There Is No Internet Access in the Middle of the Desert
I return triumphant! The trip to Ein Gedi and the Judean Desert was awesome. To catch up:
Six Days Ago: Friday, July 23 - Jerusalem and Arrival
As with all the other trips, we started by waking up early. After a short bus ride, we had breakfast on a hill overlooking the old city of Jerusalem. Our guides Yoel, Yoav, and Yaron ("The Three 'Y's Men"), introduced some of the history of the city. After the lecture, we visited the Dormi Tzion church, a holy site that actually contains places of worship for all three major monotheistic religions because of different events that happened at that location. Beneath the church lies the tomb of the Virgin Mary. After visiting this site, we continued on to the old city, entering the Jewish Quarter through the Zion Gate. We proceeded to the Kotel (Western Wall), and spent a little time there. I don't think there is anywhere else in the world where one feels more in touch with history than in the Old City of Jerusalem.
Outside of the walls of the Old City, we boarded the busses again and proceeded into the Judean desert. We stopped at Emfeshcha, the site of some desert springs, for our first hike. (The participants were split up into three groups for all of the hikes, one group for each guide. My group was guided by Yoav.) Except for the dry air, Emfeshcha had a somewhat tropical feel (because of the heat and the ample water, tropical "relics" can be found in the Judean desert (areas where tropical plants and animals have survived despite climate change)). We hiked through the "hidden preserve" (40 mins., mostly shady, flat ground, easy), getting a good chance to observe the local wildlife (including many unique species of fish... it's funny to think of finding fish in the desert...).
After the hike, we had lunch at the spring's pools. Then, we had a little time to swim.
A little later, we returned to the busses and traveled to the Ein Gedi Field School. We unpacked and had some time to rest before dinner. Shabbat dinner at the Field School was pretty nice.
After dinner, the guides talked about our plans for the next few days. Then, I headed to bed.
Five Days Ago: Saturday, July 24 - Hikes Near Ein Gedi
We began our day with a hike in King David's canyon (6 hrs. with stops, periodic shade, difficult climbing, steep hills, moderately difficult), visiting the Ein Gedi spring. The wildlife must have been resting, as all we saw, aside from some birds and insects, were a few hyrax (the only cold-blooded mammal) near the spring.
After the hike, we returned to the Field School for lunch and a rest.
In the late afternoon, we went down to the shore of the Dead Sea for a talk about the Sea and to skip rocks (I got four bounces before the final splash on one throw). The walk was nice, but the air smelled slightly like rotten eggs, as S02 seeps up from the Dead Sea mud (this is a problem at the Field School, as well, as it is pretty close to the Sea's shore.
We returned to the Field School for dinner. After dinner, the groups split up again for a lecture on the Judean Desert's wildlife.
Then it was once again the time for sleep.
Four Days Ago: Sunday, July 25 - Desert Survival Day
Sunday was the day of our longest and hardest hike. We woke up at 3:45 so we could begin the hike at sunrise. In the morning, we hiked up the canyon Nahal Mishmal (6 hrs. with stops, some shade, very difficult climbing, steep hills, very difficult), eating breakfast in a shady spot along the way. On the hike, we discussed how people and animals survive in the desert (keeping cool and finding water). A human walking through the desert needs to drink between six and eight liters of water each day to avoid dehydration. Most of the animals of the desert were hiding during this part of the day (although we did see a fox, startled by the group, run from one shady hiding spot to another). The first part of this hike was very fun, but the last bit of the walk up was in the midday sun, so it was very hot and uncomfortable.
At about noon, we arrived at the small, shady spring at the top of the canyon. We stopped here to eat lunch, have some tea, and wait out the hottest portion of the day. Wildlife was very active at the spring, with birds darting about catching insects in midair, and golden spike mice scuttling between and under the rocks above the spring. We rested at this spot for about three hours.
For the route back to the bus, we hiked along the rim of the canyon (2 hrs., almost no shade, some steep hills, difficult).
As a whole, this hike was the hardest hike I have ever done. I could not have completed it without help. Ben carried my backpack for the last part of the way up, and Shira carried my bag on the final bit of the climb down. Sunny helped me in the beginning by carrying one of the water bottles I brought (which was a big help, as I was not used to carrying such a large load).
Exhausted, the group returned to the Field School for a snack and a rest before dinner. After dinner, the guides showed the group a few films and a slide show discussing flash floods and their importance to the ecosystem of the Judean Desert (as well as their power as a destructive force of nature).
The day was over, and I dropped into bed.
Three Days Ago: Monday, July 26 - The "Relaxing" Day
We woke up at the not so late time of 6:30 so that we could have breakfast before our "easy" hike. The hike though the Wadi Arugot (5 hrs. with stops, almost no shade, moderate climbing, moderate hills, moderate) was fairly easy, but the day was hot. The wildlife was out in force, and we saw hyrax resting in the bushes and whole herds of ibex (hill dwelling antelope-like animals) climbing the crags on the other side of the canyon.
After the hike, we returned to the Field School for lunch.
In the afternoon, we went swimming in the Dead Sea. The high salt content of the Sea (15% NaCl, 15% MgCl) gives it some unique properties, including its oily feel and its high density (which makes it really easy to float).
A few notes about the Dead Sea:
- Floating in it is really fun
- The fresh water showers right by the shore are very necessary afterwards
- If you have cuts or scratches (as I did) they sting quite a bit (although the water does help them heal)
- If you have blisters (as I did) a soak in the Dead Sea helps them heal much quicker
- Getting Dead Sea water up your nose hurts. A lot.
We returned to the Field School for dinner. After dinner, the groups split up for a lecture on evolution. (The central question used to look at evolutionary systems in general was, "Why are almost all populations of animals evenly divided between males and females?" Answer: (to paraquote) "The solution is suboptimal, but evolutionarily stable.")
That night was our last night at the Field School.
Two Days Ago: Tuesday, July 27 - Masada and the "Bedouins"
This was our longest day. We woke up at 3:15 so we could pack breakfast. Then, we boarded the busses with all our stuff packed to head for Masada. At dawn, we climbed Masada via the Snake Trail (the hardest path, 300 m. vertical rise over a 2 km. trail). The hike was somewhat intense, but short, and relatively cool (temperature-wise). The view was incredible, and I watched the sun rise as I ascended to the fortress ruins. At the top, we ate breakfast, explored the ruins, and learned about the history of Masada.
Created as a fortified palace for King Herod (which was never used by the king himself), Masada fell out of importance and was easily captured by Jewish Zealots in a surprise attack during the Great Rebellion against the Romans. After the Romans quashed the rebellion, they besieged Masada. As Masada was supplied to last for years (containing, among other things, cisterns holding 40 million liters of fresh water), the Romans eventually decided to assault it rather than to wait it out. After a few months of failed attempts, the Romans took three weeks to bridge a dirt and wood ramp across the western valley, using relatives of the Zealots to do the work and catapulting civilians at the fortress to lower the Zealots' morale. Using fire, they overcame the hidden reinforcements within the double wall and positioned a battering ram to smash the wall itself. Knowing the fortress would be taken the next day, the Zealot defenders chose to commit mass suicide, killing themselves and their families, rather than be taken prisoner or defeated in battle, and burning the entire fortress except for the food supplies. Only two women and five children, who hid within the fortress, survived to tell the tale, surrendering to the Romans. Josephus Flavius (formerly Joseph Ben-Matityahu, a rebel leader who was himself the sole survivor of a suicide pact, surrendering to the Romans and becoming the historian who chronicled the war between the Romans and the Jewish rebellion) recorded the story of the final act of the Zealots from the accounts of the survivors in his book, The Jewish War.
After viewing the ruins, we descended via the Ramp Trail (a much easier walk than the Snake Trail).
The busses took us south to our final destination for the night, a resort "farm" made in the style of a Bedouin camp situated on the border between the Judean and Negev deserts. We had lunch at the camp and rested a bit, then went to the nearby town for a snack and took a walk near the Small Crater in the Negev. (The three craters in this region, the largest one of which we saw at the Field School we visited on the way home from Eilat, are not impact craters but were formed by complex geological processes. We returned to the camp for dinner, a Bedouin feast.
After that, I headed for bed. The temperature at night was very comfortable, but I could not get to sleep for a while, as all the participants were staying in the same huge tent and people did not turn off the lights and quiet down until at least 12:30. When it did, though, I slept very soundly.
Yesterday: Wednesday, July 28 - The Final Day
We rose with the sun at 6:30, ate breakfast, and began the day's activities with a camel ride. Camels may be sturdy, but riding them is quite uncomfortable, so I walked on the way back (there were not quite enough camels for everyone to ride).
Afterwards, we went on a walk into the Large Crater (the middle of the three in size). There we ate lunch, and made sand bottles out of the many different colors of sand (in the crater, you can find tan, white, yellow, red, and black sand).
Then, we returned to Rehovot.
Today:
I finally have the time to write this journal update. Today is the program's final day, so I filled out evaluations, got the journal that the participants created, and began to pack for the trip home. Tonight, we receive our certificates. Tomorrow, we leave. My flight leaves Israel at 12:30 and I arrive in Cleveland late Friday night.
Six Days Ago: Friday, July 23 - Jerusalem and Arrival
As with all the other trips, we started by waking up early. After a short bus ride, we had breakfast on a hill overlooking the old city of Jerusalem. Our guides Yoel, Yoav, and Yaron ("The Three 'Y's Men"), introduced some of the history of the city. After the lecture, we visited the Dormi Tzion church, a holy site that actually contains places of worship for all three major monotheistic religions because of different events that happened at that location. Beneath the church lies the tomb of the Virgin Mary. After visiting this site, we continued on to the old city, entering the Jewish Quarter through the Zion Gate. We proceeded to the Kotel (Western Wall), and spent a little time there. I don't think there is anywhere else in the world where one feels more in touch with history than in the Old City of Jerusalem.
Outside of the walls of the Old City, we boarded the busses again and proceeded into the Judean desert. We stopped at Emfeshcha, the site of some desert springs, for our first hike. (The participants were split up into three groups for all of the hikes, one group for each guide. My group was guided by Yoav.) Except for the dry air, Emfeshcha had a somewhat tropical feel (because of the heat and the ample water, tropical "relics" can be found in the Judean desert (areas where tropical plants and animals have survived despite climate change)). We hiked through the "hidden preserve" (40 mins., mostly shady, flat ground, easy), getting a good chance to observe the local wildlife (including many unique species of fish... it's funny to think of finding fish in the desert...).
After the hike, we had lunch at the spring's pools. Then, we had a little time to swim.
A little later, we returned to the busses and traveled to the Ein Gedi Field School. We unpacked and had some time to rest before dinner. Shabbat dinner at the Field School was pretty nice.
After dinner, the guides talked about our plans for the next few days. Then, I headed to bed.
Five Days Ago: Saturday, July 24 - Hikes Near Ein Gedi
We began our day with a hike in King David's canyon (6 hrs. with stops, periodic shade, difficult climbing, steep hills, moderately difficult), visiting the Ein Gedi spring. The wildlife must have been resting, as all we saw, aside from some birds and insects, were a few hyrax (the only cold-blooded mammal) near the spring.
After the hike, we returned to the Field School for lunch and a rest.
In the late afternoon, we went down to the shore of the Dead Sea for a talk about the Sea and to skip rocks (I got four bounces before the final splash on one throw). The walk was nice, but the air smelled slightly like rotten eggs, as S02 seeps up from the Dead Sea mud (this is a problem at the Field School, as well, as it is pretty close to the Sea's shore.
We returned to the Field School for dinner. After dinner, the groups split up again for a lecture on the Judean Desert's wildlife.
Then it was once again the time for sleep.
Four Days Ago: Sunday, July 25 - Desert Survival Day
Sunday was the day of our longest and hardest hike. We woke up at 3:45 so we could begin the hike at sunrise. In the morning, we hiked up the canyon Nahal Mishmal (6 hrs. with stops, some shade, very difficult climbing, steep hills, very difficult), eating breakfast in a shady spot along the way. On the hike, we discussed how people and animals survive in the desert (keeping cool and finding water). A human walking through the desert needs to drink between six and eight liters of water each day to avoid dehydration. Most of the animals of the desert were hiding during this part of the day (although we did see a fox, startled by the group, run from one shady hiding spot to another). The first part of this hike was very fun, but the last bit of the walk up was in the midday sun, so it was very hot and uncomfortable.
At about noon, we arrived at the small, shady spring at the top of the canyon. We stopped here to eat lunch, have some tea, and wait out the hottest portion of the day. Wildlife was very active at the spring, with birds darting about catching insects in midair, and golden spike mice scuttling between and under the rocks above the spring. We rested at this spot for about three hours.
For the route back to the bus, we hiked along the rim of the canyon (2 hrs., almost no shade, some steep hills, difficult).
As a whole, this hike was the hardest hike I have ever done. I could not have completed it without help. Ben carried my backpack for the last part of the way up, and Shira carried my bag on the final bit of the climb down. Sunny helped me in the beginning by carrying one of the water bottles I brought (which was a big help, as I was not used to carrying such a large load).
Exhausted, the group returned to the Field School for a snack and a rest before dinner. After dinner, the guides showed the group a few films and a slide show discussing flash floods and their importance to the ecosystem of the Judean Desert (as well as their power as a destructive force of nature).
The day was over, and I dropped into bed.
Three Days Ago: Monday, July 26 - The "Relaxing" Day
We woke up at the not so late time of 6:30 so that we could have breakfast before our "easy" hike. The hike though the Wadi Arugot (5 hrs. with stops, almost no shade, moderate climbing, moderate hills, moderate) was fairly easy, but the day was hot. The wildlife was out in force, and we saw hyrax resting in the bushes and whole herds of ibex (hill dwelling antelope-like animals) climbing the crags on the other side of the canyon.
After the hike, we returned to the Field School for lunch.
In the afternoon, we went swimming in the Dead Sea. The high salt content of the Sea (15% NaCl, 15% MgCl) gives it some unique properties, including its oily feel and its high density (which makes it really easy to float).
A few notes about the Dead Sea:
- Floating in it is really fun
- The fresh water showers right by the shore are very necessary afterwards
- If you have cuts or scratches (as I did) they sting quite a bit (although the water does help them heal)
- If you have blisters (as I did) a soak in the Dead Sea helps them heal much quicker
- Getting Dead Sea water up your nose hurts. A lot.
We returned to the Field School for dinner. After dinner, the groups split up for a lecture on evolution. (The central question used to look at evolutionary systems in general was, "Why are almost all populations of animals evenly divided between males and females?" Answer: (to paraquote) "The solution is suboptimal, but evolutionarily stable.")
That night was our last night at the Field School.
Two Days Ago: Tuesday, July 27 - Masada and the "Bedouins"
This was our longest day. We woke up at 3:15 so we could pack breakfast. Then, we boarded the busses with all our stuff packed to head for Masada. At dawn, we climbed Masada via the Snake Trail (the hardest path, 300 m. vertical rise over a 2 km. trail). The hike was somewhat intense, but short, and relatively cool (temperature-wise). The view was incredible, and I watched the sun rise as I ascended to the fortress ruins. At the top, we ate breakfast, explored the ruins, and learned about the history of Masada.
Created as a fortified palace for King Herod (which was never used by the king himself), Masada fell out of importance and was easily captured by Jewish Zealots in a surprise attack during the Great Rebellion against the Romans. After the Romans quashed the rebellion, they besieged Masada. As Masada was supplied to last for years (containing, among other things, cisterns holding 40 million liters of fresh water), the Romans eventually decided to assault it rather than to wait it out. After a few months of failed attempts, the Romans took three weeks to bridge a dirt and wood ramp across the western valley, using relatives of the Zealots to do the work and catapulting civilians at the fortress to lower the Zealots' morale. Using fire, they overcame the hidden reinforcements within the double wall and positioned a battering ram to smash the wall itself. Knowing the fortress would be taken the next day, the Zealot defenders chose to commit mass suicide, killing themselves and their families, rather than be taken prisoner or defeated in battle, and burning the entire fortress except for the food supplies. Only two women and five children, who hid within the fortress, survived to tell the tale, surrendering to the Romans. Josephus Flavius (formerly Joseph Ben-Matityahu, a rebel leader who was himself the sole survivor of a suicide pact, surrendering to the Romans and becoming the historian who chronicled the war between the Romans and the Jewish rebellion) recorded the story of the final act of the Zealots from the accounts of the survivors in his book, The Jewish War.
After viewing the ruins, we descended via the Ramp Trail (a much easier walk than the Snake Trail).
The busses took us south to our final destination for the night, a resort "farm" made in the style of a Bedouin camp situated on the border between the Judean and Negev deserts. We had lunch at the camp and rested a bit, then went to the nearby town for a snack and took a walk near the Small Crater in the Negev. (The three craters in this region, the largest one of which we saw at the Field School we visited on the way home from Eilat, are not impact craters but were formed by complex geological processes. We returned to the camp for dinner, a Bedouin feast.
After that, I headed for bed. The temperature at night was very comfortable, but I could not get to sleep for a while, as all the participants were staying in the same huge tent and people did not turn off the lights and quiet down until at least 12:30. When it did, though, I slept very soundly.
Yesterday: Wednesday, July 28 - The Final Day
We rose with the sun at 6:30, ate breakfast, and began the day's activities with a camel ride. Camels may be sturdy, but riding them is quite uncomfortable, so I walked on the way back (there were not quite enough camels for everyone to ride).
Afterwards, we went on a walk into the Large Crater (the middle of the three in size). There we ate lunch, and made sand bottles out of the many different colors of sand (in the crater, you can find tan, white, yellow, red, and black sand).
Then, we returned to Rehovot.
Today:
I finally have the time to write this journal update. Today is the program's final day, so I filled out evaluations, got the journal that the participants created, and began to pack for the trip home. Tonight, we receive our certificates. Tomorrow, we leave. My flight leaves Israel at 12:30 and I arrive in Cleveland late Friday night.