Tiyul #5
August 13, 2010. tiyul number five was long, hard, painful but anyways fun. now let me just get this straight: if you are ever going to do this hike you must know that the whole hike is very rocky and there is a lot of climbing. on Wednesday we left for raanana for a week to switch houses with our friends who live in raanana. so because we were in raanana we decided to hike in the Carmel which is an hour away from raanana instead of two from Jerusalem. so we were off from hashachar street 100 at 10:15 and of coarse we got lost and we were stuck in traffic along the way so we did not get there till 12:00. first we got to the place past a parking lot and drove down to where the hike started but then we decided that we wanted to drive up to the parking lot and walk down to where the hike starts. so that’s what we did. we started on the green trail. now the first part was a bit annoying, see, it was a narrow path and on both opposite sides of us there thorns. so on that path we went down down down in to the nachal. after the thin path and the thorns the path cleared out a bit. and the next part of the trail was really fun. we came up to lots of cliffs that we had to climb down and slide down and it was very fun!! after all the going down we finally reached the bottom (nachal galim). now this part of the trail was the hardest part but also the funnest part. it was SO rocky on the trail that even though we did not go very far we were very tired very fast because every step we had to climb up and down rocks. in the river it was mostly shady but then we got out of the river and we saw the sun, and boy was it hot!! when we got out of the river we had a choice, or to keep on with the trail or to go up on a little detour to some caves but the detour was really high up and it was really hot so we decided to skip it. so after that we walked a bit on a path which the rocks cleared out a bit for about five minutes and then we reached a natural spring which we have been told about but it was found to have no water in it so we kept on to the hardest part of the hikes, going up. now if you want me to describe the last part of the hike then here it is: heat, rocks and thorns. at first it was a wide path but with lots of rock climbing and it was going uphill but then it became so bad that all of us were bleeding by the end of it. the path became extremely narrow and there were thorns on opposite sides of us and we had no place to move so every second we were bashing into thorns and plants and it was VERY painful but i think it was very worth it because of the view. when we got high enough we past a village and when we looked back we could see all of Haifa and so much of the ocean. at one point it was actually really cool, the path was so narrow and straight so that we could see the end, or at least what we thought was the end. when we got to that spot that we saw it flattened out but the path was still flat and we had at least 30 more minutes to go and we were very late because we had to get home for shabbat and we weren’t done with the hike yet. so finally we got to the end which was right under the Haifa University but we still weren’t done. we did not end up where our car was so my brother and my dad had to walk and get the car and that added another like 15-20 minutes! so finally my dad and brother came with the car and we drove home and in the end everything worked out. so what i am trying to say is that even though the hike is painful doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it because we saw some pretty amazing views.
Shady Nahal Galim
The rocky climb down
Taking a rest on a rock on the way to the valley
My parents also "enjoyed" the rocks
Merav and I at the bottom of the nahal
The green valley looking towards the sea
Abba made it to the top!
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Great blog aviv, You finally found a word with more “A” than my name, Raanana. Glad you were able to accomplish such a difficult hike. As you can see, sometimes it takes a little extra effort to get a great result! You are definitely on your way. Keep up the good work. Much Love,Aaron
Aviv! You are a great hiker because the best part of hiking is not just the walking but what you see along the way. Keep up the good work, I would love to hike with you some time.
Marc Render
Wow, sounds like this was a great hike, Aviv, even though it was probably the hardest you’ve done so far. Lots of rock climbing (you know I like that!) and wonderful views. Looking forward to hearing about #6! Where do you think it will be?
Sounds like a painful but fun hike! Just wait until you get to Nepal! I’m glad you’re doing all this “training”–when I went to Nepal, I hadn’t been on a hike in months. And I had no hiking boots.
Like Jen, I’m looking forward to your hike #6.
Hi Aviv, Jody and Brian, you guys are amazing. I am in awe of you that you went hiking in this heat and lots of rock climbing on top of that. But it looks great, and Aviv, you did a wonderful job of writing about it. Besides the hiking, do you feel that this project is bringing you insights in other areas of your life?
Much love, Tziona
Aviv,
What an amazing experience you are having this year! Whose great idea was this? I love the photos! And your articles (for that’s what they are) are so rich in detail. Makes me feel like I’m there, too.
Kol hakavod to you and your great family!
Love,
Ruth
Hi Aviv,
Wow! This Tiyul sounded kind of rough, but as you say, it also seemed quite enjoyable. We think this is a great combination for you and your parents in that you’re having fun, enjoying the scenery, but you’re also mixing in some difficulty which will make you appreciate the experience even more. And, just think of all the great memories you’re building up during these wonderful hikes…the scenery, the exercise, the meaningful time spent with your family and, all the while seeing parts of your country that possibly you haven’t seen before.
We’re very proud of you and the commitment you have made to complete these Tiyuls during and in conjunction with your Bar Mitzvah preparation. We hope, that during our visit in March, you’ll select one of your best and most memorable hikes that we can take with you. In that way, we’ll have an opportunity to really share at least a small part of your overall experiences from a first-hand viewpoint.
We’re looking forward to sharing the whole week with you during our visit to Israel and look forward to the time passing.
We’re leaving for Bhutan, Nepal and Tibet on September 14th and won’t return until October 8th, so you won’t hear from us during that trip, but we’ll be in touch just as soon as we return.
Again, thanks for sharing your experiences with us and we anxiously await the next installments.
Love,
Saba and Grandma
Wow, Aviv, that was a difficult hike! I’m glad you were able to finish it because otherwise, we’d have to fly to Israel to rescue you and your family!
By the end of your 12 hikes, maybe you’ll qualify for an award. You certainly get the “stick-to-it” award for this hike! (Or was it stuck-to-it?) I think you must have tough skin to have been stuck w/all those thorns and survive this in one piece.
The pics were great and through all the hardships, it sounds like you had a great time and are toughening up!
Mazel tov on another great hike and good writing!
Love,
Safta & Papa Mike
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