In Israel, life could become clamorous with negative
headlines and doomsday politics. We read the news, dismiss most of it as inaccurate and hope one day
the world will wake up and understand the truth.
Our personal antidote to this dissonance is to walk the trails of the
country we love. We take out a map, put on our hiking boots, pack up our tent
and sleeping bags and head into nature, reaffirming our bond with awesome
Israel.
We left for our camping trip this past Tuesday and since
it had rained heavily on Sunday, we had quite the souvenir waiting for us –
mud!
We started with an insanely muddy descent down Har Gilboa.
Har Gilboa, with its peak at 1,629 feet above sea level, is the place in the
Torah where King Saul and his sons Yonatan, Avinadav and Malchishua were slain
in battle.
Today, it is a peaceful mountain covered in meadow flowers with
incredible views east to the fertile Jezreel Valley and the mountains of Jordan.
We slip-slid down, carrying pounds of thick mud under our
boots. I often opted for the zero gravity move, which meant my backside made
more contact with the trail than my feet. With the mud on our shoes and heavy
packs on our backs, it was slow and at times treacherous.
White crocuses were beginning
to flower and purple cyclamen peaked out from the rocks. We saw many deer
running across the ridges and shy rock rabbits jumping for safety upon spotting
us intruders.
When we made it to flat, firm and dry ground, we were relieved. We walked until we found an oasis in the trees, a park set around a pool of thermal waters. We ate a simple meal, set up camp under the stars and rested our tired legs and achy shoulders. Jackals howled, then all was quiet.
At the end of 2017, society, with its urban lifestyle,
instant communication and slick inventions, feels it has made progress. Yet we
have lost a connection to the meaningful. We have deviated very far from staring at
the deep dark skies and focusing on the howl of jackals; of having weightless
minds and sun-kissed cheeks while touching the land in a gentle, respectful
way.
My pack is ready and sitting by the door waiting for a new adventure. Is yours?
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