June 14, 2008: El Camino Del Rey

[Coign]

The King's Way

I got a cool video from a friend. After doing a search I see xoxoxoBruce posted it here http://cellar.org/showthread.php?t=4624&page=114

I felt it needed an IotD presence though so I collected pics of it while surfing the net.

Here are some sources of my pics and stories about those who have climbed or tried to climb this path.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caminito_del_Rey

http://www.tetongravity.com/forums/s...d.php?t=121687

http://d1052380.domain.com/leonids20...2_pictures.htm

In 1901 it was obvious that the workers of the Chorro Falls and Gaitanejo Falls needed a walkway to cross between the falls, to provide transport of materials, vigilance and maintenance of the channel. Construction of the walkway took four years; it was finished in 1905.

In 1921 the king Alfonso XIII crossed the walkway for the inauguration of the dam Conde del Guadalhorce and it became known by its present name.


In some places the walkway has collapsed. The walkway has now gone many years without maintenance, and is in a highly deteriorated and dangerous state. It is one meter (3 feet) in width, and is over 200 meters (700 feet) above the river. Nearly all of the path has no handrail. Some parts of the concrete walkway have completely collapsed and all that is remaining is the steel beam originally in place to hold it up and the wire that follows most the path. One can latch onto the wire to keep from falling. Several people have lost their lives on the walkway in recent years; after four people died in two accidents in 1999 and 2000, the local government closed the entrances. However, adventurous tourists still find their way onto the walkway to explore it.

The regional government of Andalusia budgeted in 2006 for a restoration plan estimated at € 7 million.

And I found just a bit more info on why the authorities closed it down.

Also, the path entrances did not collapse, the Spanish authorities destroyed the beginning and end after numerous accidents in the gorge. The worst being the flying fox across the gorge that snapped when three people tried to ride it all at once.

People always ruining my fun spots because they are idiots.




























Early Picture



Redone for the king




And finally, even more impressive, the video Bruce posted two months ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNSVcmBnt-o