#HikeIsrael

[byfaithmedia]

The patriarchs of the Bible would have visited places like Ein Avdat in the Negev Desert, Israel, because Israel was a desert travelling nation. Today, enjoy a hike in God’s glorious creation, & enjoy the wonder of an oasis in the desert, and think of the Patriarchs as they searched for water.

[mikekorman1]

April 18th: Before we even begin...

Hey everyone!

So this is my first post of what I hope will be many posts from all over this crazy country called Israel. 

Yes, you may have heard, probably from me, that I am embarking on a kind of adventure. On wednesday 23rd April at the crack of dawn I will begin the National Israel Trail. This is a walk that runs from Eilat in the very south to Kibbutz Dan in the north (see map below). It is 1000km long and will take a good 2 months. I won’t be alone, thank goodness, as one of my best mates Aaron Densham (from now on Azza or a range of similar alternatives) will be joining me - at least for the first month and then he’ll see so he says. 

I’ve been thinking about doing this walk for a long time - called Shvil Israel/שביל ישראל in hebrew. Shvil meaning trail. Walking has always captivated me. Particularly walking for days on end out in nature with everything I need on my back. There is something about covering ground on foot that returns me to my core and allows me to deeply connect and embrace where I am. I actually fell in love with Israel about 4 years ago when I was rambling about in the Judean Desert. So Israel for me is very much about walking, it was from the beginning and I’m sure it will be going forward. 

I moved to Israel in October 2012 from Australia. For anyone that knows these two countries you know that the move wasn’t done because I wanted a more comfortable life (or a more secluded beach). Israel is harsh. It’s real, it’s alive, it’s full on and it’s packed with blistering diversity and conflict. I moved to Israel not for any reason in particular. It’s most accurate to say that my heart moved me to Israel. I was just pulled here. And even though it’s a harder life (financially and in many ways) my heart reminds me every moment that this is where I need to be. That here is where I must settle and live. 

So this walk is more than just a nice long hike to take in the scenery and get some rock hard quads and some tight buttocks. It’s a kind of pilgrimage walk for me. Doing this walk is as in built in me now as the desire to be in this country. I know with every fibre of my begin that this is what I must do now. And so ‘yalla’ as the locals say - let’s get on with it mate. 

The walk itself has taken some preparation. The first month we will be walking through the desert. As we are walking quite late in the season (most people begin the hike in February) the temps will be high and the sun strong. We are expecting days of 30-35C through the desert. This is far from ideal hiking weather. This means a lot of water (about 6 litres a day) and dawn starts (5am) and good rests in the heat of the day (11:30-2:30). There are a number of 2-3 stretches through the desert where there is no accessible drinking water. To get through such stretches we need to cache water in the ground before we start the trail (this is our job for Tue 22nd, the day before we begin). We have about 8 water caches to do with some of them including food and gas canisters to cook with. There are 3 other caches which can only be done with a 4x4 (which we don’t have) because they are way off the beaten track. We will organise someone to do these for us. Sometimes when you cache food it is dug up by Bedouins. But they usually don’t steal water. So we’ll have to see how that turns out and always have enough food should we arrive at a cache point and our bag of rice is no longer there. We will be planting about 550 bottles of water. I’m hiring a car on Sunday (20th) and will have to fill the car with all these bottles and the food we want to cache. We’ll have a Mazda 3, let’s hope there’s enough room for the water, about 30kg of food, 3 hiking packs and 3 human beings. 

So that’s a bit of a preview. I’ll be starting the walk with Azza and his brother (who now lives in Israel) Mike. Mike will be with us for the first few days while Azza, at least the first month. I’ll be taking a solar powered USB charger which will sit atop my pack and will fully charge my iPhone 1.5 times after 4 hours of sun. So that’s how I’ll be making these posts to you!

Maybe I’ll also find some app which can track our position via GPS. That way you can get a visual of where we are…nice daydreaming material should you be reading this from colder Melbourne:) 

I think that’s the lot for now. Here’s our schedule for the next few days:

Saturday 18th: Snuggle with my girlfriend (who is not overjoyed that I’m “leaving her” as she calls it for 2 months). Sunday: Buy hiking maps, rent car, buy hand spade, fill up about 200 bottles of water and go dancing in a kibbutz at night! Monday: Pick up Az from the airport at midday. Drive to his brother’s/Mike’s farm where he works. Chill and spend the night Tuesday: Up before sunrise and on the road the 3 of us on the way south to our first water/food cache point. Get to Eilat by 5pm, return car and hitch to beach near the start of the hike. Sleep by the red sea (Eilat).  Wednesday 23rd: Go for a stroll

Test hike in the North of Israel (near Mount Hermon).

Some of the food for the trip. 

Giddy up.

Dovta Valley in the far north of Israel - test hike. 

My bag on a test hike with the solar panel sitting happy on top.

[byfaithmedia]

Explore the breathtaking beauty of Ein Avdat National Park on a peaceful nature hike in Israel. Experience walking in the wilderness like the Patriarchs of the Bible & enjoy the wonder of an oasis in the desert.