The Al Aqah Ascent is unique because it is spectacularly hard. It is a route for experienced, confident and fit walkers. If you are not all of these, do not attempt the Al Aqah Ascent. Period!
Have everything squared away and give the Al Aqah Ascent 100% of your attention, 100% of the time.
Unfortunately, the Al Aqah Ascent decides to give you no time or the luxury of a warm up. From the first step, the walk up is steep.
There are parts that are level but our friends again at Fujairah Adventures have made sure these ‘easier’ sections are along ridges at time less than a metre wide. Just to focus your attention and make sure you cannot relax at all they have found some of the steepest drops either sides of these ridges.
The walk starts from between the Mosque and the Adnoc station close to the ‘Shark’ roundabout. Opposite the Rotana Resort, Le Meridien and Intercontinental hotels in the north of Fujairah.
There is plenty of free car parking in front of the Heritage Village and car museum. There is a nice selection of coffee shops that are a great place to meet fellow walkers or for the regaling of stories once the route is completed. The Adnoc service station and its Subway are good places to get your expedition supplies. The Al Aqah Ascent takes you up a large lump of rock, with one way up and the same one way down. It is 2.6 km in length and the half way point is 324m above sea level.
The single-track route has countless steps cut into the mountain side. I would ask a favour of you, between the two electricity pylons are some man-made steps and ridges, they are straight as an arrow. I counted more than 120, the problem was that I could hear my heart pulsing through my head, and I have no confidence of the exact number. Please count them for me and let me know just how many there are. I have climbed the Al Aqah Ascent twice now, both times I would have described it differently.
The route is steep and gravity, wind and possibly rain really affect this trail. Be prepared for anything and make sure every one of your foot placings is firm. After about 30 minutes of tough climbing over spurs and up steep valley sides you break through onto the top ridge. There is a viewing trail to your left. You won’t have much breath left after the climb here, but what little you have left will be taken away by the views.
At this point I would recommend a rest for a good 10 minutes and a refuel. Whoever designed the Al Aqah Ascent has strange sense of humour. You spend a long time looking up towards the obvious summit on this walk. Just when you start to relax knowing the hard effort is nearly done, a sickening feeling engulfs your body, the summit you have been heading towards for the last 40 minutes is just an illusion!
As you near the top and it becomes clearer and clearer, you wipe your eyes and ask yourself what is that in the bokeh of the picture you are looking at? There is something behind the summit, a flag atop the REAL summit, a full 10 minutes of further climbing!
There is no way you will turn around now and so you plod on up to the flag. You could be easily forgiven if you thought I was trying to put you off climbing the Al Aqah Ascent, I’m not, anything but. I just want you to realise that this is an advanced and potentially dangerous route. Ask me what is my favourite walk in Fujairah? I may well answer the Al Aqah Ascent. I love it for several reasons.
The obvious physical challenge of completing it and all the health benefits that follow. I love the psychology of it, the concentration you have to give it. I love that at any point higher up on the climb you may well (as I did) see a large bird of prey. It was sunny day and he circled several times before going about his way. I love that you rewarded with amazing 360-degree views of mountains, beaches, the sea and beautiful farms.
Those large hotels at the foot of the climb are dwarfed by the view. I love the fact that at the flag you don’t want to turn around straight away and come down. It isn’t the fatigue that doesn’t make you return down immediately. About an hour ago at the start of the climb you don’t realise it, but you are surrounded by pollution.
It’s noisy and hot, there is not a minute goes by before you hear the horn of a car, the screeching of tyres, a turbo waste gate opening, powerful motorbikes, people talking, motor boats in the Oman sea, more people talking and petrol station activities.
When you are sat at the top, a realisation hits you. You suddenly realise just how quiet and peaceful it is. Even the wind is peaceful, cooling you nicely. I climbed this in February and March, probably won’t be quite so cooling in the Summer.
I easily spent 20 minutes on the top, I had a delightful break, drank plenty of water and energy levels were replenished with fruit cake. I was then faced with a new reality, I had to get down now. Many people say that accidents on mountains happen whilst descending.
That’s actually true but for the following reasons, the walker is tired or fatigued and this may compromise their decision making. It’s become darker or maybe the walker isn’t concentrating as much. It is just a coincidence that at the end of a days walking it is often on a downhill section when this happens. It is just timing not really the terrain.
This descent though is tough on your knees and ankles. The strenuous activity on the way up is replaced by joint jarring steps on the way down. I would recommend you cut your toe nails before completing the Al Aqah Ascent. The fact that you are reading this will tell you I made it safely down the mountain. I went steadily and took several breaks on the descent.
The finish of the route is were you started. As you walk wearily past the Adnoc station you will probably have people stare at you. They will be uncertain about what you have just done to make you look like you do. Don’t judge them.
Some of these people probably complain about walking from their air-conditioned car to the sanctuary of the Adnoc shop or toilets. Remember those coffee shops I mentioned at the beginning of this article? You can now sit yourself down in one of these, have a cold drink and look back up the mountain you have just tamed and let the regaling begin.
By Dave Charlton
*This article was published on the Fujairah Observer Magazine/ May2020
To read the full magazine: https://www.fujairahobserver.com/read-magazine/?id=3077
