“How much walking will there be?”
“Do I need to be in super good shape before the trip?”
“Will I survive this trip??”

Several people have asked us about how rugged our otPANORAMIC trip will be.

Short answer:

If you’re even considering this trip, you are most likely fine. Just bring good shoes.

Long answer:

While it is true that seven mountains are involved, you need to realize that some of these look a lot more like small hills than actual mountains (e.g. Mt. Zion). Others look like a hill from one side, and like a cliff from the other (e.g. Mt. Nebo). Others are, admittedly, 100% mountain (e.g. Mt. Sinai, see picture below).

The hardest and longest day is when we climb Mt. Sinai. We know that not everybody will feel up to the challenge, and that’s totally fine! We've planned for that.

The first two-thirds of the way can be done on camelback instead of walking, if you so choose. For those of you who don’t want to make the rest of the climb, I (Mark) will stop with you at a scenic overlook while Michael (the other tour leader) goes to the top with the others. We’ll return to the base and have extra time to explore the monastery of St. Catherine. (Both groups will get the same teaching.)

The rest of the journey is not as strenuous. If you can walk three miles in short segments of 200-300 yards over the course of a day, you’ll be fine. Our deluxe coach will drive us from mountain to mountain. We can go into more details on the physical requirements and other questions you may have in a ZOOM orientation to our trip.

IMPORTANT: Upcoming ZOOM Orientation

We will have two pre-trip Zoom meetings in the coming weeks. There will be an orientation and a time for Q&A. You can come to both but you should consider attending at least one, especially if you’d like to familiarize yourself with the itinerary, clarify details and have your questions answered. Plus, it’ll be an excellent opportunity to meet your fellow travelers and foster a sense of camaraderie before the trip begins. Feel free to invite any friends that is interested in the trip!

The meetings will last about 40 minutes. The two times slots are:

• Monday, May 8th (9 PM EST) (view in your timezone)

• Sunday, May 14th (8 PM EST) (view in your timezone)

See you then!
Dr. Mark Schaaf