"Hiking" at Wadi Mujib

Yeah, the reason I put hiking in quotes is because I got into a hike that was quite different from anything I have done before. Two days ago, Lisa and Jace and I were talking about wanting to go on a hike (there are tons of great places in Jordan to hike, rock climb etc.) and we heard really good things about Wadi Mujib. Well, according to the guidebook, there was a 3 hour hike through the Siq which we had time for. The other hikes were 6 or 9 hours which we couldn't fit in yesterday. So we decide on the Siq hike. I wore my sneakers, short and a t-shirt, and packed my sack with some snacks, water, camera, etc. Little did we know that we were actually going to be trekking through water, sometimes swimming through water, the ENTIRE hike. Needless to say, I left my camera, snacks, and everything else behind in the car. Ahmad kindly drove us and waited for us while we did the hike. None of had a water proof camera which the guy at the desk told us we should use.....but Jace insisted on bringing his digital camera (because he has a full warranty :o) ) and I'm so glad he did because we got some great pictures along the way!

The hike starts out by climbing down a ladder right into the water, about knee high but then shallows out to ankle high. As we started walking, the Siq began to narrow and the water became deeper at points. Keep in mind we were also going completely against the current the entire way towards the waterfall. About 1/3 of the way, the water started to get really strong...of course this is a self-guided trail as well. There were arrows painted on some of the rocks to point to which side of the rocks were safe to climb. Climbing through water is not an easy thing by the way. At half-way, there were ropes that we had to use to pull ourselves against the current, then hold ourselves up as we fought against the mini-waterfalls to climb up the next set of rocks. The scariest part was one point where I could not balance between my legs and fell back down between two large boulders, luckily I only banged my elbow. Finally, with some teamwork and encouragement, we figured out the best way to climb up without completely hurting ourselves. When we made it to the waterfall, it felt AWESOME! It was so beautiful with the sunlight coming through the top of the Siq, and waterfalls are just magnificent in themselves.

One the way back from the hike, we came upon an interesting challenge. At one point, there was a spot that had been hard enough to climb up and we couldn't figure out how to get back down because the current was too strong. Then, a girl in front of us slipped and slid down the water into the water below. Her father without thinking jumped after her and they were both ok. Sliding down was actually the way we were supposed to go......funny how life is like that, the scariest looking option was actually the safest and easiest. The water just carried me over all the rocks and dropped me in a pool deep enough to keep me away from hitting any rocks.

When we got home, we were exhausted and today, my whole body is sore! Ahh. But it was well worth it. Now that my week of adventures is over, it's time to start focusing on my job and my reason for being here. The job is going to be a huge challenge but I"m up for it, I want to make music therapy work here and help develop a great program. I'll need to stay positive through frustrations but I am ready to do that as well. God would not have put me here unless there was a reason and I am open to whatever that is.

Miss everyone a lot, it's so great to be here but wish I could bring everyone I love with me. Talk to you soon!