Holy Hiking - Israel's Crazy Climbs

Somewhere in Northern Israel, there is an angry rooster roaming the streets. I don't know his name. We'll call him 'Rooster' because I am the queen of creativity. He does not like me.

Which is fine, the feeling is entirely mutual. I would have happily eaten him given the chance - and there are witnesses to confirm that this is more a testament to his character than mine. I think he marked us on the way in, hiding with his hens behind old Roman stones as we walked to our dorm.

There were four of us sharing the room in Tzfat, Israel, an artist's community bordering Southern Lebanon. On the roof at night we had a clear view of mountainous Lebanon. We watched the occasional twinkling lights go on and off and wondered who they belonged to.

During our stay, in an effort to move along peace negotiations with Lebanon, Israeli soldiers were removed by the Government from that very area. Helicopters frequently chopped our silent reveries.We worked briefly with about 50 Southern Lebanese who had helped the Israeli army and were now Israeli refugees. Their assistance made them targets at home. Six years later, Tzfat, also known as 'Safed', was shelled when Hezbollah took advantage of its proximity to Lebanon, and, quite possibly, the absence of an Israeli presence. Thankfully, no one we know was hurt. The city was quickly rebuilt. And the same tour we took part in continues to this day - our dorm still stands.

There was a constant strand of pride, hope for peace & readiness to fight in Tzfat that pervaded the consciousness and bound the people together. The purposes of our Tour were education, fun and work, and there was certainly no lack of opportunities for any of the three.

We were part of a 'Birthright Israel' trip. 'Birthright', as it's commonly known, is a phenomenal opportunity for any Jewish American or Canadian college-aged adult. It's a free 10-14 day educational program that flies participants to Israel. You are fed, housed, transported, educated and guided through a few of the country's hotspots, like the Kotel & Dead Sea.

Our Tour was run by a group called Livnot U'lehibanot, translated from Hebrew as "To Build & To Be Built", and was focused more on nature and community service than the average tour. It was a 14 day adventure centered in Tzfat and Jerusalem with stops at Masada and the Dead Sea along the way. We spent most of our time re-building old or damaged structures - I learned how to lay brick and use tools - and hiking through educationally relevant areas.

When I say 'hiking', let me point out that the Israeli version of a 'hike' is different from the typical American 'hike.' They are at least 6 to 10 miles long, have sketchy climbs up 90-degree grass ledges with loose dirt and "paths" that include jumps onto bolders surrounded by active and angry bee hives, all while carrying a 30 lb. backpack. Snakes, ditches filled with black water, ancient caves, 30 foot waterfall jumps, loose dirt downhill slides - par for the course.

Thank god for the guy who carried my pack towards the end. And although my toe was permanently damaged, thank god my toe was permanently damaged because it got me out of a couple of "hikes", and sent me instead with a friend to the gorgeous Mediterranean city of Nahariya to visit her Israeli friends.

But the pain was worth the trip - I'd take the pain in a heartbeat to go again. We saw cannons during a "hike" in the Golan Heights (this was in 2000, when the Golan belonged to Israel) used during the 6-day war, bullet holes from the British fight & opposition to the State from the late 1940's, and Hebrew graffiti carved into cave walls during the Roman occupation.

I still have a piece of pottery from an archaeological dig beneath the Western Wall. I went caving in Bethlehem, made friends for life. And, honestly, who besides the 30 of us can say they've been tubing down the Jordan River - which is really a big stream that kept aiming my tube (and only my tube) toward the muddy, rocky walls on the River's sides.

We did not sleep. We ate canned tuna and fruit. We sang.

Whereas other tours stayed at high end hotels like the King David in Jerusalem, we slept on bunks with rock walls and hung our unmentionables on cords to dry. Because we'd been tracked by the Birthright people, and determined to be both barely Jewish and in love with nature, we were handed over to Livnot. Livnot, whose PhD level instructors taught me that even questioning the existence of G-d makes you a "good Jew." Because you are questioning. And you are considering G-d while you do it.

If there is a traditional G-d, I owe him big-time for Livnot.

To be continued...