June 29, 2009

• Road to Jordan: Hiking Holy Mt Sinai

  Leaving Dahab late in the evening, our group arrived at Mt Sinai approximately 11pm. We gathered our gear and prepared for the long hike up the pitch black mountain to see sunrise from the summit
  
  This was about the extent of visibility, so I cant share many pictures of the night climb with you, other than to say it was dark, cold, and my trusty cell phone flashlight is much brighter than I give it credit for.
  In case you are wondering, that is a camelhair blanket on rock hard dirt adjoining the wall of the monastery at the top of the mountain. I watched several shooting stars and identified several constellations before catching a restful 90 minutes of sleep before sunrise. Just like being on call!
  
  Waiting in the predawn for the arrival of the sun, one of my favorite vacation activities
   
  The mountains lit up in the moments before sunrise
  
  See that tiny little path snaking its way around? I climbed that in the dark…it took about 4-5hours. good times
  
  The sun was having a little trouble getting up, so I decided to give it a boost
  
  Thanks be to The Josh, the sun begins another day. good job me!
  
  
  It is located deep within the human psyche to leave our names as a means of proving our existence. In 1865, the greeks who explored here didnt have spray paint, so they had to carve we wuz here into the stone itself
  
  
  Good Job me….another mountain summited. This one was a lot harder than Fuji though
  
  More mountain vistas. Why didnt any of these propets ever get visions in holy valleys, or holy suburbs? They always had to go out to the middle of nowhere, it’s enough to drive a man crazy. And on the heights that can be a dangerous thing
  
  
  Dont panic! I know it looks like I am jumping from the mountainside, but in actuality, I can fly, so I am in no real danger
  
  If I had known this cave was here when I arrived on the mountain top, I assure you i would have spent the night there
  
  People of the lord, I bring you these 15…
  
  erm, these TEN COMMANDMENTS.

  Well, I have shown you sunrise on the mountain, maybe we should start to head down before it gets too hot. But be careful!
  
  To even reach this sign, I had to climb into several areas I probably should not have been. On the way down the mountain, our guide regaled us with tales of all the people who had died climbing the mountain, particularly in the dark, where you cant see the sheer drop offs and one misstep or wrong turn can spell your end.

  Awesome.

  til next time…

  • 3:45 pm
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