We had two days off of class this week for Shavuot. Like many Israelis did on this holiday, I went with three friends on a hike and camped out. We packed some food, clothes, a mini grill, one tent, and took the 30 minute train to Cesarea. After checking out the ancient ruins and having a delish lunch overlooking the water, we set out on a hike south on the beach. We were mostly on the beach until we encountered a humongous powerplant on the beach with intense fences which we had to find a way around. ("can't go under it, can't go over it..." Name that song!) It was a tough hike uphill and through sharp plants around the powerplant, but we eventually found our way to the Israel trail leading us through a path in a forest eventually back to the sea. The Israel trail runs all the way through Israel, from the north in the Golan to Eilat in the south, and takes about 40 - 60 days to complete. Most Israelis know about the trail, and we were asked multiple times by Israelis chillin' on the beach if we were doing it. Of course, I said yes, but little did they know that we were only doing two days of it! They kept saying kol hakavod, "well done/way to go". Before sundown, we found a spot to set up camp far enough away from the powerplant that we weren't going to be electrocuted in our sleep. Lauren and Mark made excellent hot dogs on the mini grill (and did a nice job opening the bean and corn cans) and Dan made an awesome campfire.
The next day we did a lot of hiking. Mostly on the beach, we walked and passed a lot of Israelis who had the same idea as us. They had very intense setups...some brought huge tarps, speakers, and even some mini-fridges. We were asked a lot of times if we were doing שביל ישראל, the national Israel trail. We were offered water and beer so many times! We must have gotten off the trail at one point, because we found ourselves unable to go around a cliff because the sand ended and the rocks were submerged underwater, so we climbed to the top of the cliff where there was a fence. There was a spot under one part of the fence where we could climb under, so we threw our backpacks over the fence and made it to the other side. So adventurous! We stopped under some shady rocks for lunch (tuna sandwiches and peanut butter on crackers, or if you're Mark, tuna peanut butter sandwiches). We got a little tired toward the end, but eventually made it all 15 miles to Netanya. After a celebratory watermelon on the beach there, we had a dip in the water and headed back to Tel Aviv on a sheirut.
The next day we did a lot of hiking. Mostly on the beach, we walked and passed a lot of Israelis who had the same idea as us. They had very intense setups...some brought huge tarps, speakers, and even some mini-fridges. We were asked a lot of times if we were doing שביל ישראל, the national Israel trail. We were offered water and beer so many times! We must have gotten off the trail at one point, because we found ourselves unable to go around a cliff because the sand ended and the rocks were submerged underwater, so we climbed to the top of the cliff where there was a fence. There was a spot under one part of the fence where we could climb under, so we threw our backpacks over the fence and made it to the other side. So adventurous! We stopped under some shady rocks for lunch (tuna sandwiches and peanut butter on crackers, or if you're Mark, tuna peanut butter sandwiches). We got a little tired toward the end, but eventually made it all 15 miles to Netanya. After a celebratory watermelon on the beach there, we had a dip in the water and headed back to Tel Aviv on a sheirut.
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