Our Trek Day 2

Sunday 21st April 2013

I didn't sleep too well last night, it was to dark. I now know I have a fear of total darkness! I kept imaging thing, and could hear either dogs or wolves howling for most of the night. So I felt soooo tired this morning.

Breakfast today was cheese, cakes and eggs and terrible tasting coffee, but the Bedouin tea is very refreshing and is meant to give you energy so a couple of cups were drunk.

We knew today was going to be one of the toughest days, after breakfast we had a 4 hour hike to the beginning of our climb. On the way we passed a brand new Bedouin school, it looked so strange this brand new building in the middle of the desert. We had an early lunch, it was all set up ready and waiting for us, rice and pasta again good job I like them :-)

After lunch was the start of our climb, here is where we enter the Black Mountains, this is the part I had been dreading for so long, now I was at the point of no return I had to do it! we were originally meant to follow the Jeep trail, but there had been bad weather a few weeks before and some of the roads had been damaged. So the route had to be changed we were now going to follow the Goat Trail.

Off we go, climbing, it was sooo steep, the group started to split as people were struggling. at one point we were on our own, I was beginning to get a bit panicky in case we got lost. We decided to just stay put and wait for someone to catch up with us, eventually they did and luckily enough there was  guide with them. The limb went on forever, it was a zig-zagged steep incline, but the scenery was just out of this world, I don't think I have ever seen anything as beautiful.

After approx. 7 hours of climbing, we came to where our camp should have been, and guess what there was nothing there!!! one of the guides climbed up onto a huge rock, and was making lots of different noises, sending signals, the next thing is mobile was ringing, again you just wouldn't expect that in the desert. For some reason they had to move the camp, we were told it was another 1.5 hour hike away, I really didn't think I could walk another inch never mind another hour and a half. But we had no choice, so off we set again :-( at this point I was thinking if its going be like this everyday there is no why I can do it. As we climbed over the next slope, there was a group of people waiting at the bottom, they were waiting for jeeps to come and get them, as apparently it was much more than 1.5 hours away. This 2nd day we were meant to walk 17k we had now done 22k and climbed not far off 4000feet. Not bad going hey :-)

We eventually got into a jeep, huddled in like cattle it was beginning to get dark, the roads were very steep and narrow, that was the scariest ride ever! I was beginning to wish I had walked!!

Finally back at camp, fed and watered and ready for bed, lets see what tomorrow brings.