hiking and hitchhiking

Today’s my sixth day in Israel, and this is my first chance to slow down and breathe a little. The flights were long, but I somehow managed to escape feeling much jet-lag when I got here. We spent a couple of days getting me settled – grabbing groceries, tossing a frisbee on the beach, meeting up with friends and eating good food. It’s beautiful here, and I’m glad to be back.

Daniel and I just got back from two days of hiking near the Sea of Galilee. We spent the first day trekking from Meron to Migdal, which was about 14 miles (I think). The trail was beautiful, and we did everything from hopping across streams to scrambling up steep, rocky hillsides to battling our way through flowers and thistles that were taller than my head. There were quite a few other people on the trail, and one of the groups we passed was on their last week of spending two months hiking from the southern tip of Israel to the north – what a trip! We got into Migdal right as it was getting dark and enjoyed a hot meal of falafel and schnitzel at a little restaurant, where we got a few strange looks because neither of us was walking quite normally and I’m sure we smelled funky, too.

The next morning we took off, heading for a section of the Jesus Trail that took us from Migdal to the Golani Junction. The scenery had changed quite a bit, and the views of the Sea of Galilee got more beautiful as we climbed higher. Pretty early on we had our first encounter with wildlife, when we almost ran into a huge cow – with large horns – lying in the middle of the trail. I’m not a fan of cows, so I gave them lots of room as we passed them throughout the day, but thankfully none were unfriendly. Anyways, we climbed and climbed, met a nice guy in Kfar Zeitim as we passed through and ate lunch on his porch, and then climbed some more.

From the Horns of Hattin we took one last look at the Sea of Galilee, said goodbye to the last of our bovine friends, and started the next section of our hike – through the wheat fields. By now I was getting ready for dinner, which Daniel had promised me would be amazing, but the last few kilometers seemed to take forever. Finally, we got the restaurant and ordered dishes and dishes of pita, hummus, tabuleh, labneh, and other tasty Arab goodness, which we devoured. We hitched a ride to the bus stop with a truck driver (me, hitchhiking!? and in a semi!?) and hobbled our way back home. When all was said and done, I think we covered about 25 miles, and it was an incredible way to see this beautiful area of the Promised Land.

I’ve had a couple of great conversations with a sweet girl from New Zealand who is sharing my room for a few days. We got talking about the importance of rest,

and about how backwards it is that we squeeze in sleep only after we’ve taken care of the “essentials” of the day. I like the way that the Jewish Sabbath is approached – it begins Friday night at sundown and lasts until sundown on Saturday. The “day” begins with rest and sleep, which prepares us for what awaits us when we wake up. Similarly, the Sabbath is the beginning of the week, not the end. I’m looking forward to resting well during my time here, and thus being better able to live and work and play. Today was a day of rest, since I can hardly walk and my left shoulder is painfully sunburnt, and I’m thankful for the chance to slow down and recharge.