In August 2011, my wife, myself and two good friends were looking to beat the summer heat in Muscat and decided to tackle the highest peak in Oman. Reaching near 3,000 meters, Jebel Shams, which translates to “mountain of the sun,” is not for the faint of heart as we soon discovered. The entire trek can be completed in a single day; a very, very long day, approximately eleven hours from bottom to top and back at a steady pace. Instead, we decided to take full advantage of the spectacular views the Jebel had to offer and camp overnight near the peak, returning the following morning.
Before heading off, I checked the weather on multiple sites to ensure everything looked good for the weekend trip. We departed Muscat early Thursday morning, making it to the trail head within three hours of driving. The start of the summit hike is 3.2km north of the Jebel Shams Resort, in a wadi behind a Bedouin-style camp. The hiking trail is well-marked with red, white and yellow paint swatches; from each marker, you are able to see the next. The start of the trail is a gentle slope over rocky terrain with some light bouldering in places. Eventually, the trail meets up with a cliff edge continuing upwards towards the peak, offering spectacular views of Wadi Nakhr, over a kilometer below. Upon the first glimpse over the cliff edge, it’s easy to see why this is often referred to as the “Grand Canyon of Oman.”
As we neared the final approach to the summit, the weather suddenly changed. A dark, ominous thunder cloud rolled in from the east, hanging over the peak of the mountain. Based on previous unpleasant experiences with lightning and mountain tops, I convinced the group that it would be beneficial to everyone’s health to wait out the storm at a lower elevation and call off the hike if it persisted. We managed to find a semi -sheltered location from which to watch as the cloud unleashed rain, thunder and lightning for the next hour. One of the strikes was so close; the thunderous boom was deafening and made everyone jump. We could feel it as much as we could hear it. Then, as quickly as it came, the stormy weather blew past.
We continued at a steady pace towards the top, away from the ridge, through a saddle and eventually out to a ledge that traversed the gorge. Approaching the peak, the sun hung low in the sky offering beautiful views to the west with the nearby peaks bathed in the golden glow of dusk. As we came up onto the plateau, we were a little surprised to find the wind gusting 
near 20km/hour. With the temperature hovering around 14 ˚C and the wind-chill, it was cold! After exploring along the top ridge, we decided to camp in a sheltered saddle, hoping it would offer protection from the elements. As we set up camp, the wind was still gusting and the rain started up again. We worked at a frantic pace to set up our tents so we could escape the wet, chilly weather and get into some warm, dry clothes. Our four-season back-country tent held up well against the weather, but our friend’s “Carrefour special” nearly blew away with the wind gusts. Luckily, the wind and rain subsided and the clouds cleared, revealing a spectacular, star-filled sky. We could finally relax, enjoy a hot meal and laugh as we reminisced over our luck with mountain weather. I never thought it would be possible to complain of being cold in Oman in August!
The following morning, I awoke early and hiked to the top of the plateau to watch the sun rise over the valley below. As I sat there, enjoying the peaceful quiet and breathtaking views, I was reminded why I enjoy my weekend escapes so much. After breakfast, we packed up camp and started our descent back down the trail. The weather was cool and refreshing, the visibility much improved thanks to the previous day’s rain. We took our time descending, stopping at several vantage points to take photos and enjoy the scenery. As we neared the end of the trail near noon, the temperature was hitting its peak, around 30 ˚C.
If you undertake this weekend adventure, don’t forget you are hiking in the mountains and need to be prepared for the unexpected, both with regards to weather and emergency response. With a little pre-planning, even an unexpected thunder shower can’t spoil your fun! As we like to say in Canada, get out there, have fun and “keep your stick on the ice.”
Published in September 2012
