As one of the Forties for 40 challenges, I stayed awake for over 40 hours and climbed Jabal Sawda plus lots of other things.
Jabal Sawda is (at least officially) the highest mountain in Saudi Arabia at over 3,000 metres and the highest point on the Asir mountain range, located approximately 20 km away from the city of Abha.
The Asir mountain range is covered green forests of juniper trees and all different kinds of flora and fauna can be found there. It rains in the Asir more than anywhere else in the Kingdom and people holiday there in summer to enjoy the cooler weather.
I do not recommend staying awake for 40 hours to anyone but made a video log of how I felt and what I did over the whole period:
Some pictures of the incredible landscape:
Ultimately, because I was in good company and kept moving through very stimulating environments and circumstances, it was fairly easy to stay awake. That said, after being awake for around 24 hours, any time I stopped (for example when as a passenger in a vehicle or after taking a shower) the desire to lie down and let the wave of slumber wash over me started to influence my thoughts and behaviour.
Thankfully, I was able to ignore it and carry on. I found moving and talking helped. Not sure everyone else would agree… 😉
