WORLD TREKS


the village, the 500m East Face of Jebel Rum, quickly realising the vast potential for quality routes. Since that first trip, Tony and Di have returned to Jordan every year to explore the climbing, trekking and canyoning, and they remain very good friends with the whole of the Bedouin Zalabieh tribe. To begin with, Queen Noor, King Hussein’s wife, who had a charity that supported remote villages, supported them in promoting trekking and climbing in Jordan. Maps of Jordan were extremely difficult to get, but Noor managed to source them some aerial surveys made in the 1960s and 70s. Nowadays, of course, Google Earth is an invaluable resource, but the most useful thing remains local knowledge from helpful local shepherds.


R Jordan: trails and ruins. FIRST TREKKING GUIDEBOOK


SUCH A TRAIL WOULD BENEFIT NUMEROUS REMOTE COMMUNITIES AND PASS THROUGH WORLD-CLASS ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES LIKE PETRA AND WADI RUM.


In the late 1990s, when they were researching their first trekking guidebook, it occurred to Tony and Di that their treks were like the pieces of a jigsaw. If they could link them, it would result in a country-length trail along the western spine of Jordan above the Dead Sea Rift valley. Could it be done? It would be over 600 kilometres long and there were some big obstacles along the way, including the 800 to 1,000 metre deep Dead Sea canyons. If possible, such a trail would benefit numerous remote communities and pass through world-class archaeological sites like Petra and Wadi Rum. Tony and Di did their own thing, nibbling away at the long-distance trail whenever they had spare time in Jordan, later joined by locals whose eyes had been opened to the amazing outdoor adventure potential of their own country, and a friend, Mark Khano who was armed with a 4x4. Finally, in 2015, the 650km route from the Greco-Roman town of Um Qais on Jordan’s northern border to the Red Sea not far from Saudi Arabia was finished. It linked archaeological sites, villages, canyons and deserts. Wherever possible homestays are being developed along the route, to benefit local people, and local guides are being trained.


THE FIRST WALK THROUGH


The inaugural through-walk took place in late spring 2017 over 44 days. Things have changed since the early days: Her Excellency, Lina Annab, the current Minister of Tourism, a keen walker, was at the launch, which was held in Um Qais. Also there was Hakim Tamimi, one of Jordan’s top climbers, canyoners and trekkers, who had recently been appointed to the Jordan Tourism Board. Her Majesty Queen Rania joined the group as they walked into the ancient cliff top village of Dana, thereby giving her official support to the trail. Some people also set off to walk it unsupported, including Scot Vix


R Di and Tony: true explorers.


Harris, who clocked 707km on her GPS walking it unsupported in 23 days, fund-raising for Médecins Sans Frontières, and at points carrying water for several days at a time in ex-tremely hot temperatures. For Tony and Di, it was a logical and fitting conclusion to 30 years of


exploration, but that’s not to say they have stopped: there are still mountain areas that have not yet been explored…


TREKKING FACTS When to go and what you'll find...


WHEN TO GO Between late September and the end of April. Between November and February there may be a bit of rain: probably a day in a


40 | CLIMB. WALK. JOIN.


fortnight. Very occasionally there are flash floods in the canyons. The source of the river could be 40 miles away, and a narrow canyon will flood quickly (it


doesn’t happen very often). It can also be hot, particularly in the south.


BEDOUIN SHEPHERDS Bedouin goat-hair tents decorate the Jordanian hillsides as they have done for millennia. The Bedouin move with the weather. If you pass by one, you’ll find that the people are friendly, as they go about daily tasks such


as caring for newborn lambs and goat kids. They may invite you to join them for tea or a snack, but don’t approach too near without an invitation and be aware that the women use the right end of the tent, so approach the front of the tent from the left. Bear in mind the Bedouin often have dogs. Usually they are no trouble, but Tony recalls: “Reaching a remote Bedouin


camp we were once greeted by snarling dogs. One with a collar ringed with protruding nails and its ears half cut off, both done to protect it against wolves or hyenas. Happily, with the dogs getting too close for comfort, an equally wild-looking tangle- haired Bedouin also appeared, calling them off whilst laughing at our wariness and inviting us for mensef, the traditional


PHOTO: TONY HOWARD/DI TAYLOR.


PHOTO: TONY HOWARD/DI TAYLOR.


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