'Eilat' of Desert Hiking.

Or, “How did Moses do it?!”

Last weekend, the International School took us on a giant trip. We began by meeting at the bus at 3:30 early Friday morning (although, of course, we didn’t end up leaving until 4:30). We were all very happy to be awake at this hour. Everyone looked just like this:

Just kidding.

We drove down about 7 hours through the Negev desert. One of the rest stops was on a kibbutz (farm collective) where they make all kinds of dairy products. Needless to say, pictures needed to happen with the cow statues outside:



On Birthright two summers ago, we went on about 5 desert hikes in the 10 days we were there, so I was a bit apprehensive in the first place. A desert is a desert. What more is there to see? Well, I was only partially correct. When we first got out of the bus, it was about 95 degrees Fahrenheit: hot even by desert-in-March standards. The first jaunt involved going to see the Amram Pillars, a geological feature named after Moses’s father. They were pretty interesting:



We then went on a short hike that would lead us to our campsite for the night. It also acquainted us with the desert scenery and an appreciation for the types of rocks found there. Friday, I ended up taking a lot of photos of the scenic views:




Yep, those are the mountains of Jordan if you squint into the background. It was right after this that I got a math question correct about the number of years it took the mountains to separate, leaving the Jordan valley in the middle. The answer is 160,000,000, in case you were wondering. I am still surprised I got it correct. I haven’t taken a math class since high school.

Here is another picture of me with rocks:


Yep, I hiked that:


The only way I would have known we got to the campsite that night was because our buses were there with our overnight gear. Otherwise, it looked like an open expanse of rocks in a valley (that’s actually what it was, too!). We then began setting up for camp before sundown. When Michal, one of our madrichim, was telling about the different jobs she needed done, she mentioned she needed “guys” to build the fire. Of course, I immediately raised my hand. So did my friend Kate. So we built a fire!

We first had to break down the wooden crates to make firewood:




Eventually, we got the fire going. Success!


I helped a lot with the eggplant and potatoes that we cooked for dinner over the fire:


In case you couldn’t tell, campfires tend to be my favorite part of camping trips.

The next morning, we woke up, packed up camp, and got ready to hike again: this time for the whole day. I didn’t take as many pictures Saturday because I was so exhausted from the day before. My legs weren’t used to this kind of exercise! The first thing we did in the morning was climb a mountain (don’t worry: that’s also my idea of fun ways to begin a desert hike). It did make for a beautiful view once we got to the top, though:


Not looking tired at all.


Action shot at the top of the mountain.


Based on the heat, Hamsin (hot winds carrying dust from the Saudi Arabian peninsula), and overall size of the group, the tour guides decided it would be best if we ended our hike earlier than planned. So, in the early afternoon, we got back on the buses and drove to Eilat, about 20 minutes away. We checked into our hostel and were given the evening off, although they organized a night out. It was so nice to be able to shower, put on nice clothes and order food at a restaurant!


The next day was spent relaxing at the beach. We went in the water a little bit, but the Red Sea also has jellyfish so we didn’t stay for too long. They were much smaller than the ones in the Mediterranean, though.

On the ride back, I was able to get some photos from the bus of the dust storm the Hamsin had brought in. Usually, it’s much clearer and you can see for long distances.




Epilogue:
I hadn’t been feeling quite right all week, which is why I neglected to post here for awhile. However, after the Hamsin ended the weather cooled off and has gotten really clear. There have been some great views from our apartment, so I’ll end with those.