As promised, our taxi was here at 11PM last night for our trip to Mr. Sinai and St. Katherine's Monastery. Six or so checkpoints and a couple of passport checks later, we arrive at our destination around 2AM, then a climb until 4:30AM. Very cold, hundreds, if not a thousand plus people and at least 100 plus camels on the path to the summit. The camels were everywhere as "sag wagons" for those who couldn't make it to the summit.
The last part of the trek was 750 steps. Wouldn't have been to bad except for the crush of people in front of you and behind you. As you neared the summit you could look into the valley behind you and think you were seeing Interstate 5 on the Grapevine; a steady line of flashlights.
That is the dust and camel poop we breathed for 2 and a half hours!
Once you get to the top, it is an hour and a half wait for sunrise. So you rent a pad and camel blanket for $2 each, huddle up so you don't freeze, and try to catch a little sleep.
But the sunrise was spectacular!
We descended a different way then we went up. We went down the "Steps of Repentance", 3,750 steps assembled by one monk many centuries ago as his penance to his faith.
Desolation beyond imagination.
