The Tallest Escarpment

We have been talking about climbing the escarpment, which dominates the Oasis landscape, since the first day we arrived. Everyone who's done it brags about it, with a mixture of pride and horror at their climb. This, somehow, didn't phase me. I just figured it was a steep hike. (And when I compare it to our nearly vertical trip up the volcano on the island of Ometepe in Nicaragua, it certainly pales. Then again, I hiked up that mountain wearing shorts and a tank-top, not long-sleeves and pants. The point, though, is that I was unprepared for the scarp!)

It started slow - we looked at the scarp before us, and scoffed. We wouldn't need two or three hours to climb this thing! It was puny! But after about an hour, we hadn't even begun climbing, just traipsing through the foothills. And then we really started to climb.

I, in a fit of enthusiasm, followed after one of the archaeologists' assistants, who is much taller than I am (and everyone on the program!) and has incredibly long legs. We scrambled up a rocky slope, which I expected would end in our sliding down the other side to join the rest of the group. Well, I was wrong. I had just joined the fast group, led by the long-legged Sander, and we would soon be choosing the most difficult way and moving as fast as possible for the entire trip. (The photo above is of the view from a resting place after the first short leg of the journey.)

So here I am, fresh-faced and unassuming, right before I discovered I would be continuing to follow Team Fast for the entire trip. Look how proud I look! I have no idea what I'm getting myself into...

But we continued upward. It was hot. I'd only brought 1 liter of water, because I only have one Nalgene. I was worried about getting dehydrated. So was everyone else around me. As we continued up, we slowed our pace (IE I did, which had an effect on the rest of the group!). We experimented with zig-zagging across the sand, which was an effective strategy, and huddled behind rocks to find small patches of shade. And we were exhausted. But it was so exciting! I couldn't wait to get to the top...

An example of some of the sandy patches of the escarpment, with its edge poking out in the distance.

Rocks we had to scramble up.

When we finally got to the top, we had to take a break before setting out to meet up with the other group of climbers, who'd taken the (easier?) alternative route. It took me a few minutes before I could enjoy the view. But quite quickly, I could do little else.