A continuous
530-mile
path crisscrossing Israel from the Beit Ussishkin Regional
Nature Museum at Kibbutz Dan in the north, to the Egyptian
border crossing at Taba south of Eilat, the Israel Trail
enables anyone who can overcome their blisters to take God’s
injunction to Abraham literally: “Arise, walk through
the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it”
(Genesis 13:17).
The trail was established by the Public Committee for Trail
Marking in 1995 by connecting already existing trails with
new ones. Walking its entirety is a challenge for those
who can either finish it in a through hike of 35 to 60 days
or in sections, as originally designed. It has become a
rite of passage for b’nei mitzva, pre- and post-army
and national service young adults, families and retirees.
Invariably, it reconfirms one’s love for the country’s
diverse flora (mountain oaks, willows of the brook, desert
acacias), fauna (deer, rock rabbits, lizards), historical
and archaeological sites (Tel Hai, Latrun, Avdat).
From the headwaters of the Jordan, the trail wends west
to Tel Hai and then southwest through Nahal Dishon to forested
Mount Meron. From there it skirts southeast following Nahal
Amud, a steep riverbed lush with mulberry and fig trees,
an ancient grist mill, hidden pools and a waterfall, to
the Sea of Galilee. From Yardenit, the baptismal site on
the Jordan River south of the sea, the trail climbs west
again to Mount Tabor, and past the Roman, Byzantine and
Crusader remains at Zippori to the Carmel Forest.
The trail runs along the Mediterranean coastline from Caesarea
until north of Netanya and then crosses east again, skirting
the Green Line through Latrun to the Judean Hills. Wildflowers
dot the low limestone hills from January through June. After
Kibbutz Zuba, six miles outside Jerusalem, the path heads
west toward the archaeological wonders of Beit Govrin and
Tel Lachish, an area rich in vineyards. Near the Dvir junction
in the northern Negev, the road makes a southeastern turn
and begins winding through the desert via Arad, Mamshit,
the Large Crater, Sde Boker, Avdat, Mitzpe Ramon and Timna
Park to Taba, south of Eilat.
Creating a marked trail that goes through or skirts national
parks was the brainchild of the late journalist Avraham
Tamir. After hiking the Appalachian Trail in the United
States, he approached Ori Devir, coordinator of the Committee
for Trail Marking in Israel, with the idea of establishing
a passage that would crisscross the land; Devir was immediately
hooked on the idea.
It took 10
more years
before the white, blue and orange rectangular markings were
in place along the route. Which paths do you mark in a country
whose borders are not yet settled? The trail-marking committee
also needed permission from landowners in whose territory
the course would be passing—and not everyone was willing.
The mayor of Metulla, for instance, refused, fearing hikers
might damage the town’s orchards.
“Because the committee wanted the trail to be available
seven days a week, 365 days a year, the route could not
pass through some of the most beautiful scenery in the country,”
explains Dany Gaspar, deputy director of the Israel National
Trail Committee. “Thus, in some places in the Negev,
the trail runs adjacent to a road.” Still, even walking
along a road, such as the one near Shaharut in the Negev
highlands, for example, lets one experience the vastness
of the quiet, rugged brown landscape.
An inveterate hiker, Gaspar sits in a small, cramped office
in Tel Aviv at the headquarters of the Society for the Protection
of Nature in Israel. His graying red hair and the lines
on his face remind one of central Israel’s landscape—its
gray limestone rocks and reddish soil. From his desk, he
fields phone calls from trekkers who wonder where they can
find water or where the next trail marker is. He takes out
a 1:50,000-scale topographical map and gives directions:
“Walk straight ahead for 20 feet. Turn left. You’ve
gone too far. Go back 100 feet. The marking is on a rock
to your right.” Gaspar probably knows the Israel Trail
better than anyone. He has walked it three times, the latest
time with a group of hikers in their fifties who go out
for two days once a month.
Marking and
mapping
Israel’s trails began in 1947, before the establishment
of the state. These marking rectangles are six to eight
inches long and are blue, green, red or black paint, depending
on the trail. They are painted on rocks, trees or fences
every 110 to 165 yards. Each of the 20 topographical maps
shows every foot trail and vehicular trail and sites of
special interest.
“Israel is the only country in the world whose hiking
trails are totally mapped,” boasts Gaspar, who hopes
that eventually all the maps will be translated into English.
Although the Israel Trail was inaugurated seven years ago,
it only started generating widespread interest in 1998 after
the publication of two (Hebrew) books, Zevi Gilat’s
Map’s Guide for Israel Trek and Yakov Buchan’s
Israel Trail. Gilat, a journalist, walked the trail
with his three children over the period of a year. His lighthearted
paperback with maps, color photographs and advice for visiting
nearby sites is divided into 44 one- and two-day hikes.
It is invaluable for individuals or groups who want to do
the walk in sections.
Buchan, an artist, writer and museum designer, decided to
do the Israel Trail alone when he was 50 and to produce
a book about his adventure in honor of Israel’s fiftieth
anniversary. Carta, the Israel Map and Publishing Company,
and the Jewish National Fund, sponsored Buchan’s watershed
experience. His book contains nightly journal entries from
his seven-week trek and paintings he made from sketches
and photographs. After it was published, Buchan was invited
to lecture and people began asking him about what equipment
to take, where to sleep, what kind of socks to wear. He
loves his new role as adviser, he says, because he truly
believes that “walking the trail is the thing that
can most connect people to Eretz Yisrael.”
He writes: “The journey leads to the heart. Where is
the heart of Israel? One can find it on the Israel Trail,
a path that leads through the country, one solid trail of
walking through history, nature, archaeology, anthropology
and geology of Israel.”
Buchan describes not only the rugged terrain—from the
Mediterranean forests to the wheat fields near Beit Kama
in the northern Negev—but also the meaning of his journey.
One night, after a day of difficulty finding the markings,
he mused: “Sometimes my absurd dependence on the trail
signs amuses me. After all, the trail is just a metaphor.
And what difference does it make if you’re a meter
from the trail or a half kilometer. It’s all in your
head. There is no such thing as a trail. There is only your
desire to find the trail. And in this sense walking the
Israel Trail is the most educational thing one could do.
It fosters the determination to stick to your goals, to
follow through with decisions…not to give up.”
When the search
for a
hiking partner proves difficult, Gaspar acts as matchmaker.
That’s how Jerusalemite Michael Grodzinski, 57, found
Gideon Mazor, 57, of Moshav Kfar Hess. In September 1999,
after returning from a six-month, 2,168-mile trek in the
Appalachians, Grodzinski’s boots were still kicking.
Gaspar told him about Mazor, who had been a director at
Agrexco, Israel’s leading exporter of agricultural
produce. The men met in Eilat to begin the hike in the south.
After 17 rough but exhilarating days in the Negev, Grodzinski
was forced to abandon his trek near the Valley of Elah (where
David slew Goliath) because of foot problems. Mazor continued
for another 24 days, walking during the day and sleeping
at the homes of friends and family at night. When he reached
Kibbutz Dan, he added another day to take in the Golan Heights.
Quips Mazor: “One of the reasons I did the trail was
because I quit work. One of the reasons I quit work was
to do the trail.”
Gaspar has a file with names and phone numbers of the hundreds
who have completed the trail. Buchan has his own following.
Batsheva Dagan, a 22-year-old from Moshav Kfar Ha’Roeh,
consulted Buchan before she and three friends set out on
a six-week trek.
Her description of their last day mirrors that of others.
The Bar-Ilan University freshman was overcome with an enormous
love of Israel, its varied landscapes and mosaic of people.
“The love is so strong that on the last day we were
laughing and crying at the same time,” she recalls.
“Then we jumped into the water of the Gulf of Aqaba
with all our clothes on.”
Six weeks later, Dagan is still moved by her experience.
“Doing the Israel Trail has an incredible effect on
the soul,” she explains. “It brings you peace
of mind, authenticity and a deeper faith. We didn’t
only walk b’shvil Yisrael [on the Israel Trail].
We did it b’shvil Yisrael, that is, for Israel.
People have to know that life goes on, despite the troubled
times we are living through. We do not give up.... We continue
to hike in Israel to show our bonds to and love of this
country.”
Meanwhile, Tamar Orbach has heard from two people who want
to join her on the Israel Trail, but they they are not ready
to start tomorrow. So she continues to hope someone looking
at the bulletin board at Lametayel will reconsider their
trip to South America or India and realize a wonderful journey
back to Israel’s soul awaits them in their own backyard.
For information on the Israel National Trail, contact the
Society for the Preservation of Nature in Israel, 89
Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10003;
tel. 212-645-8732 or 800-323-0035. In Israel, call Dany
Gaspar at 022-972-3-638-8719; e-mail: dany@spni.org.il.
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April 2002 Vol. 83 No.8 
