As it turns out, these mountains are penetrable after all, but we simply cannot find the trail that seemed so clear as we left our camp. After much searching and deliberating, we simply climb up a loose rock ridge through the jagged rocky mountain outcroppings Eventually, our climb joins the trail and we take a break to see the expansive view of Wadi Araba’s wash to the west below. This stunning spectacle of the Rift Valley is our reward for two hours spent scaling the steep mountainside.
The climb is not over though, as we continue along the path up a wide slot following the old bedouin route along well graded switchbacks. The slot widens to the top where you reach the saddle called Ras Naqb Shdeid, offering breathtaking views to the East and West.
For the first time today, we descend - steeply - to the spring-fed Wadi Feid below. Fringed with pink oleander with the magical sound of cascading water in this desiccated landscape, the wadi is a chance for us to rest, replenish our dwindling water supplies and bathe. Reluctantly leaving our idyllic spot, we retrace your steps back and follow Wadi Feid (Wadi of the Floods) upstream under cliffs of bronze splashed with juicy green, dense with vegetation and enormous dragonflies.
After a hot and weary twelve kilometers of walking, we arrive at our campsite for the night where we find an unoccupied bell tent already pitched. With no camp to build, we watch the sun dip behind the mountain peaks. Exhausted, we slip off early to the tent. With the almost biblical sound of donkeys braying in the distance, sleep came quickly.
Distance: 12.38 km
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