05/06/2026
Day 8 - Egypt. Mt. Sinai Night Hike (where Moses received the 10 Commandments) and St. Catherine Monastery.
When you go on group tours like we did, you start in the middle of the night. We were picked up at our hotel at 930 pm for a 3.5 hour bus ride. St. Catherine Monastery, at the base, is the longest running occupied Christian monastery in the world.
Our group began the climb around 1am.
This night hike is over gravel and rocks, twists and turns, 2.5 mikes up and then back down. There is no light other than that of the moon so we all had headlamps. The first part is the "Camel Trail." About 1/3 of the way up, I rolled my ankle and opted for the Camel. It was extremely scary, sharp corners, narrow path atop the Camel, feeling like the strong wind could knock me off anytime. At a certain point, I had to let go and trust God. My Bedouin guide had to help another hiker so he let my camel travel up on it's own.This is really when you have to let go.
We arrived at the last coffee shop before the final 750 "Steps of Penitence." These are not really steps, they are steep 4 foot boulders that knock the wind out of you. I was wearing shorts (horrible decision) so I had to buy a wraparound blanket for my legs and later, rent one for my upper body.
The beginning climb was 3 hours and the final steps took 1 hour bringing us to 5 am. It was just in time to see the sunrise. So glorious.
Words can't express the gratitude I have for the whole experience. To my husband Michael Smyth for enabling me to take this journey. Our guides, the other participants and our fearless leader. ( Ask me privately if you have interest in these group tours).
This will stay with me forever. Very inspired.
