5:00 am my mobile lets out it's melodic electronic squeal telling me to get up. The winds picked up even more, but my tent is still standing. I look out through the fly net to see the blackness beyond, I can barely make out Lenny's Prado some 20 feet away across the stony Wadi bed. We pitched the tent on this uninviting rocky vista in the dark and we're waking in the dark. So this is it, this is how the Stairway to Heaven greets those intrepid enough to sample her splendors. Through tired eyes and limbs we pack up our tents and don our walking boats..
6:02 The blustering wind brings a light rain as our group begins it's trudge to the base of the climb, 20 minutes walking with flashing head-torches eradicating my night sight. The pace is quick to wheedle out the stragglers and split the group into 2. This was necessary as even leaving at 6am in the dark at a quick pace, if we waited for those not keeping the pace we could end up returning in the dark via some dangerous territory once we reach the point of no return... Group 2, with their leader, would be advised to do some of the hike and then return.
Stairway to Heaven: A serious hike that should not be take lightly.
Like most of the Wadi hikes in the UAE the Stairway is really tough going - especially in the dark, clambering over boulders and rock fields as the wadi swiftly climbs. It's also
a difficult path to find and I would recommend anyone attempting this to go with someone who knows the route well.
The sunlight, although filtered by a mass of dark clouds, was very welcome.
Like most of the Wadi hikes in the UAE it's really tough going - especially in the dark, clambering over boulders and rock fields as the wadi swiftly climbs.
The sunlight, although filtered by a mass of dark clouds, was very welcome from an illumination point-of-view - but did little to take the edge off the biting wind. I did have to remind myself on occasions that we were actually in the UAE and not the Peak District mid Winter..
The hike gets tough and steep, after about 4 hours you start to climb the cliff that gives the hike it's name, it's steep and has makeshift steps in palaces, piles of rocks to aid your ascent. The blustering wind was really strong up here, to the the it felt unsafe at times, in the main you were being blown against the cliff face, but as is the nature of wind in confined spaces, it was at best unpredictable.
Climbing the scary bits.
How these Stairways are constructed.After several stairways we took stock of our situation, with another 20 minutes to the crest, then 4 hours along the ridge over numerous false summits before we reach the opposite side of the wadi and can begin the descent, we had to consider the weather. Thick cloud now gusted through the troughs around us but clung, a hundred feet over our head, like a table cloth along the entire ridge line. Up there visibility would be questionable and with the wind as it was, someone could have easily been caught off guard and thrown 2oo metres down to the rocky bed. It was unanimous, we'd done the most exciting and exhausting part of the climb and weren't willing to risk our lives for the sake of it, so we decided to head back the way we came.
This is how the ridge looked, hence we made our decision.All-in-all, even though we didn't complete the intended circuit, it was a very rewarding hike. Some exciting climbing and we met some good people. We started at 6am and got back to the cars for around 12:30, a good days work I feel..
Thank to Anita for the Photos
