Heading to Jordan, and more specifically the Wadi Rum region — desert, rocky, with orange-red rock that is often quite brittle. This region has an enormous number of Bedouin routes (scrambling) as well as hundreds of climbing routes, most of which are unprotected, requiring the placement of cams and nuts. This was the primary reason for our visit to this corner of the world.
There were four of us — Félix, Livio, Jonathan and myself, Kivik — on the plane to Amman, the capital of Jordan. Once there at around 8:30 PM, after spending the day between the metro, the TGV and the plane, we still had a 4-hour taxi ride to reach the village of Rum, in the middle of the desert. It was therefore at 1:30 in the morning that Omar, a local guide and climber with whom I had already had the chance to climb 3 years ago, settled us into the local lodge.
Too complicated to start fussing around at that hour of the night, we found ourselves 4 to a tent in the only free one (initially designed for 2). The next day, a magnificent surprise awaited us: waking up in the middle of the desert, and surrounding the village, superb walls that we had been unable to see due to our late arrival presented themselves to our eyes. A pleasure too to discover that Middle Eastern sun, so welcome after the grey skies of Brussels and London (from where we had departed).
Preparations and first routes in Wadi Rum
If there was one thing I didn't want during this trip, it was to stay in the village. Not that the locals or their customs bothered us, but if we were going into the desert, we might as well enjoy the calm, isolation and serenity it can offer. The morning was therefore strategic — no time to waste heading to the first shop, where we would find everything we needed. We then decided on the day's pleasure: "The Beauty". It sits beside the village, accessed via the Rackabat canyon, which already provides a superb approach walk. And the route itself truly lives up to its name: near-perfect cracks, delicate slabs and scrambling to the summit, offering a magnificent view.
Time to hit the road toward the first campsite, through the canyon, where we find ourselves on the other side of the massif where Omar is waiting for us with all the gear and supplies. We pitch the tents at the foot of one of our objectives. "Guerre Sainte", fully bolted and first climbed by Arnaud Petit; a monument of 400 metres on a vertical, even slightly overhanging wall, with the last three pitches of the headwall at 7b appearing to be smooth, given that the rest of the route (11 other pitches) doesn't drop below 6b+.
Warriors of Westland and first frustrations
Omar leaves us before nightfall, which looks set to be rainy. He promises he'll check on us if rain falls or the wind picks up — a promise he will keep. A damp morning with strong, cold winds, the day starts slowly before we decide to tackle "Warriors of Westland". At first glance very approachable with its 6a grade, this route shouldn't pose a problem. But that was without accounting for the poor rock quality: imagine climbing on giant corn flakes, extremely brittle; and arriving at the belay which turns out to be a single 8 mm bolt hanger (inadvisable in this type of friable rock) connected to a rope knot simply sitting in a crack.
And there it is — we're starting to understand the difficulty in Wadi Rum: it's not about arm strength here, it's about mental strength! On top of that, the cold bites every part of us exposed to the wind, the expected desert heat is nowhere to be found. In short, we make the decision to cut the route short upon discovering that the second pitch offers no protection, on even more friable rock. We pull the abseil and the rope gets stuck at the top of the first pitch, allowing John to at least get a little arm workout on this rather inconclusive day. The conclusion comes over a rather successful meal: ratatouille in the middle of the desert, with fresh local vegetables. Our frustrations melt away with every bite.
The routes keep coming, and so do the challenges
The next day, Livio and John head into "Guerre Sainte" and come back delighted. Only one extremely morpho move on the first 7b of the headwall and a lack of time prevent them from reaching the top. The pitches are magnificent and properly bolted, with comfortable belays. And all of this with a wild atmosphere, totally exposed.
At the same time, Félix and I have set off on "The Incredible Possibility" (5c max), which seemed even more accessible than the previous day's route. But once again, we hadn't reckoned with the extreme friability of the rock. I set off on the first pitch at 4c — I had every reason to feel confident. No protection before a flake at 20 metres off the ground. It literally crumbles to dust between my fingers. The surprises keep coming; I commit, blowing most of the holds on the route. The mental game holds up. In short, I reach the belay, mentally exhausted, from where I shout down to Félix to bring up the knife and the rope. We'll abseil back down to our belay — out of the question to continue on this "@*$%§^&" of a route. For Félix and me, that was 2 days, 2 pitches… Not great, but we now know what to expect. And to quote Arnaud Petit, "the best holds aren't always the biggest!"
That evening, when John and Livio return, we move camp to sleep at the foot of Merlin's Wand at Barrah Canyon. As for the meal, we're getting the hang of it and have even put together an apéro: bread, hummus, olive oil and Jordanian spices. To fight against the cold that caught us off guard during the day, but especially at nightfall, we eat wrapped up in our sleeping bags, around the fire. All we need to do is look up to see an incalculable number of stars.
We dig in and soak it up
Over the next 2 days, we tackle the famous crack of "Merlin's Wand" — not quite as imposing as expected — and the magnificent "Star of Abu Jdaida". A true gem that we recommend above all else. Apart from one or two bolts on slabs, this route is unprotected and its rock is, at last, of a far better quality. The only drawback is its final pitch, completely inconsistent with the rest of the route, and leading not to the summit but to a small, uncomfortable belay. This last detail won't stop Félix and me from enjoying the sunset at the top of the route. That same evening we take the opportunity to wander by the light of the stars. This desert is truly magnificent.
For this third and final day at Barrah Canyon, we mix up the ropes. Félix and John go for a wander through the canyons and the desert, enjoying the sun that finally shows its face — earning themselves a bit of sunburn and tearing their fingers on the few boulders at Barrah Canyon (very few to be found). Livio and I head into the shade, onto an almost fully bolted route: "Barrah Tribord Toute", whose first three pitches at 7a, 7a and 7b are more than impressive. But in the shade, it's cold! Meanwhile the others are getting dehydrated in the sun!
First goodbyes, Lion's Heart and a Jordanian detour
The next day, it is unfortunately time for John to return to the lecture halls of ULB. He leaves in the morning to catch his afternoon flight from Amman. A week completely cut off from civilisation, in peaceful isolation in this vast desert expanse — it's more than therapeutic, it's magical! But the return to reality is brutal: "Yes, the very next day I was in class at 2 PM, just 5 hours after dropping my bags," John is keen to point out.
After the farewells, the three of us head into a local must-do: "Lion's Heart" and its 300 metres of outstanding cracks. A magnificent line, though unfortunately we won't manage the last two pitches. A lack of time, but also fatigue setting in. Time to take a break.
Jordan has more to offer than just Wadi Rum. That's why, to mark two days of rest, we pass through the magnificent city of Petra. Once there, we quickly leave the tourist trails and venture into the Little Siq, which earned me a memorable conversation with the police, much to the amusement of Félix and Livio. We then venture into this sometimes very narrow canyon, which holds some wonderful surprises such as rock pools (lucky we're climbers).
And now it's Livio's turn to leave us. Like John, he departs in the morning and takes the opportunity to spend the day visiting Amman before catching his flight. Félix and I head back to Wadi Rum.
Final routes and heading home
With "Guerre Sainte" firmly in mind, and with nothing but praise from both Livio and John, we use the second of these final two days to put a definitive tick next to this project we've talked about so much. But before that, we give ourselves a warm-up day with two magnificent short routes on relatively good rock: "Inferno" and "Gold Finger".
We therefore conclude the trip on the magnificent "Guerre Sainte". At the summit, the joy is overwhelming: onsight ascent (the grades might actually deserve a slight downgrade) and a magnificent, vast, infinite landscape, all to ourselves — the final memory of this desert. The descent is slightly less enjoyable, with the wind arriving to blow our ropes around, but not a single abseil gives us any trouble.
We'll return to Brussels "with stars in our eyes and sand in our shoes," to quote Jonathan.
We would like to thank everyone who made this trip possible, and especially Omar for his generous (if rather late) welcome and everything else. If you wish to go hiking, scrambling or climbing in Wadi Rum, we recommend this young guide above all others (Omar Zalabih: +96 27 77 36 29 32).
Tackling the rocks of Wadi Rum in Jordan