This adventure was an overnight camp in Wadi Naqab followed by a hike up to Yanis Village the next morning. The eight overnight campers (plus one puppy, Bilbo) found a secluded and peaceful spot in the wadi not too far from the road. It was an enjoyable evening of BBQ and pleasant chit-chat around the camp fire. Knowing that we had a long, hot day of hiking in the morning we all decided to fade off early in order to get a good night’s rest.
In the early morning hours (0500) we awoke to a dimly lit sky and rekindled the fire for morning breakfast. With less than an hour to meet the remaining members of the hike we quickly finished breakfast and the last bits of tea and coffee, packed up the camp, and headed out to the trailhead. At the trailhead we met up with the other hikers who had just arrived in the morning. In total we were 21 hikers including 5 kids. It was a diverse group with many meeting for the first time but all having the same goal and ready to enjoy the rewarding challenge of summiting to Yanis Village.
After our safety brief and hike overview by our hike lead, Captain Ajay, we set off from the wadi at 0730. It was already warm in the sun so we sought ascending lines in small gorges to enjoy the bit of shade while it lasted. From the get-go, the hike was tricky. The lines were ill-defined, the boulders were big, and the slopes were slippery and steep. As such, space and distance quickly came upon the convoy. To counter this, we took several small breaks along the initial ascent to help everyone get warmed up and maintain their confidence. With two options to ascend the mountain, we sent two scout teams up each option to determine, which route would be most suitable for the rest of the convoy to follow. Ambit led the first scout team up the steep front face while the second scout team, and balance of the convoy, wrapped around the face of the mountain to find a route up the backside.
To make the final push up to the summit we had to climb up two large, steep gorges teeming with massive boulders. There was never a concern of falling off the mountain but the mountain really put things in perspective for us. We were simply tiny little insignificant creatures in the vastness of these gorges. We were approaching noon so the sun was coming up in its full glory. Needless to say, the last 100 meters ascent to the top required a couple of extended breaks to recover from the strain of the climb. Fortunately, we were able to find some trees for a bit of shade.
At around 12:30 we had reached the summit. We had a decision to make, we could either descend the face of the mountain or walk down the approximately 10 km of graded track. We chose the latter! The descent down took about 1.5 hours along the track. We arrived at the bottom to meet the other teams who had taken different routes. We shared stories, snacks, coffee, and relished in the great experience that we had all just enjoyed. In the end, 11 of the 21 hikers reached the summit climbing to about 820 meters in elevation. The total hike distance was about 14 km. Not bad for a day’s work!
Thanks Captain Ajay for leading us and to Adventure Emarat for a great day!
