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A Trek Through the North

Wednesday, 19 June, 2019 - 3:29 pm

 

Today we spent the whole day in the North of Israel. We started in the Galil -where our kibbutz is located - and wound our way over the rolling mountains and down into the sprawling, fruitful valleys. Our driver deftly navigated the narrow, winding, and steep hills so expertly, I hardly even noticed.

Our first stop was Tel Dan, the ancient, layered hill fort once occupied by the Dan tribe (one of the 12). The site is now a beautiful hiking spot with streams of flowing, icy water coming down from the highest mountains in Israel. Because of the natural water, Tel Dan also has a dense forest of fig trees, bamboo, eucalyptus, mulberry trees, olive trees, and caper bushes. After a pleasant and shaded walk, we had the opportunity to dip our toes in a wading pool. We splashed around, cooled ourselves off, and danced to Israeli music blasting from a portable speaker. The water was cold, but I'm used to it.

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After the hike, we rode to the Golan, another region of the North. We visited Mount Bental, an awesome viewpoint from which you can see the border with Syria. Here we learned all about Israel's borders and its changes over time before and after the War of Independence, the 6-Day War, and the Yom Kippur War.

The whole North is stunning. I could have looked out the bus window at that beautiful, budding landscape for hours - and we certainly did today, as we learned about the land's history of violence, peace, ancient civilization, and modern prosperity; about the natural history of the land from its fruit trees to its migrating birds; about the economy and the culture and everything in between.

We went to the only city in the Golan, where we split into groups and had a choice of which restaurant to eat at. I chose hummus and it was the best choice. Fresh hummus with a hardboiled egg, a piece of warm pita, and a crip Coca Cola. Perfection.

After lunch, we went off-roading in Jeeps around a few Kibbutzim near the Jordan River. I’m not a fan of crazy motion like that, so I got to ride in the front with the driver, who was very sweet. At one point, he leaned over and said to me, “You are the best kind of people, very nice, very special.”

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Afterwards, we went rafting in the River Jordan. Five of us loaded onto a giant inflatable raft and headed out. They gave us kayak paddles instead of canoe paddles, so my kayaking instinct just took over (after years of kayaking with my family). I sat at the edge in the front of the raft, dangling my feet in the sweet water, and paddled the way I knew how, steering us as best I could – with some help from my friends in the back of the raft. At times we floated lazily, others we grabbed onto other rafts and made an island, and others we chatted with the Anglo-Israeli river guard named Oliver. We went over one large rapid, but the rest was pretty smooth and calm.  

After rafting, we were all pretty exhausted. We headed back to the Kibbutz for dinner and our evening activity – T-shirt making!

An artist came to show us how to make designs on our t-shirts using a textile paint spray and pebbles. It was a lot of fun, and great to see everyone’s different designs. It really brought out everyone’s personality, interests, and favorite colors.

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Tomorrow, we are saying goodbye to the North, so stay posted for our next adventure!

 

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