Lehi's trail through Arabia in 20 minutes 

Why eight years? Speculations might include: - time to test the mettle of each family member and establish the power of faith among those who endured well - giving us a scriptural journey reflective of life’s journey, with blessings and challenges along the way, but always endurable with faith - offer faith-promoting examples of Nephi getting the plates, finding wood to make a bow and obtain food, build a ship - the first stop must have been some months or even a couple years to accomplish all of the items described (two returns to Jerusalem, visions, learning from brass plates, five weddings, possibly growing crops/building up a store of seeds noted in the narrative) - hunting food, childbirth, etc. may require extended stoppages - may have stopped to grieve Ishmael’s death for some time? - Bountiful must have taken some time as well; building a ship from scratch (from mining ore for tools…) likely a long-term project (although the “eight years” is mentioned for the wilderness crossing, as if Bountiful may have added yet another year or more) - some speculate that Lehi’s family had trading skills and other marketable skills (Nephi certainly knew much about metalwork) if they stopped for a season and mingled with the local population while building up strength and resources (fascinating unknown is whether they always avoided people along the way or sometimes mingled and other times avoided…as in not lighting fires that might attract attention) - a simple camel journey if well equipped could be accomplished in a few months; the record indicates a much more involved learning and teaching opportunity that blesses readers today. Interesting how Moses and Brigham Young led journeys to a promised land that took more twists and turns than we humans would have wanted to endure. The Lord takes time to refine our spirits along the paths of life.

Whether "fountain" means the Gulf of Aqaba that feeds down into the Red Sea proper, or is simply an expression representing the body of water itself, I assume Lehi's point was the river's waters fed into the Red Sea. This stream was not seasonal, but always flowing at some level whenever we or others we know had visited. There is much evidence of erosion in the canyon which clearly gets more powerful flows of water on a "seasonal" basis with mountain runoff.

@@inthewilderness2879 I think it's an interesting word. It's used again a few chapters later in Lehi's dream. The stream in Wadi Tayyib Al Ism is nothing like Lehi described. When you were there did the water actually reach the Red Sea? The descriptions I've heard and the Google Map images I've seen suggest the stream dries up before reaching the Red Sea. I just find it impossible to believe that Lehi would call that stream "continually running into the fountain of all righteousness". I think Nephi 2:8 indicates that the fountain of the river Laman empties into the Red Sea and that location is not the same as the valley that has the rivers mouth.

The current stream reaches the Red Sea below the surface. In other words, there is no river mouth where the stream interfaces with the sea, because the flow goes below the gravel surface prior to that point. Seasonal runoff would look much more like a large river flowing into the sea.

@@inthewilderness2879 Hi again. We chatted about this awhile ago. Hope all is well. The more I look at this, the more I think the river is the Nile River and the "fountain" is the ancient ship canal Pharaoh Necho II built from the Nile to the Red Sea. The Nile is a "3 day Journey from the Red Sea" by camel caravan. Carsten Neighbor documented this in 1761. He said "Cairo is 3 days distant from Suez." The Nile is the only river on Earth within 3 days of the Red Sea. There's a Jewish "altar to the Lord" on the Nile River just as Lehi describes. Lehi's journey in the wilderness was up the Nile River from Egypt to Ethiopia.

Hi again. I'm still thinking about this. The Fountain of Righteousness is clearly a reference to Jesus Christ. And as I've already mentioned to you, I think the fountain is also a metaphor for the shipping canal in Egypt that Necho II built. This makes sense when you consider Lehi went into Egypt at the beginning of the Book Of Mormon and speaks about the fountain. Then in the Vision of the Tree of life he sees multitudes following (and drowning in) the fountain as they follow him into Egypt. But here's something I just found... In the Book of Ether, Moroni is telling the story of the Jaredites in the Land Northward. According to this Old World Model this is the Middle East. Moroni interjects in Ether 8:26. He says "that they may come unto the fountain of all righteousness and be saved." And what do we see in the narrative immediately after Moroni says this? In Ether 9:3 we see an abbreviated version of Lehi's journey. Omer is warned in a dream to depart the land, just like Lehi. Omer travels "out" of the land (presumably out of the land northward). Omer travels for "many days", just like Lehi. Omer "came over", this is where he would have crossed continents from Asia to Africa. Remember, Moroni is in Africa so he uses the phrase "came over" to indicate Omer entered Africa. Omer passed the hill Shim. Omer passes where the Nephites were destroyed. Omer then journeys "eastward", just like Lehi after Nahom. Then he reaches the sea, just like Lehi. Omer's Ablom is in the immediate vicinity of Lehi's Bountiful. So what does this mean? There is no debate that Lehi's journey was in the Old World. I have now shown you evidence that Omer's journey (a Jaredite) is the same journey. This means the Nephites were destroyed in the Old World. The fountain of righteousness is the definitive link proving both journey's (Lehi and Omer) were the same journey.

No drone. I’ve seen other drone footage of “Elim” near what might be Valley of Lemuel, as that area is of interest to many Christians as a possible Moses/children of Israel site.

@@inthewilderness2879 your video is fantastic. Thank you for taking the time to put all this together.

While the photos do include a variety of modest trees, and large driftwood, the larger timbers presumably needed for a sizable ship are rare. We did find a few that are not pictured, yet one is left uncertain what “manner of ship-building” was undertaken with such modest materials. Coconut palms would have limited utility for a keel, for example. Two books about Lehi’s trail suggest options. Warren Aston’s “Lehi and Sariah in Arabia” focuses on Wadi Kharfot, a valley I did not visit. He notes tamarind, acacia, and sycamore fig wood as possible options. He was there with a BYU team also reviewing Kharfot for ore, fruit, honey, etc. to see how it matched Nephi’s record. George Potter’s “Lehi in the Wilderness” leans heavily on Khor Rori, a known ship-building port of ancient date that got much of its timber from India. Indeed, if timber is accessible by sea, new options arise, whether somehow purchased locally or washed ashore by natural tides. The shoreline which might align with Bountiful extends 50 miles or more, with inlets, valleys, mountains, and some variation in foliage and landscape. If these answers are unsatisfying, I can only say that I share your question about just how a ship gets made with only local materials. Yet, I see the possibility for a combination of local effort and divine assistance to accomplish the task.