We did an adventure road trip down the King’s Highway.  Renting a car was easy, navigating was easy, and we felt safe the whole time.  Click on the titles for a more in-depth report of each day!

Day 1: Madaba, Mt. Nebo, Machaerus, Umm Ar-Rasas, Grand Canyon of Jordan

The beginning of our road trip adventure on the King’s Highway through Jordan, we explored the mosaics of Madaba, and started our way down the King’s Highway to Mt. Nebo, Machaerus, Umm Ar-Rasas and the Grand Canyon of Jordan.

Madaba: Archaeological Museum, mosaic restoration school, and of course famous Madaba Map mosaic in the Byzantine church of Saint George.  This map of the middle east dating from 6th century AD contains the oldest surviving original cartographic depiction of the Holy Land and especially Jerusalem. 

Mt. Nebo: the site from which Moses is said to have viewed the Holy Lands. 

Machaerus: The once fortified palace and bath house of Herod, and site of the imprisonment and beheading of John the Baptist in 32 AD.  

Umm Ar-Rasas: UNESCO world heritage site ruins – multiple eras of use . . . Biblical settlement, Roman military strategic garrison, later inherited by Christian and Muslim communities.  Ruins date to Roman, Byzantine, and early Muslim periods. A lot of the area remains unexcavated/buried under debris . . . 

Comment: We drove on to Umm Ar-Rasas, partly because we read that Kerak castle was closed on Sundays.  In retrospect, going straight to Kerak was probably the better choice, and it doesn’t close Sundays! That said, Umm Ar-Rasas was pretty cool, kind of more-so because nobody was there and there was a lot of exploring to be had!!  Actually, I’m really glad we stopped and would recommend doing so.

‘Grand Canyon of Jordan’ from the road (Hwy 35) just south of Dhiban.  It was a cool spot to overlook and watch the sunset, but honestly not overly spectacular. Then again, it’s on the way so worth it!

We made progress south along Kings Highway in the dark, deciding to stay in Dana Village.  We’d heard it’s cool for hiking, and it was also the best location to hit Shobuk Castle in the morning, on the way to Petra.  

Day 2: Shobak Castle, Little Petra-to-Petra hike, Monastary, Petra-by-night

From our hotel in Dana, we drove the King’s Highway to Shobak castle, a crusader castle built in 1115.

Pretty impressive fortification!

Little Petra and the hike to the Monastery and Petra . . . exploration of Little Petra to the ‘best view in the world’ and then up the wadi and eventually to the Monastery of Petra (didn’t find the primary/correct route!).  Albeit less famous than the Treasury, we thought the Monastery was at least as cool.  Walk through Petra at dusk.

And then we found it! So cool to come up on this view after walking through such cool natural terrain. We agreed we were so glad to arrive at Petra in this manner!  Celebratory handstand a must!

Petra-by-Night cool, but not epic, glad we did it!

Day 3: Petra exploration, Wadi Rum arrival

15 miles, countless stairs, and 9 hours of walking around Petra from the 6am opening . . . Siq, Treasury, Street of Facades, Theater, hike above Treasury, Byzantine Church, Great Temple, Garden Temple, High Place of Sacrifice.  We covered SO MUCH GROUND and saw so much, staying away from crowds for much of it.

We left Petra at sunset and drove to Wadi Rum where we made the pickup and to the Bedouin camp (Martian Camp) by dinner.  Again, totally worth it to spend the evening under the stars and by a lovely campfire after a day in zany Petra.  

Day 4: Wadi Rum – sunrise hike, jeep tour, Um Froth, Burdah Bridge, camel ride to ‘sunset spot’

Wadi Rum is rad.  Sunrise hike, Jeep tour with Umm Froth (Mother’s Bridge) and a hike to Burdah Bridge.  The views from Burdah Bridge and the adventure of hiking it were high points of the trip.  Camel ride to sunset spot and stunning walk back to camp . . . a perfect day!

Umm Froth (mother’s bridge)

View of Wadi Rum from Burdah Bridge

Burdah Bridge!

Day 5: Wadi Rum ‘sunrise spot’ hike, Kerak Castle, Dead Sea

We walked the next morning to the ‘sunrise spot’ before leaving Wadi Rum and stopping at Kerak Castle, back on the King’s Highway.  It’s another crusader castle (like Shobuk), but it’s walls are still in use by the city and it’s much less rustic. It’s a much better preserved and a lot bigger by virtue of more being intact.

From there we were on to the Dead Sea.  We stayed at the Marriott and enjoyed mud baths and floating in the salty water – what trip!

Day 6: Bethany, Jerash, departure

Coffee by the Dead Sea, then on to Bethany, the baptism site of Jesus Christ along the River Jordan. Bethany is downplayed on a lot of travel websites, but I really enjoyed it. The tour is into the military area because Israel is literally over the River Jordan (Palestine, even). It was eery to know we were looking at one of the most contested pieces of land on the planet, and yet it felt so serene and holy really.  

Then on to Jerash, the Roman ruins just outside Amman.  Jerash is rad. The history of the city is a blend of the Greco-Roman world of the Mediterranean Basin and the ancient traditions of the Arab Orient, and it’s still being excavated and studied today.  There’s a cool temple to Zeus and Artemis, coliseums, bathhouses, lots of columns and just cool and big and well preserved.  

Overall, it think we did a really good job at Jordan.  For 6 days, we covered A LOT of ground, got a lot of great context on the extremely rich history, and really enjoyed the hospitality of the locals we met.  I would highly recommend a trip to Jordan to anyone . . . there’s something for everyone. I’d go back and do a more proper adventure in Wadi Rum, wouldn’t mind diving the Red Sea in Aqaba, and would have loved to explore some of the Wadis near the Dead Sea if we weren’t there in winter.  But, all in all I am very satisfied with our experience.  

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Explore the map below for adventure ideas, organized by hiking/adventure, wadi exploration, and castles/ruins . . . and peruse the stories!

Here you can find the best hiking trails in Oman, the best wadis to explore, and some cool ruins, forts, & castles to check out!!!

General tips:

• Oman is an overwhelmingly beautiful and hospitable place – a superb travel destination that offers a wonderful combination of culture/history, adventure, and connecting with local people.  
• Everywhere we went we felt welcome and very safe. 
• Rental cars often have 250km/day limits on 4×4, but we found a reasonable one through Rhino Cars that didn’t have a mileage restriction.  It’s worth having 4×4 as it presents a lot of options for exploring, and takes some stress out of getting places.  
• Waze/google maps are mostly reliable but Oman is one of the only places I’ve been that the GPS is actually wrong.  It’s worth getting a good old-fashioned road map if you can find one so you can truth check Waze/google maps
• AirBnB is a great option.  Much cheaper than hotels and some really cool places.  
• Camping is legal pretty much anywhere – private property is pretty obvious given privacy walls and fencing.  Most natural attraction areas have defined camping spots, and it’s quite popular among locals.
• Eating in International hotels is probably 3-5 times more expensive – if you’re on a budget, seek local places!
• How to buy butane in Oman: Butane can be purchased at hypermarkets (Lulu) although it has a different connection than US stoves, so we ended up buying a stove locally as well.  We did see a camping store in the Wave in Muscat that might have had different/better options, but we didn’t go in to verify. For actual backpacking trips, this could be a somewhat limiting factor as the stove didn’t seem overly robust.  
• The ministry of tourism publishes trekking guides – sure wish we knew about this before our trip vs. figuring it out after!!!  
• Laundry in Muscat seems to be all dry cleaning – we were able to negotiate overnight service

A week in Oman 

In April of 2018, my friend Adrienne and I spent a week exploring Oman . . . we put in a lot of miles and covered some really cool territory.  Here’s the itinerary in case it helps you plan your own adventure road trip!

A week in Oman Day 1 – Bimah Sinkhole and Wahiba Sands

A week in Oman – Day 2 – Wahiba sands to Nizwa, including Wadi Bani Khalid, Al Mudhareib, overnight in Nizwa

A week in Oman – Day 3 – Nizwa souq/fort and Al Hamra

A week in Oman – Day 4 – Muscat to Jabal Al Akhdar via Wadi Qurai

A week in Oman – Day 5 – Jabal Al Akhdar trekking to Jabal Al Shams

A week in Oman – Day 6 – Jabal Al Shams to Bahla to Ibri/Al Araqi

A week in Oman – Day 7 – Daminiyat Islands SCUBA, exploring the expat community of The Wave, camping in the Sawadi Islands

A week in Oman – Day 8 – Rustaq Fort, Wadi Bani Auf – Little Snake Canyon, back to Muscat

Jabal Al Shams

• While there’s no checkpoint like Jabal Al Akhdar, a 4×4 is very beneficial on this drive!  It starts paved and then turns to dirt. It’s ultimately much longer than we expected, but if you keep going up and following the signs (when you see them – don’t expect to see them as often as you’d like!), then you’ll ultimately arrive. It’s about an hour and 20 mins to where the road ends.
• To find the W-6 Canyon Rim trail, continue driving past the crafts booths and onto the dirt road, following it as it descends to a village and ‘parking lot.’  You’ll pass the camping area on the way, which is quite worthwhile to sleep at! With all the goats and the wind, I wouldn’t setup camp and leave it though. So, it could be difficult if it’s crowded to get a spot late in the day.
• We did the canyon rim trail in the last 2 hours of the day, and it took us just over 2 hours to get all the way to the cave and back, at an enjoyable pace.  Doing this in the last light of the day meant we had the trail to ourselves and truly amazing light over the Grand Canyon of Arabia/Wadi Ghul, which is a truly spectacular place
• We actually had no idea there was a cave at the end, until some other hikers told us about it . . . totally worthwhile.  The trail markers/worn trail essentially end at the village, but continue as long as you can until you start to see some traveled paths up and to your left . . . Look for goats in trees!
• from the cave, there’s actually a via ferrata the can be done, although lacking climbing gear (and daylight) we didn’t try.  We met some expat tourists that said it was pretty cool, once you got above the horrible scree field from the cave area.
• The village ruins are super interesting and a really cool bonus to an already stunning hike.  This is totally worthwhile, especially since it’s not overly challenging (that said, it’s still a hike, so don’t get sucked into thinking it’s just an easy walk!)
• We camped on the canyon rim, which was stunning.  We kept most things in the car (including all food) due to the goats, but since it’s car camping it was no issue.  We were there midweek so crowds weren’t a problem, but I could see how it would get crowded and compromise the nature experience a bit.  That said, there were so many locals, it might make for a cool cultural experience instead.
• The next morning, we started up the W-4 trail to the summit, but actually quit 1.5 hours into it because an option to visit friends came up.  That said, it’s not much of a trail and I’m not sure it felt totally worth the investment of a whole day if you’re on a short trip. If a resident, then I’m sure it would be worth it!

A week in Oman – Day 6 – Jabal Al Shams to Bahla to Ibri/Al Araqi

Bahla Fort

• A UNESCO World Heritage site, we couldn’t help but stop for a quick exploration on our way to Ibri and it was well worth it
• What it lacks in the exhibits like Nizwa Fort, Bahla offers lack of infrastructure which manifests as authenticity
• We explored like children, following maze-like hallways, imagining how spaces were used with just enough signage to give us a hint but not enough to stifle imagination with all the ‘facts’. There is no restricted access, so climbing ladders and stairs to the top of the fort is possible and worth it!
• It felt like an actual fort.  Totally go here. And yet, a solid hour was pretty much enough to get our exploration fix and not get over-saturated with forts!

Al Araqi with an Omani family

• Since I work in Oman, I was fortunate that a friend offered the invitation to come to his home, enjoy Omani meals, meet his family, and be shown the general area.  It was a gem of a day, in all the ways a day can be a gem.
  • The extended family joined, and were all so warm and friendly
  • We ate amazing food, maybe too much, but couldn’t stand to refuse considering how amazing it all was!
  • Adrienne and the children played a very festive game of ‘rock paper scissors’ – another classic way we are more similar than different.  
• Mohammed (my friend) took us on a great tour of the area, showing us his land with a garden, the sand dunes nearby town, more camels than we saw all trip, more amazing ruins, lessons of history – both the long-ago kind and the kind that’s actually occurred in his lifespan.  
  • Oman is an amazing country in transition.  In the last 40 years of the current Sultan Qaboos,  the country has focused on becoming a modern society with world class education, health care, society, and economy.  Mohammed remembers the one tv in town. A time when the town had 2 cars total for transport to nearby Ibri. A time when there was only a small clinic with only trailing doctors.  A time when there was no school. When the Sultan came and demanded that one be formed in 2 weeks and it was constructed of tents, and classes were held under the date trees and a time when the real school was built and he was one of the first students.  
  • The ‘progress’ is palpable as essentially all of the homes appear recently built, a manifestation of the government land grant that gives each person (man?) 600 sq meters of land in proximity to their village of birth, simultaneously maintaining traditional lifestyles while amplifying the standard of living.
  • We visited the bat ruins, which are considered to be old tombs.  We were so thankful to be guided there, in recognition that they don’t appear super notable and we would have surely gotten lost and irritated trying to find them!
• We enjoyed another amazing dinner meal with the family, before heading back to Muscat for our SCUBA adventure the next day, exhausted from an amazing day! The drive from Ibri to Muscat is all on the highway and very easy. 

A week in Oman – Day 7 – Daminiyat Islands SCUBA, exploring the expat community of The Wave, camping in the Sawadi Islands

SCUBA Daminiyat Islands

• We weren’t made of the thing that could be so close to amazing SCUBA and not indulge!  So we found Pro Scuba based out of Seeb area, and enjoyed a very different and yet no-less-amazing adventure
• We did 2 dives, three sisters and black tip reef.  The first was deeper and had much better clarity.  It’s difficult to tell if the second was less clear due to the wind kicking up, being shallower, or being on a different aspect of the island
• regardless, both were super cool – beautiful coral, tons of fish life, eels, rays, blowfish, all the things.  
• Highly recommended.  Meeting at 8am, we took off about 9ish I’d guess, 40 min boat ride, sandwiches between dives, and back around 2pm.  Thankfully there was a shower onsite, so it was no big deal that we didn’t’ have a hotel to go back to and clean the salt off.

The Wave 

• Coffee shops, reprieve of conservative dress standards, international cuisine. Perhaps not Omani, but a cultural experience all the same, and nice to eat ‘familiar’ food

Sawadi

• We were in the mood to camp, and our dive master suggested his hometown of Sawadi, offering to arrange a boat to take us camping and snorkeling in the islands just offshore.  Never ones to refuse adventure, we decided to go for it! After all, it was only 40 minutes from the Wave.
• Adrienne snorkeled with Ali for a night snorkel with the promise of octopus sightings, but I was content to chill onshore, and was a bit validated that they didn’t see octopi anyhow!
• The sunset was amazing, as were views of the island fort nearby.  It was so hot we slept on a tarp only, without sleeping bags. The only issue was mice, clearly accustomed to the crumbs of campers, that walked over us as we sat/slept – creepy!
• As promised, the boat came for us at 6am, and we were shocked out of deep sleep off of our island hideout and back to ‘civilization’

Rustaq Fort

• About 45 minutes away we found the Rustaq Fort.  Also a former capital of the Imamate of Oman (pre-Sultan), the Rustaq Fort was equally incredible as the other two we visited, with more the flavor of Bahla than Nizwa.  The restoration is impressive, with a good mix of explained history and exploration potential. Again, there was no restricted access, and we left no staircases unexplored! 
• This one was added to with successive rulers so has a very unique feel to it
• Khamis was the host, and after we explored, he invited us for Omani coffee, and chatting, which we had very much come to love about Oman!
  • A lover of the mountains, he has spent his life in the Rustaq area and grew up hiking with his father
  • His father was the previous fort caretaker, and used to sleep there.  While Khamis doesn’t stay, he’s new in the job having just taken the ‘reigns’ 2 weeks ago.  He enjoys the job for its offer of meeting many different people. He loves to travel, connect with foreigners, and learn about other places, while simultaneously loving home, his wife, and their 4 boys.
  • He gives all of his salary to his wife, and she gives him an allowance.  He loves life, and admits that he’s too irresponsible to be in charge of the money!  An interesting marriage construct, but I can hardly fault it, and am endlessly interested in how marriage manifests throughout Omani culture considering family is such a central tenet of the social fabric.  

Wadi Bani Auf and Snake Canyon

• Since Oman is all about fort and wadis, it felt natural to follow our fort adventure with a wadi adventure.  Wadi Bani Auf and little snake canyon was our intended destination . . . but leave it to us to find a next-level adventure. 
• Wadi Bani Auf is along the dirt road that actually leads up over a pass and to Al Hamra.  We had considered driving it from the Al Hamra side, but got varying reports of difficulty of travel (and whether we would make it) so decided not to commit to it . . . not to mention our trip took an unexpected turn anyhow with the Ibri adventure.
  • We found our Wadi start place but felt compelled to explore the road a bit (the 4×4 was necessary and helpful on this road!), at one point seeing an obvious canyon that we explored a bit on foot before realizing it didn’t seem to lead anywhere significant (although did have a lot of foot traffic evidence, and a rental car parked at the exit telling us someone was adventuring up there). 
  • So we kept driving, and climbed and descended some pretty next level roads, thankful again for our trusty 4×4 rental!  At our high point, we realized we were looking down on the Snake Canyon that we’d read about, a point-to-point quasi canyoneering adventure requiring ropes and guides/local knowledge.  And then we found the obvious start point and a car, and quickly realized there were people doing the trip with a car shuttle.
  • Rather than take the next big hill, we decided that was a good turnaround point and as we were driving back, we encountered the rental car, so naturally I stopped to say hi.  They had indeed been descending Snake Canyon, which they said was super cool but definitely needed a guide. I asked where they’d found one. They said he was in the back seat.  I asked if he wanted to guide again, he said yes, so we did another car shuttle . . .
• And then Majdi, our local guide from Balad Sayt, guided us down this truly incredible canyon.
  • It had been awhile since rain, so it was more repelling and down climbing than plunging off of rocks into pools, but there was still plenty of swimming and it was so so amazing.  Walls worn smooth by flash floods, high canyon walls, solitude, shade and a cool wind.
  • It only took us 1.5 hours to descend the ~4 miles, and we loved every minute of it.  We were so thankful for our amazing luck yet again. 
  • Majdi was super kind, interesting, and helpful.  More of the Omani hospitality we had come to adore, more of the cultural perspective so freely shared.

Back to Muscat

• And with that, the exploration was over.  We went back to Muscat, fueled up, returned the rental, did the gear explosion of repack for the journey to work/home, and enjoyed a shower, nice meal, and glass of celebratory wine.
• At no point was I sure it was all going to work out and we’d make it back with us and our rental in one piece, and yet we did.  After a truly amazing and unforgettable adventure that we never could have scripted with even the best of planning.  
• We ended full of gratitude for the hospitality and kindness, education, natural beauty, and overall consistency of awe, wonder, adventure, challenge, and exploration.  Everyday had the combo of physical exertion, cultural encounters, and education that we both adore. It fed all parts of us.  

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While on a kite trip to Peru, the call of the mountains was too much to ignore, so I made my way to Huaraz and completed the Santa Cruz trek with Huascaran Adventures.  The most famous of all the Cordillera Blanca Treks with two high mountain passes and fabulous views of famous peaks Alpamayo, Huascaran, and Artesonraju of Paramount Pictures fame!  Lagoons, waterfalls, peaks, and valleys with the high point of 15,420′ (4700m).

Cordillera from the town of Huaraz

Gourmet meals 3 times per day!

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  Perfect journal moments abounded

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  The route continued up valley, but we took the side trip to the beautiful lake and vista of Alpamayo

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  Alpamayo in the distance!

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  pre-swim smiles!

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  When in Rome . . . I started this, and then everyone swam!

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  The meal tent . . . what a luxury!

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  The famed Andean condor

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  our high point

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  It was rainy season, after all . . .

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  Cuy!

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  now, those are some switchbacks!!!

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When we chose Hotel Sama for our night on the Sayq Plateau of Jabal Akhdar, one selling point was a guided hike the next day with a local employee.  While we didn’t know what to expect, Ali took us on a modified trekking route from Al Ayn to Sharayjah, walking along falajs through lost villages, and to follow the scent of the famed damask rose that creates the rose water Oman is known for. 

Suffice it to say, this day of hiking on The Green Mountain was a highlight of our Oman adventure road trip!  

Our guide for the day was Ali, a local Omani from the small and mostly abandoned village of Ash Sharayjah where he would eventually take us.  From Hotel Sama, we working the reception, we walked along falaj and through villages, a route we definitely would not have been brave enough to follow if not for being guided!!!  There are some very steep sections on the falaj with high exposure that some may not find comfortable and certainly the route was not obvious!  

Shortly after leaving the hotel, villages in the distance we’d ultimately walk through

Extreme falaj walking . . . not for the faint of heart!

. . . and we loved it!

This falaj is more typical of the ones we were walking on

Really cool mountain terrain as well! After all, we were up at 10,000′ so properly in the alpine of the Al Hajar mountains!

Classic Omani mosque and garden of damask roses

Walking along the terraced gardens . . . while many families have relocated to the Sayq Plateau above, they still maintain their family gardens in the traditional villages.

We we there in the last week of April, which meant that there were still blooming roses, although we missed the peak by about 2-3 weeks and so didn’t get to see the full bloom, or rosewater being made.  That said, we did get to smell the roses, and the damask rose is truly an incredible flower!  So fragrant I could have breathed it all day – a true treat!

Smelling the damask rose – truly one of the most fragrant flowers I’ve ever experienced!

Seen later in the trek, these are the stills actually used to make rose water.

We could have gladly stayed among the rose bushes all day!

We were in love with all the beautiful doors on the village homes.  In many ways they seemed out of place among the otherwise colorless structures.  We ultimately learned that the practice of lovely doors is to be inviting to guests – Omani hospitality yet again!  

For so many reasons, this might be my favorite picture of Omani doors

And, ultimately, the highlight of the whole hike/experience was the town of Ash Sharyjah itself.  While we were walking, Ali told us that he was actually born in one of these villages we could see.  Adrienne asked if he’d take us there, and he said he would, so off we went!  He took us to his actual family home and showed us how they lived, where they played as children, and how the community celebrated events like Eid and marriages.  It was so cool and very interesting to watch Ali remember his childhood with his whole body, visibly torn between a simpler time living as children in the traditional village and a more abundant time of living in a nice home on the Sayq Plateau.  This is when I came to realize the profound transition that the country of Oman is in, and that the people I met had experienced such dramatic changes in their short lifetime.

We returned to the hotel via an actual trekking route, which would have been easy to follow on our own, but it was well worth the guidance of Ali, especially the stories of his life/family and perspectives of a local!!  It was one of the highlights of the whole trip for us.  

The route back was far more straightforward, though less exciting . . .

The plateau was a stark change after a day in steep terrain!

While neither the hotel Sama nor Ali charged us, we left a nice tip in an envelope as he gave us such an amazing experience!!!  Truly, the adventure was better than money can buy and really drove home the value of local knowledge and perspective as we explored this amazing country of Oman!

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Wadi Qurai is a really cool wadi located about an hour from Muscat, and on the way to Nizwa.  It’s an easy stop for a few hours exploration, hjking, and swimming!  Even better, it’s not a well-known wadi, so won’t be as crowded as other wadis near Muscat.

As we were driving, I noticed the sign for the town of Wadi Qurai  and googled to see if there was anything worth exploring.  I found a few write-ups that made me think it was worth breaking up the drive for some exploration, and it was! 

Just off the main highway, about 40 minutes from Muscat on Highway 15, follow the signs for the town and drive toward the obvious cleft in the rocks that a wadi would flow . . . and it’s there. 

It’s easy to find the start as you have to cross the wadi on about 10’ high falaj . . . you can walk in the water though so it’s less balancing.

Adrienne with the super balancy part in the background!

It’s a super beautiful canyon with some fun rocks to climb over . . . not super difficult, but no easy hiking trail either!

The hike up-canyon was full of natural beauty and scrambling as we followed the falaj up in search of its source to swim in!

We found the source and it was glorious!

. . . and swimming was done!

There are some super fun and beautiful pools to swim in about an hour in.  We went a bit further than the big pools but it didn’t look like there was much more to see, which was confirmed by the more knowledgeable expat group we ran into.  

We continued beyond the main pools found initially and it didn’t seem like there was much else beyond . . .

All good things come to an end . . . headed out!

Overall, Wadi Qurai is a really cool wadi to explore.  Follow the falaj and the obvious path of the wadi and have fun with the rocks and terrain!!!  

We were there on a Friday and only encountered one expat group while at the pool and one group of Omanis walking in as we were walking out – for being so close to Muscat, it is not crowded and this makes it worthwhile in and of itself!

Overall, this is a worthy stop on a road trip or as a stand-alone day trip from Muscat!

Getting there: Getting to Wadi Qurai is incredibly simple. From Muscat, simply take road 15 towards Nizwa and remain on this road for 76km before exiting to the right. The journey should take a little over one hour in good traffic

From there, we were off to Jabal Al Akhdar for more exploring!

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Bobby nearing the “extreme” section

Ummm, I’d really like to come back this winter and re-explore the lines behind me!!!

My lovely Girdwood below – I can even see my house!!!  What a wonderful idyllic little valley!!

Nothing like a fancy drink and a tram ride down!

The best part was that, after the hike, I had some inspiration left over and went for a bike ride on the new resort trails . . . hike a bike to the top of chair 4, techy downhill, and then a good dinner . . . not a bad way to spend a last day before going back to work!!!  This was definitely a great two weeks off!!!

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From the Mint Trail parking lot

I just had to lay in the sun – I was exhausted from a super stressful hitch at work!!  Sherrie was so kind to let me relax and enjoy the time chatting and listening to the water pass by

Was this really my first time at the Mint Hut?!?!

Ummm, holy beautiful place!!  I was amazed at how big and stunning this area is!!

Looking down on the hut as we ascended over Backdoor Gap

It wouldn’t be the Talkeetnas without some scree

Looking over at the Mint Glacier

Descending the Penniroyal Glacier

Ever a good samaritan, Sherrie recovers some old balloon trash!

Stunning on the other side as well, although doesn’t look too kind to travel much further up valley

Looking down toward the Bomber Hut

At the base of the climb to the Snowbird Hut . . . starting to sprinkle, but we didn’t have much to complain about after such a stunning day of sunshine!!!!

View from the Snowbird

Heading up the Snowbird Glacier in the morning

And the clouds continued to part as we walked into them, with sun illuminating us all the way home!!

Soltis wins the fashion award

We’re so cute!!  So great to get out with Sherrie, even if only for a night!

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A happy finisher in clean clothes

The flight home . . . airplane living is a good life

Here’s the article from the Daily Newsminer in Fairbanks

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After I finally mobilized from my house, they picked up a bike for Ryan, and morning logistics were handled, we left at about 10am, just as the Eklutna Challenge was getting ready to kick off – thankfully we were ahead of the bike leg so we weren’t sharing the path with a bunch of racers!

Sherrie with the E Fork

Ryan and Doug part way up Stiver’s Gulley

Sherrie headed up the valley – good-bye spring, hello winter!

And then full-on winter! I think we may have pushed the limits of running shoes on this one! I don’t have a summit shot cuz it was too cold and miserable up there!

But the good news is that we got to butt slide much of the way down – who knew glissading was so much fun?!!? Doug incoming . . .

 

Heading back down to spring!

Probably not necessary, but super nice to have the fixed lines! Sherrie headed down . . .

 

Looking down Stiver’s Gulley to the E Fork Eklutna River

So green and beautiful!!! Given the weather up top, we decided it’s a proper miracle that we didn’t get rained on for the whole descent and bike ride out!!!

 

Oh scree . . . such a lovely travel meadium

 

One of the locals . . . this black bear was intent upon coming up gulley so we got out of the way and let him pass!Almost done with the scree nonsense!!!

We arrived back to the bikes which were thankfully still there! I did, however, have a tire with pretty low air . . . a quick inventory determined that I managed to bring a tire and irons, but my pump did not make it in – lame! Doug and Ryan took off, figuring it’d be better to ride a pump back in than anything else, and Sherrie and I made our way slowly out. The tire had enough air to ride (although steering was a little interesting) and it didn’t seem like I was going to do major rim damage, so we went for it . . . we hoped to find bikers at the campground (no such luck!), but were happy to find some at the cabin. After probably giving them a heart attack in the process of borrowing their pump, my tire was full and we were off! We ran into Doug about 1/2 mile from the parking lot, happy he didn’t have another 20 mile bike ride in front of him!!

A view of Bold Peak in the clouds from our ride

Happy with air in my tire again!!!

To top off a great day, a quick call to Moose’s Tooth on the way out determined they’re open until 1 am, giving us plenty of time to end the day with the pizza I’d been dreaming of since getting on my bike that morning!!! Hooray!!!
Overall, a great day! I’d never even been to Eklutna, so Bold Peak is a heck of an introduction, and it’s always great to spend a long day in the mountains!!! It was also a good reminder lesson for suspension of disbelief – I had given us about a 5% chance of making it when we’d left the car . . . just goes to show you that you never know until you go!

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