Sinai, Part I

So Jake and I we went to Mt. Sinai with the scout troop. As you might guess, we had a blast, and it was just a little chilly: 0 degrees celsius the first night. We climbed Mt. Sinai, and Mt. St. Katherine, the highest peak in Egypt, coming in at 8,632 feet. Not a lot to someone from the western U.S., and less than half of what our friend Robin climbed on Mt. Kilamanjaro this fall, but hey, we live at sea level, and it was a hard hike and something to be proud of. These pictures are in no specific order.

Here's Jake at the "actual" place where Moses drew water from the rock with his staff...so they say. Supposedly, early in the morning during high tourist season, locals pour water down the face of the rock. It keeps people coming back, I guess.


These three were hanging out at this well, taking a break from herding goats. It must be tiring business herding goats.

Here's Jake taking a break at around 7,500 feet while climbing Mt. St. Katherine. It must be tiring business climbing tall mountains.


While you're stuck here reading, the short version of St. Katherine is this: She was the mother of Emperor Constantine, of early Christian fame. She is said to have been a devout Christian who made a pilgrimage to the Sinai peninsula and identified all the holy spots. There was the plain where the Israelites danced around the Golden Calf, the watering rock (see above), and other sites mentioned in the Old Testament. She identified Mt. Sinai as the mountain whereunto Moses went to commune with God and where he was given the ten commandments. If this is not ringing any bells, you can check out Exodus, or view the movie The Ten Commandments. So, there you have the story of St. Katherine. Interesting how she got her own mountain out of it, and it's the tallest one around. Hmmmmm.

Here's Jake again, on top of Mt. Sinai, with Mt. St. Katherine behind him.


Jake and I took a break near the top of Mt. Sinai, just before the final ascent on the famous "600 steps of repentance." One scout who counted the rock steps reported that there were actually 650 steps. Either way, it makes my legs hurt.

I have no idea what kind of tree this is, but it was surviving in what has to be one of the driest places on earth. And it looked kind of cool, so I took its picture.

Another picture of Jake and me, with Mt. Sinai in the background. We are feeling pretty good here because we had just been up on top and were descending. Ahh, there's the oxygen I have been missing.

At this moment Jake was the highest man in Egypt, showing us the altitude on the GPS: 8,632 feet!

The sun was coming up in Sinai town and as it peeked over the mountain in the east, it highlighted the remains of an ancient fortress to our west.

Late in the afternoon during our descent from Mt. Sinai, the moon rose over the rocks. Cool, huh?

This bird was flying around the peak of Mt. Sinai, and I thought if I didn't put a picture up, Robin would be disappointed. So, Robin, here is your unidentified Sinai bird:

Coming soon: Sinai, Part II.