw EVERYONE taking breaks! That gave me a boost of confidence because I saw that we all have our challenges and we ALL fight to overcome them. It took me about 40 minutes to reach the very top.
Once I made it to the top, the view was amazing! The whole area was surrounded by a man-made lake with little islands scattered throughout. You will have plenty of room to take pictures of the 360 degree view. They have a small café and souvenir shop, where you can claim your thirst and buy a little trinket to mark the occasion. Apparently, there is a guy who walks The Rock every day and bring supplies to the workers on top of the mountain.