Submitted by Naz.

Last Saturday was the 3rd Trip to Wadi Rum, second time for actual roped climbing. This time I got the Bedouin camping experience under the stars with the sun hitting me directly in the face so when I turned away, I saw the route we would be climbing. It was a beautiful four pitch route with one of those ridiculously mundane names, Runner Up on the West Face of Jebel al m'Zaygeh.

Because we decided to be lazy and sleep in, by the time I was mostly finished with the first pitch, the sun was directly in my eyes. It was a super nice climb with good clean moves. Tony Howard's book give each pitch a 5- (French rating comparable to YDS 5.5ish) rating, and it was easier than the crux pitch of Goldfinger, the climb I did the weekend before. However there were definitley parts of the climb (maybe through erosion etc), that warrant a slightly higher rating.

So what accounts for a Bedouin power lunch in between climbs? Camel's milk, fresh and still warm from the camel. It was probably one of the more interesting parts of my day as I watched a Sudanese herder milk a nursing camel in front of us. I stood uncomfortably aside watching the long-lashed white-as-sheep baby calf (is that what baby camels are called?). After four-wheeling through the desert in a 1980's era Toyota Landcruiser, we did some nice sunset climbs on .... shock ... wait for it ... granite slab. In the land of red sandstone, we found granite. We did two lines, the first 6a/b (5.9+/5.10ish) and the second 6c (5.10d/5.11-) both about 100 ft of nice friction climbing.

More phots here: http://www.flickr.com/gp/70421282@N00/05eQto

See my previous Wadi Rum trip report !