The Kick-Off. Ten camels. Five riders. One plan.

The Nasir, Bekri, Abu Tayi and Lawrence Tribute Trek was born over Sunday lunch in the Black Sheep Pub in Dubai.

Peter W, Jon K, and I were pondering the most iconic journey undertaken by man and camel in modern history, a common subject in the desert.  Lawrence's "Path to Aqaba" stood out above all others.  So it was decided there and then to do it, and the "herding cats" mode went into full swing.

Find a benefactor, recruit a team, build out the SFCBF.org website to accept donations, find the camels, find the support vehicles, study the route, consider logistics for humans and camels, arrange medical and safety, gain permissions and permits in Saudi and Jordan to cross the Royal Reserves and UN heritage sites, consider communications, emergency situations, and the safety of all, etc.etc.

Step by step, and with the help of many, it started to come together.  Each element was brought in separately but towards a common goal.  We located Saudi camels in Tabuk for the Saudi sectors, and His Majesty King Abdullah very kindly offered us Bedouin Police Camels for the Jordan route.  JLR stepped up to loan us four and then five Defender 110s.  We had individuals purchasing expedition equipment in Al Ula and Riyadh.

In December, the camel rider team went to Tabuk and completed ten days of intense camel training under my instruction.  We had some "events" that taught the unpredictability of camels, but they were important lessons.  We identified the camels that would be used for the trek, and an agreement was struck with their Bedouin owners.

By the new year, it was all getting frighteningly close.  The Saudi Embassy in the UK had been brilliant in helping us process all the permissions and permit applications; the recces in Jordan and across the Saudi Hejaz were complete.  The support team flew to the UAE to undergo three days of soft sand desert driver training with JLR.  From there, they flew to Jeddah to pick up the Defenders and onward to Al Ula to marry up with the equipment and a couple of trial camping nights to establish a routine and bond the support team.  

Meanwhile, two riders flew into Tabuk to make the final preparations with the fattened camels and prepare all the riding equipment with the help of the Bedouin.

On January 12, the camels were loaded on transporters and headed south to Al Wajh. Concurrently, the Defender team headed north to the same start point.  The remaining three riders had flown into Jeddah and were headed the same.  That afternoon, all the elements came together for the first time outside the Raleen Hotel in Al Wajh: camels, Riders, Defenders, and Support Team.

The 13th was spent getting the camels used to the "new" desert and surroundings with a short ride and the occasional fall.  Meanwhile, the support team made final preparations and unpacked, repacked, and loaded the kit and equipment.  I met with the team of the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve, through which we would spend the first five days.  They could not have been more helpful.

At 0530 on the 14th, I had what was going to be my last shower for about 13 days.  I taped up areas where blisters could occur but sadly missed a few.  I put on my riding clothes and walked out to Breakfast into the lobby of the Raleen Hotel, which must have felt overwhelmed with our entire presence but was marvellous.

By 0700, it was getting daylight, and there was fervent activity outside.  The riders were preparing their camels, and the support team was putting final loads together in the Defenders and our one trusty trailer.

At 0755, we gathered to witness the collection of a small pot of sand from Al Wajh, which we will soon reunite with Lawrence's grave (he had never returned there after he left Damascus).  I quoted a line from the film: "Aqaba is over there.  It's only a matter of going."  We walked the camels out into the desert towards the Al Wajh plains and Hejaz mountains.

We had 25 days and 1,100 kilometres to crack, but we all knew the first three days would be the most dangerous in terms of camel and rider cohesion.  We were not wrong.