Growing up in an uncoordinated Jewish household, I’ve never caught onto the whole ‘athletics’ and ‘outdoors’ craze. I had an attempt at lacrosse once, but after a 4-mile run, I came to the conclusion that the bench was more my thing—I was always a great cheerleader. That being said, when I decided to sign up for the 3-day hike in the Negev (the Israeli desert), I was clearly having an out-of-body-moment.
After climbing Masada on Birthright, I went into the trip expecting to hike the common tourist attractions in the South. I pictured definitive paths and handfuls of travelers here and there. However, all of my assumptions were very far off. I’d say, in the words of Robert Frost, we most definitely took the ‘road’ less traveled.
We began our first hike at around noon on Friday, just when the sun was at its highest and hottest (yay!). Our tour guide, Lior, repeatedly explained that it would be an easy 4-hour climb uphill. Apparently, however, the term ‘easy’ does not translate well from English to Hebrew because this hike was anything but. I wouldn’t even consider it a hike; double-black diamond mountain climbing of the Middle East is more like it. Besides the fact that there was clearly no specific path to follow, the Small Fin Mountain could not have been any steeper or had any more loose rocks. Luckily for me, AEPhis from across the U.S. are as ungraceful as I am; I had my sisters struggling with me in our constant battle to catch our breath…and reach the top too, I guess.
By the time we made it to the top (no, the sun had not set yet), the overall beauty of the landscape below made the seemingly unbearable hike worth it. But of course, it was all downhill from there…literally. We thought going up was tough, but getting down was even harder. With slippery rocks tumbling down with every step, it was no shock that everyone was suddenly a little apprehensive to embark on our journey back to flat ground. I was almost (almost) tempted to pitch a tent and call it a day. Either that, or call Chris Harrison from the Bachelor and have him send me one of their notorious helicopters. Somehow plummeting to my death just didn’t seem too appealing at the time. However, with sweaty palms and only a handful of mildly embarrassing trips, the entire group made it down in one piece…minus a few skinned hands and knees. But that was only the beginning of our Nomadic adventures in the Negev.
On our second day, we were promised a more basic hike. Therefore, we all came prepared to hike the Israeli version of Mount Everest. Yet, to our surprise, the majority of the Karakash hike was on flat land. To paint a picture, imagine Moses traveling through the desert for 40 years with sandstorms, cacti, and pyramid like mountains surrounding him. Now subtract 39 years, 364 days, and 19 hours and you essentially have our hike. But, nothing in life is just a walk in the park.
With the sun shining down and our stomachs growling, we reached, what, in my opinion, was the steepest, skinniest path uphill that I have ever seen. The climb to the top was optional, but since I’m abroad and doing the whole ‘live in the moment’ thing, I decided the grueling trek up was a must. And, I will be forever thankful that I did. Since Birthright, I’ve always considered the Dead Sea to be my favorite place in the world. But after sitting on the tiny ledge at the top and looking out into the serene desert, I know I’ll always remember that exact moment in time as one of my absolute favorites. We sat in silence for five minutes, taking it all in. If I had the choice, I would’ve stayed forever (preferably, with a pile of books in tow). It was surreal to say the least.
Finally, we finished off our third hiking day at Ein Gedi, a much more mild hike that I had done before with limited complaints. However, this time around, we went further up into the oasis. To my surprise, beyond the first few waterfalls where we stopped to splash around, was an even bigger, more magnificent one. We watched as the water cascaded down the mossy slides and into the pond. But before we knew it, it was time to move on to our last stop before heading back to Tel Aviv: the Dead Sea. After three exhausting hikes, floating along in the saltest of places was the perfect final destination to end our strenuous weekend. There’s nothing quite like a relaxing float in one of the most beautiful seas in the world.
While I’ve never exactly considered myself to be a Nomad, after my weekend in the Negev, I like to think I have a new appreciation for the Bedouins. My only complaint: there are absolutely no bathrooms in the desert—even a Nomad needs to be sanitary (it is the 21st Century and all).
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Catch up on my Israeli life:
Haifa: Bahai, How Are You?
Purim Madness & A Taste of Israeli Cinema
Lost in Translation
Jerusalem: Teen Tour Edition
Blame it on the Rain
You ‘Shook’ Me All Night Long
Surviving Week One
Ma’a Salama America, Shalom Israel