ממצד תמר למכתש הקטן – Matzad Tamar to Makhtesh Katan, Day 1
מכתש קטן למעלה העקרבים – Makhtesh Katan to Maale Akrabim, Day 2
Guided by Avi Farjoun
Photo album: Israel Trail Hike 2024-02-28.29
Starting with the epilogue
I didn’t arrive home safe and sound.
A wonderful adventure on the Israel Trail ended in the worst way. At an intersection less than 10 minutes from home, a teenage driver hit my car from behind, and rammed me into the car ahead of me. Thankfully, I sustained no immediate injuries. But it took several days, and some medical treatment, to determine which muscles were sore from the hike, and which pain was due to whiplash. I’m OK. My car is still undergoing repairs.
Into the makhtesh
We began our 2-day hike across Makhtesh HaKatan at the Tamar fortress. We crossed Nahal Tzafit, and hiked up and along the Hatzera Ridge until we reached the edge of the Makhtesh HaKatan.
The descent down Maale Hatzera was long and technical, but accomplished without difficulty.
Desert rainbow
Although it has not rained recently in this area of the Negev, the desert was in full blossom.
It was delightful to see wildflowers in vivid colors.
The stunningly bright yellow desert hyacinth (יחנוק המדבר) is actually a parasite that thrives by clinging to the roots of shrubs and other desert plants.
And then, of course, there are the amazingly colorful rocks of Maktesh HaKatan.
Communicating without cellular
An unexpected treat (yes, it was indeed special) of this hike was the lack of cell service in Makhtesh Hakatan.
Typically I keep my cell phone in airplane mode while hiking to put less of a load on the battery. Taking as many photos as I do drains the battery. But sometimes during rest stops I switch my phone back on to check for messages or to share a photo.
I had no idea that our lunch break overlooking the makhtesh would be the last opportunity for decent cell reception for the next 24 hours.
After arriving at our campsite, we simply put our phones away.
And we enjoyed a wonderful social evening together. Chatting during dinner. Joking and laughing during Avi’s evening program. Sharing whiskey and music around the campfire.
Not a cell phone to be seen! It was like we’d gone back in time 30 years.
Lady landscapes
As I browsed through my photos trying to decide which ones to include in this blog post, I found that some of the best landscape shots included my fellow hikers.
These women are some of the many women in our group who, like me, hike the trail without a male partner. Some are married, some are divorced, and some are widows. We are a mix of religious, non-religious, and varieties in-between. We sometimes discuss, and disagree, about politics and ideologies. But our differences are diminished as we share the challenges of hiking the Israel Trail together.
Not really out of my comfort zone
Avi had warned us that the physical effort required for the hike would far outweigh the potential discomfort of sleeping in a tent, and going without a shower or a toilet for one night. Turns out he was right. A sponge bath and a change of clothes revived me at the end of the day. A sleeping pill gave me a good night sleep.
On our second day of hiking we crossed the makhtesh from east to west.
This is the Ali Ascent (on the left side) that awaited us.
The photo (on right) with me at the front of the line was taken by Avi from above. Shaar Ashmadai in the background is where we started the day.
The photo (on left) was taken by a fellow-hiker from below.
Once we began the climb on Maale Ali, I didn’t take any photos (except at a couple rest stops). Were it not for my fear of heights, I might have taken more photos. I’m sure I would have enjoyed the vistas much more.
For about two-thirds of the climb, I followed directly behind Avi. Looking only at his feet ahead of me, I put my feet where he put his. I switched my hiking pole from hand to hand, sticking it on the side of me where the cliff sloped off. I used my free hand to hold onto rungs or railings, or steady myself on the rocks.
Avi paced us so well that we were completed the climb together as a group, and much faster than he had anticipated.
Celebratory photos at the top, of course!
The complete set of my photos in a Flickr album: Photo album: Israel Trail Hike 2024-02-28.29
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