The Israel National Trail is a hiking trail over 940km long that crosses the country from The Lebanese border on the north, to the Egyptian one in the south. In May we hiked the northern section, and you scroll down to read about it in a different entry. During January 2012 we completed the southern section crossing the whole Negev Desert from Mitzpe Ramon to Eilat. This section is a little more complicated on the logistic aspects, so more participants were attracted to hike with our organization rather than doing it on their own. People were given the option to hike the complete 14 days with us, or join for parts of it. There were 3 participants hiking the whole length, 3 more did most of it, leaving behind sections that they have already hiked, and the rest joined for different time periods from 2 to 5 days. Al in all there were 50 participants joining the experience.

We began on Thursday, January 5th, hiking the most attractive section: From Sde Boker to Wadi Hava to Mitzpe Ramon. Wadi Hava is a remote canyon, which is very difficult reaching without logistic assistance. The fact that that section was taking place during the weekend, when many people can take vacations, enabled 30 people to participate. We hiked to the lower and upper Aqev Springs, to the northern and southern Hava Rock-Cracks and above the Northern cliff of the “Huge Makhtesh”, the largest erosive crater in the world. During the evenings we enjoyed nice Poyke meals (you can read about that stuff in a different post, dedicated to that, in the Field Cooking category) with wine and guitar playing.

Sunday in Israel is the first working day of the week, so about 20 people left us after their weekend hiking experience, but we welcomed 6 new participants that joined us for the next section. This section is dedicated to the East Ramon region. On the first day of that section we cross the Makhtesh from the town of Mitzpe Ramon to the Amonites Wall, a natural wall that consists of an ancient ocead layer rich with Amonite fossils. Chicken roasted in aluminum foil on the fire with onion soup as first course where our treat for the evening. It was a very cold and quite windy day, walking in elevation of 700-900 meters above sea level, under “deceiving sun” (that shines but doesn’t warm) while the rest of the country was rainy. After a good night sleep, waking into the freezing cold desert we headed for two days of hike, crossing all the way east to the Arava region, almost at the Jordanian border. Tuesday evening, when we arrived at our destination, was a nice treat awaiting us: The first hot shower after 6 days of hiking! During those 6 days we had Har-El with his equipped jeep escorting us and schlepping our gear, but from that evening we had to settle with My small pickup – 1994 Renault Express, that stood bravely up to the expectations!

Day 7 was one of our longest sections: 28 km. Since the days are short, we had to keep a quick pace and reduce the breaks. The cold wind added some difficulty, but towards the afternoon, as we arrived to the camp, it stopped to allow us a nice and comfortable night at sea level elevation.

Day 8, January 12th: That was our most adventurous day, climbing up the ladders of the Barak Gorge, and climbing down the ladders in the gorge of Vardit. Thus, together with 24 km of trail, was not an easy task, but as we arrived at the camp just with the last light we felt satisfied and happy… until we realized the strong and cold wind that the hills around campsite could barely weaken. This night we had company: At 5 a.m. a wolf arrived and sniffed around the remains of our meal. I barked at it but the wolf did not understand doggy language. The small stones I threw on it were understood better…

The next section of the trail is kind of boring. Since there are army practicing zones on both sides of the trail, it follows the asphalt road, on a flat and un-interesting landscape, for 40 km. To avoid it but still cross this section with our own muscle-power, we arranged bicycles for us to ride and cover that section. So we had some time in the morning for a nice breakfast before we started. There were only four of us riding this day, the rest of the group either left before, or decided to take a day off and cover this section by car. The strong and cold southern wind we were facing was not cooperating, but at km 31 there was the Neot Semadar café where we stopped for nice and rich hot chocolate. Once the 40 km were finally over, we walked 3 more to the camp at the Kassui Dunes. This evening Nirit joined us for driving the logistic car, escorted with her bright and active son Gev that right away explored the possibilities offered by the sand dunes.

The next day was a Saturday – Shabbat, the day of rest in the Jewish religion. We planned a short 11km section for that day, ending at Shacharut campsite (“The Camel Riders”), where we were provided with the second and last hot water shower of the trek.

The remaining 4 days were in the vicinity of the Eilat Mountains. We were now hiking with our last of five topographical maps, and the weather enabled us hike with our shorts for the first time… There were 11 participants on the trek and we knew we are approaching the end. Two long days of 22 and 26 km, followed with the last and more moderate sections: 16 and 14. On the 14th and last day we hiked through one of the most beautiful sections of the Israel National Trail: The Gishron Canyon. Its an orgy of rocks and colors: Black and purple Igneous rocks, Red, white and pink sandstone, yellowish limestone, greenish clay and much more. The last uphill of the 14 days brings us atop Mt. Tzefahot, from which you see the dark blue Gulf of Eilat at your feet, surrounded by beautiful mountains and four countries: Israel, Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The feeling was great, but a little sadness in the mixture: Soon the trek will be over, the life that we experienced was turning into a memory, our friends that walked with us are about to go back to their homes, and even the joy of wiping ones dirty hands on the 14-days-used pants is reaching its end… So we stayed on the summit for one last strong Arabic coffee, took a deep breath of the desert fresh air, and walked down towards the Gulf of Eilat…

You are welcome to watch Eli Shoshani’s photo album of the trek!

https://picasaweb.google.com/107622147846058937848/Shvil_Eli_01_12?authkey=Gv1sRgCLy2v9zV7_70tQE 

The last section on the trail, from Caesaria to Sde Boker, is planned for February 2013, stay tuned!

A guided trek on this trail or different trails can be reserved at www.yoeloren.com

The Land of Israel is known as “The Holy Land”. Million of pilgrims arrive here to follow the footsteps of Jesus and to see in their eyes the land that was the background of the events described in the Old and New Testaments. A much better understanding of the texts evolves from standing atop Mt. of Olives and looking at the Garden of Gethsemane, or Standing on Mt. Carmel and looking at the Valley of Jezreel than for just reading them back home. This way the stories come back to life in front of our eyes.

The vast majority of pilgrims settle with driving by bus or car to the churches that were established at the spots of the events, but there’s another way of doing it: Real walking on the footsteps of Jesus, the prophets, the kings and other figures whose stories are described in the texts. The experience this way can become deeper: Both with the time spent that enables us grasp better the event in its context, and of course by being in the open scenery that sometimes has not changed much since the time of the Bible. In the Galilee there is a marked hiking trail from Nazareth to Capernaum known as “Jesus Trail” (www.jesustrail.com) that can be fully or partly combined in the hiking pilgrimage.

The desert plays a major role in the scripts: Abraham was the first to settle and develop the desert by planting a Tamarisk tree in Beer Sheva, (environmentalists would appreciate it being a sustainable development since the Tamarisk is a native plant and not an invading species…), The Children of Israel wandered for 40 years in the Sinai and Jordanian deserts, David, before becoming king, dwelled in the Judean Desert, the prophet Amos was a shepard in Tekoa, at the edge of the desert, and John the Baptist was baptizing the people at the Jordan River in the furnace-hot area of the southern Jordan Valley . Half of the land of Israel is desert land, and hiking in the Negev or Judean Deserts can let us feel the special environment and atmosphere. Backpacking for two days and one night in the desert is not equal to wandering there for forty years, but can give a good idea on that!

Here is a suggested itinerary that can set as an alternative pilgrimage to the Holy land. The itinerary is based on hiking, and one can add the more standard Church Pilgrimage to get a complete experience:

Day 1: Landing at Ben Gurion Airport, driving to the Carmel Mountain. Walking from the Druze village of Daliat El Carmel through remains of an ancient Jewish village to the Carmelitic monastery commemorating the competition between Elijah and the prophets of the Ba’al. The breath-taking view from the roof of the monastery opens towards the Jezreel Valley, where stood the vineyard of Naboth (1 Kings, 21), and the capital of the kingdom of Israel; The river of Kishon, where the troops of Sisera fell into the hands of Barak son of Abinoam (Judges 4,5); The Gilboa Mountains, the hills of Nazareth and much more.

Day 2: Visiting the Church of Annunciation in Nazareth and hiking the Jesus Trail from Nazareth through Zippory to Cana of Galilee.

Day 3: Hiking the Jesus Trail from the Arbel Cliff to Capernaum, with an additional visit to Mt. of Beatitudes. Driving to The Jordan River baptismal site. Driving south through the Jordan Valley to Ein Gedi.

Day 4: A day hike in the Dry Canyon and Window Fall at Ein Gedi, then visiting the lush oasis where David found shelter from King Saul (1 Samuel 24). Afternoon bathing at the Dead Sea.

Day 5: Ascending Masada for sunrise, then hiking the Judean Desert to the awe-inspiring Rahaf Canyon. Driving to Jerusalem.

Day 6: Observation over the Old City from Mt. of olives, then a full day walking tour of the four quarters of the Old City, including a walk on the stations of the cross, followed by a visit to The Church of the Holy Sepulchure, The Western (“Wailing”) Wall and The Garden Tomb.

Day 7: A hike around the hills of Jerusalem and the ancient agriculture remains. Drive to the Negev.

Day 8-9: Two days hiking with outdoors camping in the desert, crossing from Makhtesh Ramon (“crater”) to the Arava Valley. Farewell dinner and overnight in Tel Aviv.

Day 10: Jaffa, Tel Aviv and fly home.

A guided trek on this trail can be reserved at www.yoeloren.com

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The Ein Gedi oasis is located at the foot of the Judean Desert fault cliff, between the ridge and the Dead Sea. It consists of four major fresh-water springs supplying 3 million cubic meters of water a year, forming the contrast between the lush oasis and the dry desert surrounding it. The combination of the hot temperatures and the abundance of water create perfect conditions for semi-tropical plants that grow here naturally. The water and the vegetation attract many species of vegetarian animals as the Nubian Ibex and the Rock Hyrax, that themselves attract the predators, as the Wolf and the Fox, and until 2006 there were even leopards around! Since ancient times man was aware of the advantages of Ein Gedi, and some archaeological remains date back to the Chalcolithic Period, some 6000 years ago. During the Roman-Byzantine era, 2000-1400 years ago, a Jewish community prospered here, making a living out of the special and very expensive perfume, the “Apharsemon” (balsam) that was produced from the extracts of a bush that was grown here, but disappeared into a mystery and now no one knows which plant was it…

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For desert lovers Jordan is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. The large variety of rocks, the dramatic landscape created by the Dead Sea Rift fault and the numerous amount of hidden water springs combine to an orgy of shapes and colors. In previous posts I’ve described treks in the vicinity of Petra, Rajef and the Dead Sea canyons. On this one we’re heading south, close to the border with Saudi Arabia: The protected area of Wadi Rum.

This area consists of steep inselbergs surrounded with red and yellow sand dunes. It is reached by a road that branches east from the Desert Highway, about half an hour drive from Aqaba. On that road you drive around fifteen more minutes to reach the visitors’ center and the entrance, where there’s entrance fee required, five Jordanian Dinar per person in 2011.

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‏The Judean desert is relatively a small desert, located in Israel between Jerusalem and Hebron to the west and the Dead Sea to the east. It’s a rain-shadow desert: The Judean hills on its west block the humid air that arrives from the Mediterranean Sea, and the decrease in elevation as you go east makes it drier and drier. The significant drop in Elevation, from a 1000 meters above sea level, to 425 meters below sea level, makes the landscape very steep, especially on the eastern side, the Fault Cliff. Around 30 deep canyons cut through this cliff forming a dramatic scenery.

This trek crosses the Judean Desert from the town of Arad to the lush oasis of Ein Gedi, and it is one of the best treks in Israel. This description is not for navigation, just to give the general idea of the route, while the navigation should be done by the assistance of a topographic map or with a guide.

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Day 1: walk along the Hatzbani stream

The Israel National Trail is a marked path, crossing the entire length of Israel, from the Border with Lebanon in the north, to the Egyptian border in the south.

I offer a guided trek on the trail, devided into 3 sections. We hiked the first one, from Dan to Caesaria, during 11 days, During May 15th to the 25th 2011.

On the evening before, we gathered from all around, and retired to sleep in order to gain energy and rest towards the trek.

On the 1st day, our logistic-man Moshe took us to the starting point near Kibbutz Dan, where the trail begins. There were four participants to begin with, every one joined for a different period of time, including one, named Arie, that aimed to walk the complete section all the way to Caesaria! Moshe drove to kiryat Shemona to bring some fresh bread for breakfast, and we met him after walking around 7 km at the Snir nature reserve. We continued along the trail, and around 6 pm we were at the camping site, where we met a British participant who was to join us for the next four days of trekking.

The second day was relatively warm, but towards early afternoon we had time to enjoy a watermelon and a siesta in the shade of a tree..

Arriving late that evening to the campsite, dinner was already ready for us. This dinner was based on stew cooked in a Poyke pot, but it competed hard with the other dinners we had during our trek: Sole-fish schnitzels, St. Peter fish wrapped with lettuce and foil cooked in the fire, Spaghetti Bolognaise, Asian Casserole of vegetables and chicken, quality entrecote grilled on charcoal, and many more. Of course all the meals were escorted with nice wine..

Poyke pot, photo by Nathan Dascal

During that night we had some rain, but we woke up the next morning cheerful as ever for another day of hiking. This day we welcomed another British participant, that has just arrived late the night before. This guy preferred not to camp outdoors, so we had booked him nice rooms close to the campsites and drove him there after having dinner with us.

So the trek went on, we walked up Mt. Meron and down to the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River, then up to Mt. Tabor and Nazareth, and down to Tzippory. This is where the last of the participants departed, and for the last two days and a half, there were only me, Yoel, the guide, and the persistant Arie left in the group. We decided to speed up, and covered the whole distance from Tzippory to Caesaria (87km) in two and a half days! When we arrived at the aqueduct, the trade-mark logo of Caesaria, we were very please and satisfied. Moshe met us with three cans of beer and drove us home..

Arie and Yoel at Caesaria aqueduct, after 11 days of trekking

The Next guided trek on the trail will take place during January 5th th to the 18th 2012. It will be on the southern section, crossing the Negev Desert from Sde Boker to Eilat.

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Hi guys, here are the coming hikes and treks that are open to the public for registration:

Two treks to the canyons of Jordan:

July 9th – 11th: Three days of canyoning, including abseiling in Wadi Karak and Wadi Mujib. The canyons are rich with water and surprises.

Four days in the Canyons of Jordan, July 14th – 17th:

One day in the Wala Canyon, two days in Wadi Hasa and concluding with Ibn Hammad. No abseiling this time…

The Israel Trail northern section:

Details can be read in the May newsfeed, scroll down and find it…

This is the first time a long guided hike on the INT is offered! The northern section covers the Upper Galilee, the Lower Galilee, the Sea of Galilee and the Carmel Mountain and Coast.

A driver-cook will bring our gear to the campsite and prepare field cooking to be ready when we arrive. People who request can stay overnights in rooms, or as recommended – at the campsite. A combination of challenge and fun!

In the previus article regarding field cooking, I described a method that can be used when you are backpacking. Cooking food wrapped in aluminum foil on fire does not require carrying heavy gear on your back! This time I’ll introduce a method which is only suitable when you camp next to your vehicle: The Poyke Pot.

This pot originated in South Africa, but gathers popularity around the world. The pot is made from iron, it’s very heavy and you can get it in different sizes. The cooking is done on open fire, and can be done either outdoors or on a gas stove at home…

This is the classical recipe: Chicken with Vegtables…

Prepare fire and put the pot on it, make sure it is standing stable! Open a bottle of fine dry red wine and enjoy a glass of wine.

Put a little amount of oil, once the pot is hot add the chicken and stir untill it is roasted from all sides.

Add onions, garlic, red peppers, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, parsley, tomatoes, champignon, and whatever you desire.

Add half a bottle of white wine, some soy sauce, spices.

Cook on small fire for an hour, stir from time to time, drink red wine to let the time pass pleasantly. 

When the stew is ready remove the pot from the fire carefully, and enjoy your meal!

This recipe can be done alternatively with lamb or veal.

When guiding Ellen Botnick in the Judean Desert last year, she asked me to prepare a vegetarian stew. She actually liked it and said I should put the recipe on the blog. Since I don’t fancy having my signature over a vegetarian recipe I hereby dedicate it to Ellen…

The idea is the same, only without the chicken. You might consider adding portobellos for the taste.

These are the hiking trips and treks planned for 2010: (partial list)

The Israel Trail: Northern section,  August 28th to September 7th

For fit hikers

The Israel National trail streches from the Lebanese border at the north, to the Egyptian border in the south.  It is over 900 km long, and goes through different landscapes. Walking the whole distance takes around two months. we are going to devide it into three sections, so we can make some effort during a shorter period and complete it in 40 days.

Our camping and kitchen gear is going to be carried by a vehicle, we will carry only our day packs. We will camp all nights outdoors, occasionally we will offer showers. We will have cooked dinners, a waking up treat (coffee, tea and cookies) and one picnic brunch a day – all provided.

The first section will take us from the Lebanese border to the Mediterranean coast, walking around 25-27  km per day. We will gather Saturday evening in the central bus station in Kiryat Shmona (reaching there independentlyby bus from all around the country), and have transportation to the camping site. We will start getting to know each other over a cup of tea and coffee (dinner is not included for that night), and retire to our sleeping bags. The trek will end in Caesaria, where you’ll get transportation to the Hadera central bus station.

The price is 1500$ per person, including: Guiding, escorting vehicle, food and transportation as mentioned.

More details and instructions would be sent to whoever is interested. 

Trekking in the Canyons of Jordan

Several treks to the canyons of Jordan are going to take place during this summer.

The treks involve hiking in flowing water inside breathtaking beautiful sandstone gorges with hanging gardens of fresh vegetation and date palm trees, camping outdoors and lots of water fun!

Please check the news section on my site for the exact dates!