Yam l'yam (Sea to Sea)

One of the many popular things for tourists, and natives alike, to do in Israel is called Yam l'yam, translated "Sea to Sea" (Mediterranean to Galilee). It is possible to walk from its western-most point (Mediterranean Sea) to the eastern border (Sea of Galilee) in only 3 days, which really gives a sense of how small this country is. It is roughly 60 kilometers of walking or about 40 kilometers as the crow flies. We knew that it would be difficult to make the hike in just three days and that four would be more reasonable, but being five young men, (or relatively young in my case) we thought we could make it all right. We packed late the night before we left and took as much food as we thought we needed for a couple of days, hoping to resupply along the way. In addition, because two of our five were religious Jews, we decided to rest on Shabbat. Under strict shomer interpretations of Jewish law, they are not allowed to carry anything and need to spend much of the day in prayer and reflection. We slept just a few hours before waking at dawn and taking the train North to Nehariyya, a small city on the coast of the Mediterranean. We walked to the beach and finally started our trip when we all stepped into the Mediterranean Sea at around 9 am. The first couple hours of our hike meandered through a number of large farms that grow bananas, with huge nets covering the orchards. In the late morning, we finally reached the trailhead and began our hike in earnest. In contrast to what many think is the Israeli landscape, myself included, the Northern part of Israel is verdant and lush. Later in the summer, the hills and mountains of the Galilee will dry out considerably but at the end of the winter, the hills are full of green plants and wild flowers. We began to ascend through the hills, walking along a stream for the whole of the first day. We passed an old Crusader Fort, called Monfort, which sits atop one of the steep hills and looks out over the whole of Galilee. Towards the end of the day, we hiked out of the valley on a very steep climb and found a nice campground overlooking our day's hike, where we would spend the next day. Without tents, we were leaving it up to the weather Gods to treat us well which they did throughout the trip. Yet, up high on the hills of the Galilee it was impossible to avoid the wind and I was able to sleep very little. On Shabbat, we sat around and played cards or read, made a large fire and cooked a big dinner. Since it was Pesach(Passover) we decided to keep Kosher so there was no bread, or noodles or rice. We brought a lot of Matza (enleaven bread), vegetables and fruit. By the end of the hike, I was ready to never see another box of matza as long as I live. Saturday night was spent much like the first, largely sleepless because of the cold wind, compounded by the presence of jackels in the campground. Several times we all woke up when one wandered very close to camp.

Sunday morning, Easter, came and Tucker and I, the only Christians, had a moment to ourselves before we began to hike. This day was going to be much longer than the first as we were going to hike over 20 kilometers, mostly up, to the second highest peak in Israel, Mount Meron. We slept the third night up near the top of the mountain and this time I slept apart from my compatriots in trying to find shelter from the wind as my sleeping bag was the most thin of all. I slept much better this night. We started early the next morning because our last day was the longest of all, compounded by the fact that we hiked a half an hour in the wrong direction at the very beginning of our day. The last day was: (1) full of the most difficult hiking, going up and down the sides of a canyon for nearly three hours making no more progress than a few kilometers, (2) the warmest (around 90 F) and we began to run out of water about half way through because we had been unable to find a place to fill up (eventually, we were forced to ask fellow hikers for water and their kindness did was greatly appreciated) and (3) the worst for our feet which were feeling the effects of the two long days before. All of us had blisters and by the later hours of the day, mere will was keeping us moving. The last few kilometers were spent walking up a road before we saw the Kinneret spread out before us with the last few rays of the day on our backs. We reached the public beach around 8 o'clock, where we promptly stripped to our underwear to take a dip under many watchful eyes. At that point, we didn't care. We hopped on a bus back home which only took about 45 minutes.

It was a great few days without modern technology or the worries and amenities of the world. It was a refreshing reminder of just how difficult life can be without cars, or telephones or microwaves or refrigerators etc. In addition, a place like Israel with such a long and significant history adds a special aspect to such a trip. To think of Christ walking these hills or the Crusaders living in such forts prompts much pondering and makes one especially aware of our connectedness to human history; reminding us that the things we have only read in books happened in the real world as well. Then again, I was very glad to return to my little room and bed where I dreamed of cold beers, air conditioning, fluffy slippers and steaming hot showers.

Beginning

1st Day

Lunch break

Eve of Easter sunset

Shabbat journaling

Midway point

Flowered Paths

Typical stew concoction

At rest on the last day

End