I would be lying if I didn't admit to some pre-hike jitters before the hike from Dana village high up in the mountains to Feynan Ecolodge way down in the plains of Wadi Araba. Hiking for five hours in the heat after sitting on my derriere for a year in Jordan? Yikes. Looking down into the
wadi (valley) from Dana village didn't help either. Then there was the initial, rocky, slippery, and steep descent which had my calves and thighs burning only a few minutes in. The views, however, were spectacular and ironically a nice distraction to the task at hand.
Once we conquered that initial, steep descent, though, I was golden. It was just one foot in front of the other--an activity that was a welcome relief from all that brain work I've been doing this year. We were also blessed with a beautiful breeze that hit our faces for nearly the entire hike. Thankfully, it was only in the last hour, when we were at the lowest altitude and in a warmer climate at mid-day, that it got hot. Seeing Feynan in the distance was a welcome sight after such a long hike.
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| Oryx/Ibex/Animal that allegedly lives in Jordan but I've never seen |
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| Pre-Hike and Pre-Sweat |
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| View of the trail down through the Wadi |
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| Stone houses of Dana at the start of the trail |
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| Taking in the steep descent and view |
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| The trail splits straight down the wadi |
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| Rocky paths and steep trails |
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| I was doing this in tennis shoes, but I'd definitely recommend hiking boots |
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| "Entry" to the biosphere that randomly started after our steep descent |
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| Lisa looking at the rest of the trail |
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| Rock piles and beautiful flowers |
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| Loved these pink flowers |
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| Most of the trail was like this with ups and downs, following the wadi floor |
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| Kaitlin looking at all the vegetation |
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| Coolest tree roots ever |
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Horse at our lunch stop (under a tree) -- the horse and its owner
were headed in the opposite (!) direction with an older Spanish couple |
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| Do you see the baby camel? |
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| One of the few trees on the trail |
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| A panda rock! |
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Getting closer to Feynan we passed many Bedouin tents and families--
the women and kids were around doing chores while most of the men were
out with the grazing goats in the mountains |
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| A sight for sore eyes -- Feynan Ecolodge! |
Up next: Staying in Feynan Ecolodge
2 comments:
Great post! The rocks and flowers pic is great. Is that something other hikers created along the way?
Thanks, Chelsey! I think the rocks might be markers by bored shepherds perhaps? We saw a few walking along with their goats/sheep through the mountains during our hike.
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