Yam L' Yam Details

I was going to post my own story of what happened over the Yam L' Yam (Sea to Sea) Hike, but it turns out that our coordinator here in Israel, Vered, beat me to the punch. What follows below is the email that she sent out to all the parents:

By Vered Samuels:

Over Chol Hamoed Succot, another Habonim Dror Olami Shnat/Workshop tradition took place – the Yam L'Yam (Sea to Sea) Hike, from the Mediterranean to the Kinneret. This year was the largest ever – with over 180 chanichim and tzevet participating from North America, Mexico, Israel, United Kingdom, Holland, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.

We started on Wednesday 19^th, just in time for the heavens to open up with the first big rains of the season!! We all met in Achziv beach, just north of Nahariya and had some time to get to meet each other, pack lunch and even dip our toes in the cold water (for those who were brave enough!). Some of the hiking trails had been closed by the rain, so we had a slightly shorter hike of about 4 hours on a trail called Betzet. Due to the rain, our original plan to sleep outdoors at Goren Park had been changed, but an alternative had been found and we all had the marvelous experience of sleeping in the old fortress of Yehiam. No one quite knows when the fortress was built, but its original structure is many hundreds of years old and the fortress was a vital part of the 1948 War of Independence. Dinner was a sumptuous feast of barbequed meats, salads and hot chips. It was a fun filled night with everyone sleeping on the floor together, accompanied by some singing keeping us up late into the night.

Thursday was the hardest hiking day, both because of the length of the track, and its difficulty. We started at the Elkosh Bridge and walked up Mt Meron – the 2^nd highest mountain in Israel (after Mt Hermon in the Golan), around the mountain, and then down towards our camp ground for the night. Not everyone completed the whole day, or missed parts of the hike, but those who did hiked almost 20km (12 miles) in 1 day – quite a feat! The weather was a bit gray in the morning, but had cleared up by lunchtime. We spent the night at the campground of Ein Yakim – Nachal Amud, in a veritable city of tents. A delicious supper of Spaghetti was had – with the choice of fresh pesto, tomato or bolognaises sauce. The weather was quite cold, but we snuggled around a small campfire before everyone went to sleep early after such a strenuous day.

Friday we started off from the campsite and completed the first half of the Nachal Amud trail (Nachal means dry river bed in Hebrew). A bright sunny day and beautiful walk through the valley was had by all, with returning to the campsite by mid-afternoon, allowing for a nap before the unforgettable rotisserie of chicken, which was eagerly devoured by all for dinner. That night we also slept at Ein Yakim campground, but with renewed energies, the campfire and singing went on late into the night, as everyone prepared for the final day of the tiyul.

On Shabbat we completed the second half of the Nachal Amud trail. The final stretch went through banana and avocado fields, as we headed towards Ginosaur Beach, just north of Tiberias. Everyone arrived safely, some choosing to jump straight into the refreshing water (especially after 4 days without showering!), or to sunbake on the beach, or take a nap in the shade of the palm trees. We finished the hike with an amazing stew of beef and fruits, or chicken and vegetables, before each group departed to its base location. Attached is a small selection of pictures from the hike.

The next mifgash (meeting) of all the English-Speaking Shnat/Workshop groups, together with the Spanish speaking Shnat groups, will be over the weekend of November 4-5^th, at Kibbutz Ein Dor.