Mizpeh Modiin to Shaalavim (in reverse)
with Al–Hashvil, guided by Avi Farjoun
Photos: Israel Trail Hike 2026-05-07
As I drove the short distance to the group’s meeting point, I reflected on my personal connections to the segment of the Israel Trail we would be hiking. I already knew I wanted to share these reflections in this blog. Having reached my 70th birthday at the start of the season, I now felt compelled to write a more substantial post and share a bit of my personal history.
Throughout the day, our guide Avi spoke about biblical connection (Gezer, Gimzo) and modern historical events (Operation Danny, Israel’s War of Independence). My mind often wandered, recalling my own excursions and experiences, and the people who have been part of my journey.
Photo-Op
There was something fitting about the Brosh group completing five seasons on the Israel Trail with an easy hike—on the very segment where, 17 years earlier, I began my journey on the trail by organizing a group of friends.
Mid-day we reached Hirbet Regev, a summit offering a 360-degree view of central Israel. The location was ideal for our last group photo of season 5.
Looking back at my photos from 2009, I see my hiking group had used the same spot for our first group photo.
Ecological Corridor
In the winter of 2018–19, I joined a team of volunteers enlisted by The Society for the Protection of Nature (SPNI) in the effort to preserve the ecological corridor surrounding the city of Modi’in. Using a mapping/graphic application, we went out and scoured the open fields between Kibbutz Shaalavim and the Anava commercial area. Our task was to find and mark the locations of abandoned and derelict fencing and structures. Although these entities once served agricultural purposes, they now obstructed the free range of wildlife, and even posed serious dangers (think: barbed wire fencing hidden amidst tall grasses). Once mapped, it would be much easier to dismantle and remove them.
Roads Have Alternatives – Nature Doesn’t
Until 2010, I had not engaged in environmental activism. That changed when my friend Alon Tal, one of Israel’s leading environmentalists, asked me to join a group of petitioners. The objective was to divert a road from Highway 431 to the Business Park in Modiin (Ligad) at the point where it crosses Nahal Anava. Construction was imminent.
Nahal Anava is a seasonal stream that runs dry nearly all year long. It originates less than a kilometer from my home, and runs underground beneath the eastern neighborhoods of Modiin. The stream emerges in Anava Park in the city center, and meanders until joining Nahal Ayalon near the Anava interchange on Highway 1.
At the time I often cycled with my husband and friends on the dirt trail that runs alongside Nahal Anava. It is one of the few trails I can easily reach directly from home. Indeed, it is one of the few remnants of natural landscape within the municipal borders.
The petition was a rather complicated matter. The road plans included a massive bridge to be erected exactly on top of two lime kilns — the most significant and visible archeological remains along the stream bed. Remains of a winepress and a water cistern were also found there.
Our ulterior motive was to prevent the construction of Municipal Road 4, a route that had been marked and embedded in Modiin development maps many years ago. If built, this road would connect Highway 431 to Highway 443 by slicing through pristine forest and fields.
The judge did not dismiss the petition outright and heard our case, but ruled against diverting the road. We did have some success. The plans for the bridge required the preservation of the two lime kilns, which are still standing, under the bridge. I believe the noise we made about Road 4 helped promote an awareness of environmental issues that has taken hold in Modiin. I’m proud of my part in it, however small.
Varda, My Kindred Spirit
I cannot remember exactly when I met Varda Inglis – sometime in the early 2000s. But I do remember exactly where it was. In the middle of the Ben Shemen Forest, at a junction on the wadi trail. We were both orienteering. I was still insecure about my navigation skills, and doing the course together with my gal pal Hadar. Varda was also a newbie at the sport, but had total confidence about where she was and how to reach the next control marker. I was delighted to find another woman about the same age as I, who loved the challenge of orienteering and being alone in the woods, yet loved to talk and socialize. We finished the course together that day, and our friendship was born.
Over the years we kept each other company a lot. Traveling by car, heading north, heading south, to and from orienteering events. Sitting and chatting before and after our time out on the course. Sometimes we walked courses together. It was always such a joy to spend time with Varda.
When I gathered a group of friends to hike the Israel Trail in 2009, Varda joined enthusiastically. Varda was an integral part of that group, and encouraged me to continue organizing the hikes. Over several years we hiked some 20 segments together.
Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012, Varda lost the stamina for hiking, and I lost the motivation to plan hikes. She died in April 2017. I still sense her presence and spirit whenever I am in the woods and on the Israel Trail.
at the Susim picnic area in Ben Shemen Forest
Tia, My Second Wind
I have known Tia Pinsky for over 50 years. We happen to be 3rd cousins, we grew up in the same town, and attended the same high school, just a grade apart. I came to Israel in September 1973. Tia arrived a few months later. Our friendship actually began while studying together at Haifa University-Oranim for a B.A. degree in English and teaching certification. Neither of us pursued careers as English teachers, although Tia became a highly regarded instructor of nursing and midwifery, and I evolved as an English technical and marketing writer in the high tech sector.
While we followed different paths in our lives, we each put roots down just a few kilometers apart. She in the small moshav of Mevo Modiin (nestled in the Ben Shemen forest), and I in the town of Maccabim (later annexed by the city of Modiin). During the busy years of multi-tasking our families and careers, we connected mostly when our parents came from the USA to visit.
Sometime in 2020, in the days of covid restrictions, Tia and I started walking-and-talking about once a week, mostly in Ben Shemen Forest. By spring 2021, Tia was talking about hiking the Israel Trail once a month with an organized group. I needed no persuading to join her – this was the only way I’d ever complete the entire Israel Trail. I left it in Tia’s hands to pick the organizer and the day of the week. That’s how I ended up in the Brosh hiking group of Al-Hashvil.
Tia and I had three wondering hiking seasons with the Brosh group on the Israel Trail. She tapered off during season 4, and did not continue on to season 5. I persisted.
Crossing Paths and Connecting
Tia and I continue to walk in the forest. We don’t have a set route, and sometimes follow a bit of the Israel Trail (as in the photo above). We often pass through an intersection of trails marked by an imposing, three-meter high stone pillar.
I only recently learned the significance of this monument, when the site served as the assembly area for an Israel Orienteering league competition. Prior to the awards ceremony, Itai Shechory, a fellow-member of the Hevel Modiin Orienteering Club, spoke to the crowd about the monument. It bears the names of three Haganah commanders of the Tel Aviv region who were killed here when their vehicle hit a mine during the War of Independence in 1948. One of the three commanders was Itay’s uncle, Israel Shechory [Yisrael Schori].
Indeed, the history of modern day Israel is not so distant, and events are often connected directly to the lives of people we know.
January 2026 – Itai Shechory speaking about his uncle, who is commemorated on this monument.
Escape to the Forest
Needless to say, Ben Shemen forest is my happy place. Give me any excuse to spend time in the forest, and I’m on my way!
A few years ago I began working occasionally for my friend Ruth, who runs an outdoor-activity business based on orienteering in the Ben Shemen forest. My main task is to follow teams in the woods, and, if necessary, help them solve challenges and prevent them from going astray.
On my last birthday – the big 70 – I happily agreed to work with Ruth in the forest that morning. Having already celebrated on a glamping weekend with my family, this was my ideal treat on the actual birthday.
2023 – My office in the forest.
2021 – Escaping to the forest and dancing in the rain during covid quarantine.
I often cross this path when orienteering or working in the forest.
What Next?
Onward and upward – southward, actually – to the sixth and final season on the Israel Trail. As best I can tell, the Brosh group will remain intact, and join forces with the Segalit group. I’ll be counting on my Brosh friends for their encouragement and support when the physical effort gets tough. I know they’ll be there. I may need to cut back on photography, as I’ll be busy climbing and gripping metal rungs on canyon cliffs. I’ll do my best to stay healthy and fit this summer, ready for the final challenges of the Israel Trail. See you then!
Photos: Israel Trail Hike 2026-05-07
