Autumn in the Kingdom

Things don't change a whole lot around here.  Forget about senescence and crisp breezes, we're lucky if Fall brings three clouds to the sky.  Twelve months a year, the camels somehow manage to pluck cryptic leaves from the spiney acacia trees.  The approach of winter means nothing to them.  No matter the season, or lack thereof, Arabia as I know it remains rocky and barren yet still wild.  Wild in its isolation and severity.

A few weekends ago for Saudi National Day vacation, we took a trip into the desert.  Once you get off of the highway, just past Medina, the lava fields await.  The road signs disappear and you're left with only GPS coordinates to guide you.  The drive over the once-flowing igneous rock was not easy.  We thought more than once that we would certainly have to use the spare as well as the patch kit but luckily, we made it through.  We found ourselves a nice little tree to park under, and decided to take advantage of the remaining daylight hours for a hike.  Our quest was to summit one of the two dormant volcanoes that had erupted some one thousand years ago....