Mount Sinai is a mystical place. The debate continues on whether or not the mountain designated as such is the real Mount Sinai or just a spot in the general vicinity. Who can really pinpoint the general vicinity of such an ancient text. Still, believers and non-believers alike trek up the mountain seeking the place where Moses received those Ten Commandments. There are two known truths about the place. It’s a long way to the top and most visitors want to see it either at sunrise or sunset. Half the climb will be in the dark whichever you choose so bring a good flashlight.

The next choice to be made is how to make the climb. The easy way, unless the creatures terrify you, is to take a camel. The trail winds up the side of the mountain and the views can be spectacular but frightening. One can also walk up the camel trail which has its own set of problems as many camels make that trek every day leaving the trail one long camel toilet. The third way is to take the steps up the center of the mountain, a shorter but much more strenuous way.

The ages of the group accompanying me on this journey ranged from 21 to, well, me. (That age to be revealed at the appropriate time.) Three of us decided to take the lazy way up leaving the younger crowd, with the exception of one phenomenal New Zealander, aged 55, who had more energy than two people half her age, to take the center route. Alas, this lazy way was not to be. The night before, our guide was quite ill with a cold. Full of sympathy, we agreed to let him stay behind and opted for door number three so there would be a need for only one guide. Plus, the third person was unable to make the climb due to illness so that left just two. We were promised that, while it was a strenuous climb, there were stairs all the way to the top. How bad could it be?

3750 Steps!

I was envisioning actual steps. The reality was quite different. There were 3750 boulders to climb. At times the trail was marked solely by small piles of rocks indicating a turn or a new direction. All straight up. No meadows to wander through. No trees to grab for support. Just rocks, lots of them. My camera, already heavy, was a millstone after a few hundred meters. The Bedouin guide graciously took over that load and two wonderfully kind gentlemen stayed with me and my companion to assist.  I did have a “third leg” provided by the ill traveler, her walking stick, for which I shall be eternally grateful.

Approximately 3,000 steps later we arrived at the beginning of the end. The first flat place and the termination of the camel transport. Not the top. 750 more “steps.” Straight up. My companion was in pain and could go no further. I have a stubborn nature and was not stopping here. It did not get easier and I was the very last to reach the top, but reach it I did! Just as the sun was at its best light and only for a few minutes, but I was there.

A few photos, a quick turnaround, a search for the flashlight and down we went. One returns by the camel trail as the boulder way is too treacherous for night hiking. The dark made the vistas unseeable but that is probably best as the trail follows much too close to the edge for my taste. Of course, my flashlight died and the Bedouin guide, again, came to my rescue. Two different gentlemen, equally gracious, stayed with me for the descent and the guide plied between us and the rest of the group who, I suspect, ran down the slope. When we finally reached the bottom and the van, everyone else was aboard. They applauded my accomplishment. I thanked all those who helped me, as I surely could not have done it alone. Then I challenged the group to return when they reach 70 and make the climb again. I hope they accept that challenge. As for me, there are and will be other steps.