Yesterday I spent over an hour walking the beach in California. Walking is one of the few "sports" I like to participate. When I am at home in Utah, most days I can be found out walking my little dogs. In addition, my house is a 15 minute drive from Logan Canyon, which boasts miles and miles of gorgeous hiking trails.If I decide to pack my hiking boots, when I head for Israel, there seems to be many places that I can find a use for them. The best hiking opportunity I've found is the "Israel National Trail". The trail has been in existence since 1994, the Israel National Trail spans the entire country - from the Lebanese border in the north - to Eliat at the south. The diversity of the trail ranges from rivers, to desert, to the modern city of Tel Aviv, and the ancient/modern city of Jerusalem. The length of the hiking trail is 580 miles and takes on average about 45 days to complete.
Since only 4 out of 10 hikers find they are able to complete the entire trail, it has now been divided into eleven smaller sections. These mini-trails can be completed in a day or a weekend. Hikers who are bent on completing the entire trail can seek help from "trail angels" who provide assistance by giving folks a lawn to sleep on or a room with a shower. Sometimes the help is free and sometimes it is in exchange for some work. So that hikers don't have to drag along a ton of food and water, you can make arrangements in advance to buy supplies en-route and have it waiting for you at various spots.
Apparently, one of the best times to hike the Israel National Trail is during the winter. From February to mid-May, they say the grass is green, flowers are blooming, and there is lots of water available in the creeks and rivers. With regards to safety, there has never been a reported incident of anyone experiencing any problems on the trail. Hikers report that both the Arab and Jewish communities that the trail passes through, welcome them. Finally, since the trail is well marked - they use a color coding system for the north trail vs. the south trail - it is very difficult to get lost.
The Israel National Trail is fast becoming a popular attraction for both natives and tourists. Each year, tens of thousands of people hike the trail. While I don't think that I can spare 45 days to walk the whole trail, I think I would like to do at least one section of it. In addition, I also plan to get some additional walking by spending many days strolling the beaches of Israel.
