I hear the call that comes from Amir Rockman, 72, in front of our bus at 2:00 a.m. He stands in the parking lot, at the base of Mount Sinai. Raising his hand and he gathers his sheep.

      “Dahab, Dahab.”

      Wearing a long-sleeved dress of Bedouin clothing, a head scarf tightly wound around his head, his other hand comes to his face to examine his watch.

      “Dahab, Dahab, leaving now. Dahab.”

      The tourists, who left from Dahab, Egypt at 11:00 p.m. circle him, find him as their leader.   They shiver in the cold. The group moves up the trail and stops.

      “Wait, where is that woman with the cane?” She is in her early 60’s, overweight, and breathes heavily from a short walk.

      “We can’t let her hold up the group. She is never going to make the climb anyway.” says the Australian.

      “Maybe she was hoping to ride up on a camel?”

      “I don’t see any here. If we are going to make it to the top by sunrise, we have to get going now.”

      After five minutes she hobbles over. Amir has her sit, before he directs this stray back to the safety of the tour bus she came in.

      The group pushes themselves on. They pass St. Catherine’s Monastery, home of the burning bush. When they return from the climb, it is hoped their precious donations, will help keep the place alive as others have been doing since its construction in the mid 500’s A.D.

      Camel herdsman can be heard renting their beasts as we ascend higher.

      “Camel, camel.” This selling continues up and down the mountain. Most of the group wants to do their own work and rise to the top as Moses did. Some give into weakness and spare themselves any sacrifice. Why these camels weren’t available in the parking lot is a mystery. Zoning laws?