The program took us all (the 22 Jerusalem track kids as well as the 20 Tel Aviv kids) on a magnificent, four hour hike through the Golan Heights—the northernmost section of Israel. First and foremost, you must understand how drastically different the landscape in the north is in the summertime. There is no greenery...everything is brown. The air is so crisp that you can see for miles from any vantage point. At times I had trouble believing I was in the Middle East and not Central Africa. I expected to see a pack of hyenas or lions off in the distance. As soon as the rainy season hits, everything breathes green. I can't wait to return then. The hike, called the El Al trail (of no relation to the airline), began following a sharp ridgeline for a few miles before dipping towards the only river around for miles and miles. The river snaked through this valley, or rather a rift as the savannah plateaued on both sides of the river. After following the trail for a few miles, we followed a spur with makeshift stairs down to the river. There's a marvelous swimming hole there with a waterfall feeding it. I was able to, much to the chagrin of the program leaders, climb the cliff face and jump into the pool off it. A meager five meter jump, but still it brought great back memories of this summer. The hike continued following this river, until we hit a similar pool, and swam in a similar fashion, and then we hiked out of the rift. Everyone looked exhausted. I was just warming up.
All in all it was a remarkable hike, completely marred by the fact that there were 42 of us. I'll be back to the Golan Heights on my own terms.
Ari's going back home for winter break, so that leaves me with countless possibilities. I might go to Thailand for a solo backpacking trip, expenses permitting. We'll see where that goes.
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