Princeton Expeditions to Syria (1899, 1904-1905, 1909)

October Thursday 13 1904

Broke camp at 4:15 A.M. and passed through Jericho which is a small town of not more than 150 people and squalid looking. After riding over the flat plain for an hour we came to a most peculiar formation of earth and lime stone mounds percipitous? on all side on account of the heavy rains and about 40 ft. high with out a bit of vegetation. We had a fine sunrise but as soon as the sun was up - in our faces of course as we were travelling East - it was again scorching hot. We arrived at the Jordan at 7:40 A.M. and after waiting 20 min. crossed in company of a soldier whose duty it was to guard the bridge and whom we hired to take us to 'Arâk il-Emir. We gradually ascended the slope of the valley until we came to the foot hills of the mountains and then ascended the Wadi Djerîál until 9:50 A.M. when we stopped in the shade of a steep bank and rested, pitching the luncheon tent as we call it which always accompanys? us. It was as hot as a Turkish Bath. We could see on the mountain opposite a shepheard? boy with his flock of goats and sheep. Left at 2:15 P.M. and proceeded up the narrow Wadi then over a mountain, down into a valley, then up another mountain until we had a glorious view of the Mts. of Judea, Valley of the Jordan & the Dead Sea, at last after ascending another Mt. we saw below us deep down in a narrow valley our camp of 5 tents nestled among the ruins of an ancient temple. It seemed like paradise. We had a good dinner and the air became delightfully cool. The descent was so steep that I was walking down with one of the muleteers leading my horse & I got a quarter of a mile ahead of the party

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