Egypt - Gebel Katherina (2642m)
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| nejcf16. 10. 2024 22:45:57 |
After successfully completing the 2nd year, my colleague Filip and I did a well-deserved 12-day loop around Egypt in September. We started in Cairo and past Luxor, Hurghada and Dahab after a good week arrived at the last point of the trip - the Bedouin village of Saint Catherine in the middle of the Sinai Peninsula desert. For the ascent to Gebel Katherina (which at 2642m is also Egypt's highest peak) a guide and permit are mandatory by law. Mohamed, the owner of the accommodation we were in, helped me arrange both.
At seven in the morning after breakfast the guide Shabban came to pick me up and we headed up through the dilapidated alleys of the village. We turned into a rocky valley below Mount Sinai (or Jabal Musa as the locals call it) and climbed up to a small saddle in a few switchbacks. On the other side a descent into a narrow wadi awaited us, where the Bedouins have their gardens due to a few springs. After a good hour of walking we first spotted the still quite distant peak. Past more gardens and also a small marijuana plantation we reached its foot. Then followed a long ascent on rocky terrain that dragged on and on towards the end. The weather was a bit unpleasant too: the sun scorched mercilessly with very strong icy wind. Despite applying cream 3 times it still burned me well. The mountain has 2 peaks; the lower (more touristy) one with a little church and the three meters higher one with some old military installations. First we climbed the first one, where we rested. Shabban also brewed excellent rosemary tea on the fireplace. Then we quickly conquered the higher peak too (I'm not entirely clear if that's even allowed or not).
We descended for a short time along the same path, then turned into a dry river valley with very interesting rock formations. Under one of the rocks Shabban cooked us a Bedouin lunch with Egyptian bread, tahini, vegetables and canned tuna. Lower down we rejoined the ascent path and returned to the village along it. We only met locals with camels, no other foreigner besides me.
For the ascent including rest we needed just under 4 hours and for the return 3. Elevation gain was around 1000 meters. It was truly an unforgettable desert hiking day.
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| GITA17. 10. 2024 21:00:43 |
Bravo Nejc, great photo report. May there be many more like this! Good luck!
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| zokipoki17. 10. 2024 21:31:33 |
Really nice! Good for you!
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| Daaam18. 10. 2024 07:10:35 |
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| DVas18. 10. 2024 07:32:44 |
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| nejcf19. 10. 2024 10:46:44 |
Thanks everyone for the praises! That gives me so much more drive to write all subsequent posts.
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| lino19. 10. 2024 19:29:43 |
Nejc, very interesting report of a landscape that is virtually unknown and unimaginable for us. The photos are also unique. We see that foreign lands can also be very beautiful. Good luck further! 
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