Most scholars agree that the dispute as to the exact track to follow if one wants to trace the old steps [of the 40 Days Road]- as some adventurers have done- is thus somewhat irrelevant.
-Jenny Jobbins, The 40 Days’ Nightmare, Al-Ahram Weekly, November 13, 2003
Wayn al-sikka? Wayn al-bahr? Wayn Masr? Where’s the track? Where’s the [Nile] sea? Which way to Egypt? KhairAllah had a lot of questions for the other khabeer Muhammad al-Humri. From Day 28 of my 1984 Trail Diary…Lost and found, last night with Muhammad in the lead we wandered off track crossing the Sesibi Reach. KhairAllah knew we were lost, we camped and this morning set off to the west to pick up the trail, climbing the rises and pointing with their whips all around the four compass points. KhairAllah joked to us, Muhammad needs your map, we said, Our map is useless, KhairAllah said, The Sahara has big problems. Muhammad climbed another dune and gave the Follow Me sign, we’d been within sight of the Nile all along.