Israel Trail 2009-2010 Recap

Israel Trail 2009-2010 Recap

4 July 2010
Despite a 2-month suspension of hiking due to my retinal detachment in November, we completed 10 hikes on the Israel National Trail this (academic) year for a total of about 140 kilometers. It's hard to be exact on the distance measurement. I activate the GPS recording when we commence walking, and stop it when we reach the end of the hike. Sometimes our hikes include a kilometer or more on a "connector" trail to the point where we pick up the Israel Trail. I've also accidentally paused recording a few times, and have had to estimate the length of the unrecorded segment. It's really not critical. Eventually we will have bragging rights to 940 kilometers - the official distance of the trail. So far, we've done about 200. Three of our regular hiker couples went off -- independently of…
Farewell to Spring on the Israel Trail

Farewell to Spring on the Israel Trail

19 April 2010
Segments 6-7 – Lower Nahal Amud to Migdal *   Only two weeks had elapsed since our last hike on the Israel National Trail. But we took to the trail again to catch the springtime greenery and blossoms before they dry and fade away for the summer. Once again it was a hot day, but the 9 hearty hikers who showed up were ready and eager for another adventure. After leaving one car at the gas station in Migdal, we drove to the gas station at Kedarim, where we parked our other cars, enjoyed a good cup of Segafredo coffee, and then headed for the trail. Note: I plan the hiking route and prepare the maps, which I put in Yuval's hands. Yuval is responsible for keeping us on course since I take photos continuously during the hikes and am liable to miss…

MTBO at Eshtaol Forest

18 April 2010
My husband Yuval and I have been riding MTBO events together for the past two years. Often we ride the course with a couple friends (who may or may not have a map). I wear a Garmin Forerunner 305 and keep a log of my sporting activities. The MTBO event at Eshtaol Forest this past weekend proved quite a challenge for even the serious and seasoned riders. So I've decided to share my impressions of the event.
Perfect Timing on the Israel Trail

Perfect Timing on the Israel Trail

12 March 2010
Segments 28 - 29 – Kibbutz Dvir to Pureh Nature Reserve *   This post is dedicated to my mother Bernice Meyer Saltzman, of blessed memory, who would have celebrated her 81st birthday on March 6th, the day of this hike. If it had been a week earlier, we would have been slopping around, cold and wet, in mud and rain (and our scheduled hike was indeed postponed). If it had been a week later, we would have been hiking in heat, and the wildflowers would be wilting. But on this first weekend in March, the forces of nature were with us, and our hike on the Israel National Trail in the northern Negev was picture perfect. We broke an unwritten (and non-enforced) rule: we hiked this segment from south to north. This was a decision I made to…
Heat, Hills and a Hammock — and some great vistas

Heat, Hills and a Hammock — and some great vistas

20 September 2009
Segment 2: Kiryat Shemona to Mezudat Yesha *   In today’s hike, we will not be hiking the first part of the segment -- from Tel Hai to the Geological Park. I realized that the route would simply be too long, especially in the heat, and decided that it was better to cut out a few kilometers of ascent rather than skip the best part (Nachal Kedesh) at the very end of today’s route. I have promised the group we will return to complete this segment at another time, in another season. 9:25: Our hike begins at the Geological Park just above Kiryat Shemona. I am delighted that we are able to drive to the park on a paved road and park our car right near the trail; I had not realized there was vehicle access, and had thought we’d…
Hike 3 on the Israel Trail, Post-Mortem Redux

Hike 3 on the Israel Trail, Post-Mortem Redux

8 July 2009
Netanya to Gaash on the Israel Trail - July 3, 2009 *   We are still in a learning mode. Many of our hiking group members are orienteers and skilled at making "route choices" while on an orienteering race course. But the Israel Trail is another challenge. The concept here requires knowing where to look for trail markers (even, and especially, on city streets), keeping them in sight, and following them! I'm sure our Trail skills will improve the more we hike. On our last hike we had two instances of deviating from the trail. The images below show where we actually hiked in those two spots, as compared to where we should have hiked according to the Israel Trail markers. In Netanya we were simply careless about following the markers. When we didn't see the markers, we assumed they'd been removed or obstructed…