A Stroll in the Park on the Israel Trail

A Stroll in the Park on the Israel Trail

7 February 2010
Segment 19: Ganei Yehoshua (Park Hayarkon), from West End to East End * It had rained heavily throughout Israel in the preceeding week. Trails everywhere in Israel were too muddy to hike. Starting at the Tel Aviv Port, we would end our hike at the eastern end of Park Yehoshua, in the Ramat Hahayal high-tech business park. Our Israel Trail hike thus became a stroll in the park, on a cool but sunny winter day. For the most part we walked on asphalt and packed-dirt paths.
Exceeding Expectations on the Israel Trail

Exceeding Expectations on the Israel Trail

18 October 2009
Segment 15 – Meir Sh’feya Youth Village to Bet Hanania *   We had several notions of what today’s hike on the Israel National Trail would be like. Predictions of extremely hot weather caused several group members to back out, and made us concerned about coping with the heat. Certain Israel Trail reviewers have described the first four kilometers as a boring leg, so we had visions of a dull climb alongside high-tension power lines for the first hour or so. I know Ramat Hanadiv from orienteering and had recollections only of the thorny thickets across the reserve. So by the end of the day’s hike, we were all totally delighted to realize that are fears had not materialized, and our expectations had been far exceeded. 6:45: At Beit Hanania, Yuval, Varda and I join Ilan and his passengers…
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…
Sweet, Sweat and Wet on the Israel Trail

Sweet, Sweat and Wet on the Israel Trail

18 September 2009
Segment 1: Tel Dan to Tel Hai *   After a six-week hiatus, the Mishli hiking group is back on the Israel National Trail for two days (September 11 and 12). To begin our second season, we are starting at the northern trailhead at Tel Dan, and plan to hike the first two segments of the trail. The start is a long way from home, and most of us had gotten up before dawn to make our way to the meeting point at the Tel Hai cemetery next to Kfar Giladi, where our first hike will end. Earlier in the week, cooler weather had been predicted for the weekend, but by Friday the weather had plans to heat up again. So we were eagerly looking forward to the watery and wet portions of today’s hike. 9:25: After a few group…

Israel Trail Subtotals – Our First Season

5 August 2009
We have now completed our fourth hike, and first season, on the Israel Trail. I consider this our first season, or year (Hebrew or school calendar) of hiking, since this set of four hikes was my prototype. It was very much an experiment, in seeing whether I could assemble a group of like-minded friends from various walks of my life, physically fit and capable of hiking 15 kilometers in a single day. Now for some numbers - Subtotals, so far: We have hiked 61 kilometers, according to my GPS-recorded tracks. 34 people have hiked the trail with me and Yuval. An average of 16 hikers on each segment. Top honors go to partipants in all 4 hikes: Varda Ingels, Ruthy Alush, David Alush, Musa Yehoshua, Yuval Mishli, and me, of course. Honors go to participants in 3 hikes: Miri Berman,…
Beaches, Beaches and More Beaches on the Israel Trail

Beaches, Beaches and More Beaches on the Israel Trail

4 August 2009
Segment 18: Gaash to Tel Aviv * This hike is the second half of the route from Netanya to Tel Aviv. We started this hike in early morning sunlight at the point we finished our last hike in early evening darkness. This hike was a long, long walk on the beach, followed by a few final kilometers on city streets of Tel Aviv. We began on a nearly deserted stretch of shore; besides us there were just a few campers still asleep in their tents, and some fisherman tossing their lines out.
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…
Slumdog Adventure on the Israel Trail

Slumdog Adventure on the Israel Trail

5 July 2009
Segment 17-18: Netanya to Gaash *   After two rather conventional Saturday morning hikes through the fields and forests of Israel, our third hike was a different sort of adventure. It was a Friday afternoon hike that took us first through the urban landscape of Netanya, and then along the seashore from Poleg to Gaash, and ended at the Hof Hasharon National Park with a night-time picnic lit by a nearly full moon and flashlights. Friday afternoon. 4 p.m. We leave a couple cars at the Gaash beach parking lot, and head for Netanya. I have not been in Netanya for some 20 years. Downtown does not seem any different than what I remember. 16:30: We are pleased to find the designated parking lot in Netanya is empty and free of charge! Weather is lovely. We are a group of…

Bittersweet Serendipity While Cycling Near Shaar Hagai

14 June 2009
The plan for yesterday morning's bike ride was a loop from the Latrun Monastery to Shaar Hagai and back -- in the same area as last week's Israel Trail hike, but on different trails. After cycling for about 40 minutes, we reached our intended turn-around point. We paused to catch our breath at a junction on the steep climb up Givat Hatul, and did a quick rethink of our route choice. We decided that instead of turning off the trail, we would walk/push our bikes a short distance further to the top of the ridge. From there we could ride on flat or downhill trails. When we reached the top of the ridge, we were surprised and delighted! An amazing vista point overlooking Shaar Hagai. What a view! Engraved plaques present maps and history of the Burma Road and…