Last weekend we went on a faculty trip to Mount Sinai. After a 9 hour bus ride through barren, empty, desert, along the eastern coast of Egypt and across the Sinai Peninsula, we made it to Dahab where the best thing about our hotel was the coral reef meters from our room. Another 2 hour bus ride through a forbidding landscape of rocky terrain and craggy mountains and we arrived at St. Catherine’s Monastery which is located at the base of Mt. Sinai.
Climbing Mt. Sinai was an amazing experience. We began climbing in the afternoon. Most visitors make the journey in the middle of night, climb in the dark, and reach the peak at dawn. While that sounds lovely and majestic, I can’t imagine how I would have kept my footing in the dark. However, with the path ahead visible in the blinding midday sun, I can understand how climbing in the dark might have its benefits. Regardless, the views were incredible in the afternoon sun.
