Also known as Gebel Musa and Moses’ Mountain, Mt. Sinai juts out of the desert and towers 7,500 feet. It is revered by Christians, Muslims and Jews all of whom believe that God delivered his Ten Commandments to Moses at its summit.
It was an incredible hike and experience, made even more surreal by doing it all in the dark. You start climbing at about 3 am so that you can arrive at the summit for sunrise. The night we climbed the place was packed. You could see just how high you had to climb by following the line of flashlights up the mountain. The path is well marked but crowded, not only with people but with camels and camel drivers trying to sell you a ride up the mountain. It was so crowded and dark that at one point I genuinely feared walking face first into the back end of a camel.
I found it a difficult climb. Two-and-a-half hours pretty much straight up with jagged rocks under foot and a cliff straight down if you missed a step. I was insistent that I wanted to climb and not ride up the mountain. But at about half way up the camel drivers know you are tired and they really give the hard sell. “You are tired. It’s a long way to go.You want a ride. I give you a good price.” “La’a. Imshee. No! go away. I am strong I can make it – huff and puff some more.” “Where are you from?” La’a. Imshee. Don’t distract me from breathing I might fall down.”
My flashlight died about two-thirds the way up, just about the time the stairs start. The stairs are simply boulders twisting and turning to form a general path up the last part of the climb. Neighboring climbers shared their lights and resting climbers shined their lights on the path. But it was still quite dark and scary. Your mind plays tricks on you. You see people in the shadows of the boulders. Or what you think is a person turns out to be a rock formation and vice versa. You hear strange things in the darkness. Did someone just call my name? Where did that song come from? What was that? To your neighbor, did you hear that? What? I didn’t hear anything.
You can’t see it but you KNOW there is a sheer cliff off the side of the stairs. So you hug the rock wall on your other side. Then the path switches back and you need to make the leap to feel for the wall again. Your legs feel like wet spaghetti noodles. Each step up is a Herculean-effort. With wet noodles for legs you can’t keep your balance. You fall left and right and oh hell no don’t fall back.
At one point, I simply found the path by trying to keep up with a group of singing Russian women. I don’t know what they were singing but it sounded pretty. Then a group of Africans started coming down the mountain, also singing and offering words of encouragement, “You’re almost there. You can do it.” It was a joyous crowd.
At the top, the singing continued. And of course lots of praying. There is a small chapel and mosque up there. And it was cold; no, freezing! I know you won’t believe me given your winter. But it was like 30 degrees up there with howling wind. And who packs a winter coat to go to Egypt – NOT ME. It was cold. Cold enough that there is a thriving blanket rental business on the top.
It was an incredible hike and experience, made even more surreal by doing it all in the dark. You start climbing at about 3 am so that you can arrive at the summit for sunrise. The night we climbed the place was packed. You could see just how high you had to climb by following the line of flashlights up the mountain. The path is well marked but crowded, not only with people but with camels and camel drivers trying to sell you a ride up the mountain. It was so crowded and dark that at one point I genuinely feared walking face first into the back end of a camel.
I found it a difficult climb. Two-and-a-half hours pretty much straight up with jagged rocks under foot and a cliff straight down if you missed a step. I was insistent that I wanted to climb and not ride up the mountain. But at about half way up the camel drivers know you are tired and they really give the hard sell. “You are tired. It’s a long way to go.You want a ride. I give you a good price.” “La’a. Imshee. No! go away. I am strong I can make it – huff and puff some more.” “Where are you from?” La’a. Imshee. Don’t distract me from breathing I might fall down.”
My flashlight died about two-thirds the way up, just about the time the stairs start. The stairs are simply boulders twisting and turning to form a general path up the last part of the climb. Neighboring climbers shared their lights and resting climbers shined their lights on the path. But it was still quite dark and scary. Your mind plays tricks on you. You see people in the shadows of the boulders. Or what you think is a person turns out to be a rock formation and vice versa. You hear strange things in the darkness. Did someone just call my name? Where did that song come from? What was that? To your neighbor, did you hear that? What? I didn’t hear anything.
You can’t see it but you KNOW there is a sheer cliff off the side of the stairs. So you hug the rock wall on your other side. Then the path switches back and you need to make the leap to feel for the wall again. Your legs feel like wet spaghetti noodles. Each step up is a Herculean-effort. With wet noodles for legs you can’t keep your balance. You fall left and right and oh hell no don’t fall back.
At one point, I simply found the path by trying to keep up with a group of singing Russian women. I don’t know what they were singing but it sounded pretty. Then a group of Africans started coming down the mountain, also singing and offering words of encouragement, “You’re almost there. You can do it.” It was a joyous crowd.
At the top, the singing continued. And of course lots of praying. There is a small chapel and mosque up there. And it was cold; no, freezing! I know you won’t believe me given your winter. But it was like 30 degrees up there with howling wind. And who packs a winter coat to go to Egypt – NOT ME. It was cold. Cold enough that there is a thriving blanket rental business on the top.
Blanket MerchantThe sunrise was beautiful. And the climb and experience were completely worth it.
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