Around April 2012, I was able to climb up the 2,285 meters of Mount Sinai. Mount Sinai is located in the Sinai Peninsula, the last stop if you are traveling from Asia to Africa by land. And thus, is frequently visited by tourists before they go to mainland Egypt or enter the holy lands of Israel. This mountain has a rich biblical history; in fact, this is where Moses received the Ten Commandments in the Old Testament.
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| Golden light at the summit |
This was no easy task as we had to wake up 3am and start trekking. The first half of the trail required us to mount up the sure-footed camel. The most exciting part of riding a camel was mounting and unmounting it; the camel is able to bend its knees forward or backward. A 50-50 prediction whether to lean forward or backward when this desert animal starts elevating.
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| Local bedouins and others from foreign lands |
The camel station is reached 1 hour from the jump-off point, that is St. Catherine's Monastery. Here I scramble to wrap my hands in socks in an attempt to fend of the desert cold.
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| That's me, my reliable TNF backpack and jacket. |
We hiked up the mountain for another 45 mins more. As with most mountains, the feeling of success when reaching the summit is like no other. Whew. The view from the summit was unremarkable from all fronts, from the blue hour to golden light to scorching desert heat.
Camel station #2 (right) When it's pitch black, getting off a camel gets interesting, if you know what I mean.
Descending the mountain was easy enough that I was able to rush back down in a jogging pace. The rocky and dry terrain allowed me to do so. The steep mountain ridges (shown in the photo below) created an unforgettable dramatic landscape that was unappreciated during the pre-dawn trek up the mount.
This was a very pleasant hike. Very different from the ones I experienced in the Philippines. More so, I was able to appreciate the Old Testament and strengthen my faith.
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| St Catherine's Monastery on the foothills of Mt. Sinai |
