“Everything you see is bigger - scorpions, spiders, tarantulas. We only saw two snakes. We did not observe much bird life, but there are a lot of hummingbirds.”

NINE thousand and ninety-four feet is the highest you can possibly get in Guyana, and local tour operator Frank Singh is thrilled to have trekked through virgin rainforest territory, punctuated by undiscovered flora and fauna, to help National Geographic in the second conquering mission of the rock face of Mount Roraima.

“It was the most difficult thing I’ve done in my whole life…but it was the most beautiful,” Frank told the Sunday Chronicle having completed the quest.

On April 16, 2003, National Geographic set out on a 21-day expedition to climb Mount Roraima’s prow (rock face), the first time since professional mountaineers Hamish McInnes, Mo Anthoine, Jose Borwn and Don Whillans climbed it in 1973.

Frank Singh, who operates Rainforest Tours from out of the Tower Hotel, was contracted by Wilderness Explorers to lead the National Geographic team.

Frank was up for the mission having led jungle treks to Kaieteur and Orinduik Falls. He was also part of a local team that attempted to climb the mountain in 2001.

National Geographic decided on the mission because of the plant and animal species on the face rock that were unknown to science, Herpetologist Jusus Rivas said before embarking on the trip.

On April 16, the mission began with an aircraft journey from Ogle to Phillipai, an Amerindian village that provided many of the porters for the expedition.

Frank, along with Rivas, producer Peter Getzels, primatologist Mireya Mayor, cameraman John Catto, associate producer Charlotte Mangin, and ecologist Bruce Means, spent the night at Phillipai.

The two professional American mountaineers Mark Synnoth and Jared Ogden met up with the team later on.

From Phillipai, the team walked for two days to get to Whyaline, another Amerindian settlement that stands at an elevated 2, 500 feet.

From there, they continued hiking for another two days to Double Drop Falls.

From the falls, it took another two days to get to an elevation of 5, 000 feet where camp was set up.

To get to the bottom of the prow, however, the team had to scale a 200-foot rock wall. For this, the team used polythene rope to create a ladder.

Finally, the team reached the bottom of Roraima, situated in a savannah area, and according to Frank, everything there is bigger.

“Everything you see is bigger - scorpions, spiders, tarantulas. We only saw two snakes. We did not observe much bird life, but there are a lot of hummingbirds”, Frank reported.

“When you stand at the bottom of the prow and look up, it’s like being in the ocean in a small canoe and looking up at a big ship,” he added.

According to Frank, the weather varies from between 35 degrees Fahrenheit and 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

“During the day, butter is melting, but at night, you have to get a knife to cut the butter,” Frank laughed.

“The weather changes rapidly. At one time you see the mountain and by the time you turn and look back up, the mountain disappears,” he recalled.

“It’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen in my life. In the morning, you see nothing but mist. But as soon as the sun comes out, the rock face glitters in the sun. It is really nice. You have to go there to know what I’m talking about,” he added.

The two mountaineers took about one week to ascend the prow of the mountain, filming plant and animal species between the crevices along the way.

Scientific research was also done on top of the mountain.

A private helicopter was used by the team to descend the prow back to Phillipai.