The highest point of Gebel Gerf had been singled out as a triangulation station from far to the north, while approaching the mass from the Wadi Hodein. It was eventually reached from the west side after leaving Gebel Korabkansi, the approach being made by ascending the Wadi Eirahimib, and going over the pass at its head (830 metres) into one of the heads of Wadi Um Reddam, turning round a spur and ascending another of the heads of the same wadi. The camp, placed as high up the wadi as possible, lay about 1,500 metres west of the beacon, at an altitude of 820 metres. The climb of nearly 600 metres to the summit occupied three and a quarter hours, and was free from serious difficulty, though involving some tiresome traversing of connecting ridges. The summit of Gebel Gerf is often wrapped in clouds for weeks together in winter, and cold northerly gales are prevalent. I found it necessary to remain on the summit for no less than twenty-one days and nights in January 1907, in order to obtain the observations necessary, and the discomfort due to enforced inaction and piercingly cold winds was considerable. The top of the mountain is a narrow ridge on which there is barely standing room for an instrument, but about 100 metres southward along the ridge from the beacon there is a slight broadening where a small tent may be pitched by hitching the ropes round rocks instead of tent-pegs. On a clear day, the view from the summit of Gerf is a magnificent one. The numberless rugged ridges and peaks of the Gerf mass itself stretch for miles around, and out beyond, in every direction except to the east, one can see the more distant mountains. In the north, the most striking features are the distant spikes of Gebel Faraid, and still further off one may discern the blunter forms of Gebels Abu Gurdi, Hamata, and Abu Hamamid, 180 kilometres away. To the east is the coast-plain, with the granite peaks of Gebel Hamra Dom breaking the monotony. To the south-east one may see the great peaks of the Elba and Shendib mountains, 130 kilometres away, though these are often hidden by mist when everything else is clear. To the south, one looks out, over the gneiss boss of Gebel Um Rasein, to the mountains, rising rank behind rank, of Medarai, Abu Hodeid, Adar Qaqa, and Is; while a little to the left of the last-named one may see the double-headed granite mass of Gebel Obkeik in the Sudan, more than 100 kilometres distant, towering above the intervening Egyptian mountains. The panorama visible to the south and south-east is shown drawn to scale from theodolite measurements in the lower figure on Plate XVI (p. 206). To the south-west, one can make out the principal mountains of the Alaqi basin, while to the west the mountains of Korabkansi, Shabih, and Mishbih are conspicuous features.