The first day of our tiyul (hike) was a short (two hour) walk through the mountain range where we learned a little bit more about the mountain. According to a bible story, no trees grow on the mountain because when Saul and Jonathan died, David wrote a lament about them, cursing Mount Gilboa and praying that it never grow trees, which, for the most part, has held true. Mount Gilboa is fairly barren, though science claims it's because the rocky terrain is unable to maintain any water on the mountain.
That night we camped out a pleasant site in the valley, choosing to sit around and play cards in our sleeping bags. It was one of the first times since being on workshop that we've had to socialize without the option of computers or cell phones. The difference was palpable as different groups of people chose to spend time togerher and relate stories of their lives at home or from childhood. The refreshing experience definitely has pushed some of us to try and use technology less so we can relate to each other more.
On the second day we rose before the sun and hit the hiking trail early. Our group moved quickly and all of the sudden we realized that we must be far ahead of the British group (a habonim group from Britain hiked along side us) and tried to stop to let them catch up. We ended up playing an awesome variation of hide and go seek in the side of a mountain, which proved to be one of the best elements of the trip. An hour later we realized that we must be on the wrong trail because they never passed us, and after a minor detour to figure out where we were, we were back on track, passing the British a mere ten minutes later. After a short lunch of canned tuna, bread, cheese, and corn (it was actually delicious), we hiked to Ein Yizrael, a natural spring in the valley. There we dipped our hot feet in the cool water and observed all the Israeli families there with their children on a day out. Afterwards we did a short hike up a hill to Kibbutz Yizrael and then headed back to the campsite.
The most rewarding hike by far was the third day. We were driven up to the top of a mountain in the range and then made the descent down to the valley. The view from the top was breathtaking; to the west was the Carmel mountains (where Haifa is), in the east loomed the mountains of Jordan, in the north was Mount Tavor (at whose feet we live), and to the south was the West Bank.
We soon realized that the hike was going to be significantly more demanding than those of the last two days. We began with a trail that went fairly downhill, a challenge for my knees as well as for many other people. The difficult trail soon turned into a full out climb down the side of the mountain, with hand holds where the stone became especially steep. I found myself on my butt for a good part of the time, attempting to use the mountain as a slide, while other times I was jumping down from rock to rock. The experience was surreal and highly rewarding as we went from the top of the mountain all the way down to the fields of the fertile valley.
The trip concluded with another lunch of corn and tuna, and we sat in a circle sharing our favorite parts of the trip. Most people enjoyed the last hike down the mountain, but also recognized that we had gained an understanding of what our group can do when put out in the wilderness for a few days. Our capabilities range from hiking quickly and chopping vegetables for dinner, but also forming a tight knit community even without the comforts of technology. It was the first time we did not have the option to sit alone in our rooms, or to use the computer for hours, or talk on the phone to escape a social experience, and I think we passed because we managed to create a meaningful experience even without the excesses of our modern lives.
