Mount Arbel with Al-Hashvil
Photo album: Israel Trail Hike 2022-05-12
The high cliffs of Mount Arbel dominate the landscape surrounding Tiberias. For years I’ve viewed the Arbel from afar while heading north on the highway towards the Galilee. I’ve come closer on 4×4 offroad excursions. But I’ve never climbed the mountain. So I eagerly awaited this Israel Trail hike, though with some trepidation.
To avoid the encroaching summer heat, we began our hike shortly after 7:30 in the morning.
After three kilometers and an hour of easy hiking, on pavement and through fruit tree groves, we reached the entrance of the Arbel Nature Reserve and National Park.
The closer we got, the more daunting the Arbel looked.
The climb begins.
The trail heading up to the cliffs is essentially one long staircase. The steps seemed endless.
After thirty minutes and about halfway to the cliffs, we rested under a clump of trees. Refreshed by the shade and a strong cool breeze, we resumed the climb.
At the base of the cliffs, we enjoyed the view and the shade.
At this point, my fear of heights got the better of me. I mostly stopped taking photographs. The very narrow trail was etched into a very steep slope. I stuck closely to the right side of the trail, and kept my eyes on the ground, and on my fellow hiker ahead of me.
It got really dicey here.
I put away my hiking pole, and gripped the rocks with my bare hands. The trick for feeling secure was keeping my center of gravity low to the ground.
As we ascended, we crossed paths with several busloads of American youngsters on a Birthright trip. Delightful to see tourists after two years of the coronavirus. But really, did they have to be coming down just as we were climbing the trickiest part?!
I took a selfie while waiting for the last of the Birthright group to pass. The trail is behind us — somewhere through those rocks and bushes. Metal rungs are fixed in the rocks to provide handholds and footholds on this last segment. Fortunately, I have long arms, long legs, and enough flexibility, and had no trouble here.
We reached the summit! Time for our lunch (sandwich) break and group photo.
The trail overlooks Tiberias as it descends the Arbel and heads towards our finish point at Kfar Hittim.
I was happy to see so many flowers still in bloom. The once green meadows have now dried and are fading to brown.
A sampling of some of the wildflowers on the hike.
The complete set of my photos in a Flickr album: Israel Trail Hike 2022-05-1
