Oman – Jebel Shams

Jebel Shams – 9,902ft

March 12, 2016 (Matthew)

August 31, 2016* (Eric – highest legal point)

Matthew’s Trip Report:

I hiked it last night, starting at 1040pm. When I got near the summit at about 1230am, I noticed that the gate to the compound was open, and nobody was around. The lights were on so I just quietly and innocently walked inside the gated area. I got all the way to the building with the big radome and my presence was still unnoticed.  I grabbed a summit rock and quietly turned around and hiked down, slipping back into the darkness without being noticed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eric’s Trip Report

“What is this?! Who are you? You are not allowed here!” An armed military man in camouflage had just rounded the

corner and saw me walking up the hill, less than 100ft from the true summit of Jebel Shams, the highest mountain in Oman.

I could see the summit just beyond the radome facility, but my prospects for reaching it were beginning to dim.

—

I had started my trip the previous day in the United Arab Emirates. After successfully climbing the UAE highpoint, the west peak of Jabal Bil Ays in the morning on August 30, I drove my rental car to Al Ain and crossed into Oman. I followed route 21 to Bahla, then turned and drove into the mountains, passing through the last town at Al Hamra.

The road got rough, but was manageable in my small low-clearance 2wd car. By 9pm I arrived at the Jebel Shams Heights resort at the trailhead. I drove around trying to find a quiet place to park and sleep in the car, but it was

surprisingly difficult. I ended up parking just outside the resort, then walked a short distance down a rough road until I was out of sight of anyone who would care, and slept under the stars in my small sleeping bag.

I was in a bit of a dilemma as to what strategy to use to summit Jebel Shams. The summit is a military facility surrounded by a fence. Some peakbaggers have successfully snuck in, but it appears that entry is technically prohibited. Matthew had just been here a few months earlier, and he snuck up at night, passing through the entrance gate unnoticed and sneaking up to what appeared to be the highest point, next to the big radome building.

I was a bit nervous to follow this strategy, though. If it’s a military facility, it seems awfully risky to get caught

snooping around in the middle of the night. I figured it would be much safer to walk up during the day and try my luck at walking in, like a few other peakbaggers. Maybe I’d even meet someone who could give me permission to enter the restricted area. At least it wouldn’t look as suspicious as trying to sneak in at night.

With this strategy in mind, I slept at the trailhead that night, and rose just before sunrise to start hiking. The trail was a bit tricky to follow, but it was intermittently marked with cairns and small red dots painted on the rocks. I ascended until I could see the military facility on the summit, but then the trail started traversing. It looked like it was avoiding the true summit and heading instead towards a lower point along the rim.

Once I realized this, I left the trail and started heading up the slopes toward the summit. I noticed a road on the ridge to my left, and quite a few trucks driving up. I didn’t want to be seen, so I dropped into a tree-filled gully and ascended surreptitiously.

Eventually I got close enough to the facility to notice a flurry of activity. There were at least 50 people walking around. It looked like a big construction project was underway, with military guys directing workers where to go. My prospects for casually walking in unnoticed did not look good.

I had come this far, though, so I thought I could at the very least make it to the highest legal point in Oman, at the edge of the fence. I stayed downhill from the road, just out of sight, carefully edging closer and closer to the gate. I waited until there were no cars or trucks driving by, and then hopped up onto the road.

I walked briskly and confidently to the open gate, crossed into the restricted facility, and headed uphill. I caught up to a construction worker also walking uphill and tried to start up a conversation. It turned out he was interested in hiking, and said it would be no problem for me to go up to the true highest point. He would lead me there himself!

It looked like my luck had turned, and we kept heading deeper into the facility. At the radome building we took the right road, which started ascending a steep hill. Near the top of that hill, the military man saw me and ran over

angrily.

I tried to explain that I had come all the way from the US and just wanted to walk to the highest ground in Oman, but he had no sympathy. The construction worker reluctantly walked away – he had no authority in this situation – and the military man escorted me out of the gated area. He was adamant that I take no pictures, and I didn’t.

Outside of the gate I descended back down to the trail, and continued hiking to its end, at the south summit of Jebel Shams. It was at least a scenic consolation prize, if not the true highest point. By mid afternoon I was hiking back down to the trailhead, and I slept under the stars again that night, before driving back to the UAE the next day.

I’ll have to return someday, maybe after all the construction has been completed, to tag the true highest point in Oman. For now, reaching the highest legal point (and even slightly higher than the highest legal point) will have to suffice.