שביל ישראל
I bought a book last week - my first book entirely in Hebrew. Said book is a guide to the 940 km (580 mi) שביל ישראל - the Israel Trail. The Israel trail is a relatively new trail which stretches from the northern end of Israel all the way down to the southernmost point. It's designed for through hiking, like the Appalachian Trail in the US, but because Israel is so urbanized, it's easy to access in pieces - which is exactly what I'm going to do.
Now, I won't say that I'm going to hike the whole trail before I leave Israel - though I'd like to - but I will be doing as much as I can manage. I convinced my roommate to join me this weekend for the leg from Tsfat to Tiberia in the Galilee. It ended up being a bit much to do on a winter's day (we were running out of energy and light), so we ended up finishing the trip on roads instead of the trail.
The trail starts at Moshav Meron, and it follows Nahal Amud (Stream of the Pillar) most of the way. The terrain was pretty rough for the first 7-8 km, but the trail is blazed really well (we only lost the trail once) - and the scenery was gorgeous. We also had perfect weather, although the trail was a bit muddy from the previous day's rain.
Pictures are posted on facebook. If anyone's interested in being my trail buddy for the next leg, let me know - I may do some of the coastal plain sections on my own, but the Galilee is too rough (and too remote) to do by myself.
Now, I won't say that I'm going to hike the whole trail before I leave Israel - though I'd like to - but I will be doing as much as I can manage. I convinced my roommate to join me this weekend for the leg from Tsfat to Tiberia in the Galilee. It ended up being a bit much to do on a winter's day (we were running out of energy and light), so we ended up finishing the trip on roads instead of the trail.
The trail starts at Moshav Meron, and it follows Nahal Amud (Stream of the Pillar) most of the way. The terrain was pretty rough for the first 7-8 km, but the trail is blazed really well (we only lost the trail once) - and the scenery was gorgeous. We also had perfect weather, although the trail was a bit muddy from the previous day's rain.
Pictures are posted on facebook. If anyone's interested in being my trail buddy for the next leg, let me know - I may do some of the coastal plain sections on my own, but the Galilee is too rough (and too remote) to do by myself.