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HOMEPAGE |
Nahal Sdakim
(Orion)
A view from the 3rd dry fall
The route type:
Rappelling trip.
The canyon is dry all the year round but be wary about floods during winter rains.
All dry falls are
equipped with anchors (mostly with climbing bolts and rings to pull the rope).
*
Getting there:
Drive on the road number 90 along Dead
Sea to the south till a junction with the side road that leads to Mitzpe Shalem village and "Ahava" plant.
If you want to leave your car at the end
of the route, continue to drive on the main road for 1.9km after the junction.
Just after
the road mark 254km (coordinates on the trails map, black
grid: 105.84, 187.69) you will arrive to the mouth of Sdakim
canyon.
For the starting point drive to Mitzpe Shalem village and park
your car in the village or nearby.
From here you have two options to get to nahal Sdakim:
1. The shorter and the harder one: you can climb the Maale
Hatzatzon ridge (4.7km from Mitzpe
Shalem). From Mitzpe Shalem walk down along the north bank of nahal Hatzatzon looking for a
place where you can get to the floor and then cross the wadi.
Climb up the south bank to a less steep terrain and then traverse the lower
slopes of Maale Hatzatzon
keeping west - to under the rocky band of the main ridge. No obvious trail
found by us under the rocky band, so keep right (west) and follow easiest way
when climbing it (grade 2 rocks). Be aware of some loose rocks in very last
section of the band, it may cause you uncomfortable feeling. Little climbing
skills would be advisable. The ridge is much less steep above the first rocky
band and a trail with rujums runs along it. At the
very end you should negotiate another steep section (grade 2) with mostly good
rock and you are there…
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Going up the Maale Hatzatzon ridge |
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Maale Hatzatzon ridge with Mitzpe Shalem in the background |
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Once on the plateau follow a dirt road
marked with green marks until it crosses the wadi of nahal Sdakim.
Allow approximately 2.5 hours for this
approach.
2. The longer but the easier one: you can go around nahal
Hatzatzon (7.8km from Mitzpe
Shalem). The description below is about this option.
Take the
obvious trail marked with blue marks that starts just in front of the Mitzpe Shalem main gate and leads
up to the main plateau and then to the upper approaches of nahal
Hatzatzon. Walk along the canyon of Hatzatzon till the place marked with a big
information-board that signs the entering point into nahal
Hatzatzon. The wadi of Hatzatzon is very flat and wide here. Leave the dirt road
and turn into the wadi. Follow down the wadi for about 900m till a conjunction of the main wadi with a very obvious canyon coming from the right side
(from the south). Right at the conjunction climb the south slopes of Hatzatzon to the plateau above and then keep
south-south-east following up the small side wadies
of nahal Hatzatzon. There
are no obvious reference points on the plateau so just
go in the mentioned direction and keep in mind that nahal
Sdakim is the next big wadi
to the south from Hatzatzon. GPS or compass (such a
small ancient widget with a funny dancing arrow...) would be advisable.
At some point you will cross a dirt road marked
with green marks that is running on the watershed between Hatzatzon
and Sdakim. After crossing the road continue to walk
in the same direction and then follow down any dry bed as all of them flow into
the main wadi of nahal Sdakim.
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Maale Hatzatzon seen from above Mitzpe
Shalem |
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A view of nahal Hatzatzon from its south slopes |
On the plateau between Hatzatzon
and Sdakim |
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A short time later you will cross the
"green" dirt road for the second time. 100m down the wadi you will come across a dry fall that should be
bypassed from the right side and 250m farther another small dry fall will be
bypassed from the left. Immediately after that you will come to the first dry
fall rappelling station.
Allow 3 hours for this approach.
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Route description:
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There are up to 14 dry falls that can
be abseiled. 12 of them (more or less unavoidable) are described here:
1.
26m, overhanging
There are two bolts (both of them with
rings to pull the rope) in the right wall near the edge. *
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The 1st dry fall rappelling station |
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Rappelling down the 1st dry fall |
The 1st dry fall |
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2. 55m; stepped:
13m vertical and 2m overhanging followed by a ledge, then 15 vertical
followed by another wide ledge and then final 25m of vertical wall.
There are two bolts (both of them with
rings to pull the rope) on rocks on the left side. *
Attention! Be careful while rappelling as the wall is
very loose and stones fall. Be careful while pulling the rope because the
friction is high and the significant danger of rope to be stuck is present.
Our rope got stuck while pulling that has
forced me to practice in some "jumaring"...
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The 2nd dry fall rappelling station |
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The 2nd dry fall |
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After a number of tens meters from the
2nd fall you will come to a pair of dry falls that can be easily bypassed from
the right side. The 3rd dry fall rappelling station is at the foot of the
second bypassed dry fall.
3. 8m (vertical)
There is a bolt with the ring to pull the
rope in the right wall near the edge. *
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The 3rd dry fall rappelling station |
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The 3rd dry fall |
Walking from 3rd dry fall to the 4th one |
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Following 7 dry falls are coming one after
another, sometimes separated by a short chain of waterholes no one of which
requires wetting your shoes.
4. 12m (vertical and sloped)
There are two bolts (both of them with
rings to pull the rope) in the right wall near the edge. *
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The 4th dry fall rappelling station |
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Rappelling down the 4th dry fall |
The 4th dry fall |
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5. 23m (vertical)
There are two bolts (one of them with a
ring to pull the rope) in the right wall near the edge. *
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Waterholes between 4th and 5th dry falls |
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The 5th dry fall rappelling station |
The 5th dry fall |
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6.
15m (very sloped, can be easily down climbed)
There is a single bolt with no ring on
the left side near the edge and there is a 3mm steel cable loop with a ring to
pull the rope - on the wall farther from the edge. *
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The 6th dry fall rappelling station |
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The 6th dry fall rappelling station |
Climbing down the 6th dry fall |
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7.
20m (sloped).
There are two bolts (one of them with a
ring to pull the rope) in the left wall near the edge. *
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A view from the 7th dry fall rappelling station |
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The 7th dry fall rappelling station |
The 7th dry fall |
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8. 30m (sloped).
There are two bolts (one of them with a
ring to pull the rope) in the left wall near the edge. *
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The 8th dry fall rappelling station |
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Rappelling down the 8th dry fall |
The 8th dry fall |
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9. 11m (sloped, can be down climbed)
Two bolts on the floor near the edge. The
bolts are connected by 3mm steel cable loop with a ring to pull the rope. *
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A view from the 9th dry fall rappelling station |
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The 9th dry fall rappelling station |
The 9th dry fall |
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10. Less then 40m (one
third vertical and then overhangs).
Two bolts on the floor near the edge. One
of the bolts is equipped with a ring to pull the rope. *
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A view from the 10th dry fall rappelling station |
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The 10th dry fall |
Rappelling down the 10th dry fall |
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From the foot of the 10th dry fall you have
to walk (sometimes to scramble and to climb down...) for about 800m in order to
get to the final cascade of dry falls. Midway, there is a small (4m) dry fall
equipped with a rappelling station which is not really needed as the fall can
be climbed down easily.
11. 13m (vertical and sloped).
There is a single bolt with a ring to
pull the rope found on a big boulder on the left side near the edge. As well
there is a tree with some old rope loops on it. *
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The 11th dry fall rappelling station |
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A view from the 11th dry fall |
Rappelling down the 11th dry fall |
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The 11th dry fall |
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12.
4m (vertical)
There is a single bolt with a ring to
pull the rope - on the floor a couple meters from the edge. *
Actually this dry fall can be easily
bypassed from the right side.
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The 12th dry fall rappelling station |
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The 12th dry fall |
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There are two more dry falls just before
coming to the main road, but they are so miserable and the bypass from the left
side so obvious and inviting that it seems a little idiotic to complicate one's
life with a rappelling...
Nevertheless, there is a rappelling
station in form of a steel cable loop around a boulder. *
If you decide to rappel keep in the mind
that you will be perfectly seen from the main road and this route is not on the
list of allowed rappelling routes...
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The last (bypassed) dry falls rappelling station |
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A view from the bypassed rappelling station |
A view back on the bypassed dry falls |
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***** - The only one of its kind. A "must
do" trip!
****
- Very interesting, highly recommended!
*** - Pretty nice
route.
** - Inexpressive
one.
*
- Do it if you have nothing to do...