Pedra do Sino: crowds, granite and a view of Rio
Pedra do Sino was on our itinerary for its 1,336.3 metres of prominence, and it turned out to be my 400th Ribu. After a wrong approach road and a crowded Atlantic Forest trail, the summit opened onto granite, Rio and Guanabara Bay.
Pedra do Sino is a popular mountain on Rio de Janeiro's doorstep, and on a clear day the summit even gives a distant view of the city and Guanabara Bay. Our problem that morning was not the mountain. It was finding the correct entrance.
At 2,255.2 metres in the summit data I use, Pedra do Sino is the highest point of the Serra dos Órgãos and of Serra dos Órgãos National Park. Its 1,336.3 metres of prominence was the main reason it was on our itinerary: Pedra do Sino is another Ribu.
For me, this one also carried a milestone. Pedra do Sino became my 400th Ribu. Only a few days earlier, on Pico da Pedra da Mina, Rob had reached his 1,000th Ribu; a few peaks later, we were together again for my number 400. Based on our Peakbagger records, Rob and I have climbed close to 300 peaks together. Not all of them qualify as Ribus, but my rough impression is that somewhere around 200 do. That is a fair amount of shared prominence by now.
The standard trail approaches from the Teresópolis side. Google, for a while, had a more imaginative proposal for us.
The wrong road to the right gate
We followed Google navigation until the road became smaller and smaller, eventually threading behind people's houses. That did not fit the picture of a popular national-park trail with a proper parking area, so we turned around and switched to the topo map.
That worked. We soon reached the park gate, where a ranger explained the procedure: park, go inside, receive a short briefing, register, and then continue to the trail. We did all of that, drove another few kilometres and found the parking area already completely full. The final parking manoeuvre involved squeezing the car into the bushes. Not elegant, but it was a parking space.
A crowded trail that rarely gets steep
The hike began gently on a road and then entered the forest. The trail was always obvious and generally well built. There were a few steeper sections, but the repeated switchbacks kept most of the climb surprisingly gradual.
The price of such an accessible trail was people. There were hikers almost everywhere, and at a few constricted sections we actually had to wait in a queue. Pedra do Sino has a long mountaineering history as well: the park's management material records Scottish botanist George Gardner's April 1841 expedition as the first known ascent.
From wet Atlantic Forest details to the first wider views as the trail gained height.
Higher up, the enclosed forest began to break apart. Granite walls appeared above the trees, and the mountain finally started to look as dramatic as the skyline had promised.
Out of the forest, into granite
Once above the denser forest, the scenery changed quickly. Ridges, rock towers and open slopes filled the view, while the trail continued towards the broad summit slabs.
Near the summit block we passed a building that I took for some sort of hut and kept going. The final approach involved a few exposed steps on granite. They required attention, but nothing felt especially dangerous.
Summit granite
I soon found Rob on the true summit. Dave was a little lower, having already visited the highest point earlier. This was also where the number finally became real: my 400th Ribu. A few days after Rob's 1,000th, we were standing together again for my number 400.
Rob and me on my 400th Ribu, just a few days after we had shared his 1,000th.
The lower summit area had excellent views, including Rio, the ocean and the deep green slopes falling away from the ridge. More teams were still arriving across the slabs.
Lihua and Michael taking time to enjoy the distant view towards Rio and Guanabara Bay.
The other directions were just as good. The landscape was a mixture of rounded ridges, abrupt cliffs and isolated granite forms, with layer after layer of mountains fading into the distance.
Long mountain layers to one side, abrupt granite walls to the other.
Two extra kilometres on the way down
We descended essentially the same route. Somewhere around the middle of the trail I made one deliberate change and took a longer variation. It added roughly two kilometres to my own hike, but I preferred it: more jungle, more vegetation and more time looking at the surrounding slopes instead of simply retracing every step.
Six together, then goodbye
Back at the parking area all six of us reunited. That was also where the group started to split. Petter, Lihua and Michael were heading towards the airport or their hotels and would be flying home soon; with everyone staying in different parts of Rio, we were unlikely to meet again.
Rob's flight was after midnight, so Dave and I would take him to the airport. Dave was staying a few days longer, while I was flying the next day. We would at least meet again over breakfast. The crowded trail had ended in a very ordinary place, beside a car that had spent the day half in the bushes, but it was the last time all six of us were together on this trip.
Links & Resources
Peakbagger.io įrašas: Pedra do Sino.
Community route page with details on the classic hike from the Teresópolis sector of Serra dos Órgãos National Park.
Encyclopedia article on the national park, its geography, and biodiversity, noting Pedra do Sino as its highest point.
Article on the mountain range in Rio de Janeiro state, naming Pedra do Sino as its highest peak.
Official visitor guide for Serra dos Órgãos National Park with access status and rules for the Pedra do Sino trail.
Official park page for the Pedra do Sino climbing sector, including authorization requirements.