Shvil Israel Day 3
Starting km: 49
Finishing km: 87
Distance walked: 38km
The last entry was long, but this one is going to be even longer. SOOOO much happened that it scarcely seemed like a single day.
I woke in the morning and between the fences, Gates and grumpy dogs it took a while for me to find my way out of Dishon.
But when I did it was a lovely morning. I could scarcely believe that the wadi I was walking up was the same one that had so bedevilled me the night before. What a difference a big drink, some food and eight hours of sleep makes. The remains of the previous night's cramps quickly worked themselves out and I was enjoying a speedy walk on river flats for most of the early morning. I was only slowed by the flora and fauna that were all around. A little troupe of marmots. A few quick sightings of wild boars. And blackberries. There were sooooo many of them growing near the river. Considerately just close enough to pick but not so close as to obstruct the trail. I gorged myself on them. They're probably the best blackberries I've ever had, making me understand what makers of artificial blackberry flavour are shooting for. I ended up with a thorn lodged in my finger, but it was so worth it!
At the top of the Wadi came the base of Mt. Meron, Israel's highest peak. There was drinking water there, which I gratefully used to fill my bottles. And I was pleasantly surprised that I'd already done 470m of the roughly 800m climbing required from Dishon to make the summit, and it was actually a pleasantly graded, shady stroll up to the top.
You can't actually stand on the summit (it's covered in sensitive comms and military facilities) but I'm going to count it as the second time I've stood on a country's highest point (the other being Singapore).
Down from Meron was actually harder going. Less shade, hotter temperatures more sun. But with a nice rest and nap in the shade for an hour of the worst of it I was soon in another wadi, this time leading to the lovely Sekhvi pools, a series of swimming holes on a cool shaded stream with ancient mills nearby.
I couldn't help but take a swim, another lengthy rest and filter (yet more) water.
Setting out again down the valley had me arrive at a trail junction right as night fell. You're not supposed to stay in Israeli nature reserves after dark, and I had two choices: 2km up a 150m hill, or 5km down the river. Since I'd just need to walk back down the hill, and since the 5km would have to be covered the next day anyway, I unsurprisingly chose the latter.
Of course I should have already know from NZ tramping that, despite the earlier pleasant walks up and down riverbeds and flats, a walk down a valley also invites gruelling climbs up and over bluffs and cliffs. I ended up climbing waaaay over 150m up and down, much of it on cliffsides, some with handholds anchored into the rock. Thankfully the ground underfoot was solid, dry rock and I had nice grippy soles and never felt at all worried. Except, of course about who else was in the valley with me. I saw tons more wild boar (thankfully none up on the cliffs, and all much more docile than the NZ variety), a few more marmots. As well as loads of spiders with eyes that sparkled blue in my headlamp and a lone scorpion which made me pleased I'd been paying careful attention to where my hands were going when scrambling on the rock.
Eventually the gorge flattened out again, but by the time I was done that five kilometers had taken me two and a quarter hours to walk.
I arrived at what I thought to be a gas station, which turned out only to be a rest area without even a toilet. I lamented the lack of a cold drink, but really was too tired to care (tired as I was, I felt waaaay better than I had finishing the previous, shorter, easier day. The more water-less sun plan had worked).
Just before I fell asleep a Palestinian truck driver who had pulled in for a pee approached and asked if I was okay. I assured him I was, but he came back moments later with four apples for me. I can think of few if any offers of food that have ever been more welcome. Trail magic indeed!
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