Israel National Trail (Shvil Yisra'el)

Preface

This september I tried to hike Israel National Trail in 1 month, covering about 1000km over hills, valleys and desert. On day 21 I decided to stop. At that point I had covered ~700km in 18 days (I took a few days off before desert).

All advices in this article should be taken with grain of salt. I started in early September with goal to finish whole trail in 30 days, and I will assume you want to do the same. My budget was 3500 NIS (~500 LVL), not including flight ticket to Tel Aviv.

After first few days I broke my camera, so had no choice but to take very low-res photos with my phone. Sorry about that.

Why I stopped

So... elephant in the room. Basically there were 3 reasons - starting with most important:

• It was too expensive to continue (see Desert part for more details)
• It was too painful for my legs because of heavy backpack and rocky terrain
• I wanted to visit Jerusalem and Dead Sea (and got time to see Tel Aviv as well)

When to go

Spring is the most beautiful time of the year, autumn is the second. Summer is too hot and winter is too rainy. In spring there are more springs you have to cross and some areas are flooded, so you will have to search for a way around or get your feet wet. Expect some rainy days. If you decide to go in autumn, start (from north) in late september when weather is cooler are more hikers are on the road. You can learn a lot from locals, like what nature treats you can eat or where to get water.

Backpack

This has probably been said 1000 times and applies almost to every hiking trip - more is less. In my travels I've almost never needed anything that wasn't in my backback, but quite often carried unneeded things just because I was too cheap to throw them away. You will cover a lot more distance, your feet will hurt less and you will need less water with small backpack. My backpack weighted almost 9kg without food and water. Add 9kg for water and 1kg for food and you get 19kg that you have to carry for whole day in the desert heat - not fun.

Your backpack will vary depending on when you go - september is hot and without rain, so more water is needed, but also less things (like clothes). Spring is more beautiful, but you have to deal with rain.

Below is contents of my backpack with description was it really needed or not:

• backpack
  Make sure it's not heavy. You should get one under 1.5kg. Mine was 55L - I could probably fit everything in 40L backpack if needed
• walking sticks
  Broke mine on the first day and threw away. You don't need them
• phone + charger
  Don't leave home w/o phone. You will call trail angels and other people. There are a lot of wifi places just in case you bring smartphone
• camera + charger
  Your choice
• gps tracker
  I wanted to track whole trip, but now I regret it - too heavy and not worth it
• spoon, fork, knife
  Take only spoon. If you feel you will need fork (you won't) - take spork
• foldable knife
  I used mine only 2-3 times. Can live without, but if you take one - take smallest possible. You don't need swiss army knife with 10 (or more) gadgets
• headlamp
  Absolute must. Sometimes you will get very early and sometimes you will walk till darkness and no lights is the last thing you want
• batteries
  I needed them for mp3 and gps tracker
• watch
  Your choice
• 3 platypus water bottles (3L each)
  These are light and durable. I would still take 3 x 3L combination
• mp3
  Runs on single AAA battery. Your choice
• nail clippers
  Must have
• bandages
  I had tons of blisters but didn't really used any bandages. Your choice
• sunscreen
  Don't usually use and threw mine away after several days. Your choice
• toothpaste + toohbrush
  Must have
• soap bar
  Must have. Used it for body and clothing
• lip balsam
  Didn't use
• stove + gas
  I met people, who didn't cook their meals, but I can't imagine hiking without this. With cooking you use a bit more water but food is lighter. If you don't cook, you have to bring sandwithches for several days (at one point you will have to carry food for 6 days). I will assume that you will bring stove and gas (you should buy both of them in Israel so you can replace gas part when needed)
• lighter
  Must have (for stove)
• wallet
  Your choice
• tent
  Mine was very lightweight (990g). You can do without, but then you have to bring heavier sleeping bag. I liked my tent+sb combo (only 1.5kg) - I was protected from wind and moisture, but most locals bring only sleeping bag
• sleeping bag
  Must have. Mine was lightweight (550g). September has 0% of rain, October - 2%
• mattress
  Must have. Some people say you don't need it. You do
• pot
  Where to cook things. Must have
• cup
  For tea. Your choice. You can drink tea directly from pot
• towel
  I almost didn't use my at all. Take small and very lightweight
• hat
  Must have. Don't leave home without it.
• shorts (2x)
  I had 1 shorts and 1 pair of trausers that can be made into shorts. I think this is best option
• t-shirts (2x)
  You don't need more. In north you can wash your clothes almost every day
• underwear (2x)
  2 is enough
• hiking socks (3x)
  If you decide to go with sandals, you don't need them. You could take only 2 pairs, but I liked one extra pair
• boots
  I had lots of blisters, so don't really know what to say. Probably take big boots. Prepare to walk mainly on rocks. Met guy who walked only in sandals till desert (and changed to boots there). Had only 3 blisters
• wind-jacket
  Very lightweight. Used rarely and mainly because I had it
• knee-bondage
  Never used it, even though I had problems with knee before
• belt
  Your choice
• passport
  Must have =]
• toilet paper
  Must have
• rope
  Your choice, but I used it a lot - to dry my clothes, to hold my tent in place and to tie my bag to my tent at night. About 5m.
• guidebook
  Must have. You won't get far without it. I used (and recommend) Jacob Saar's Israel National Trail
• notebook + pen
  Your choice. I like making small notes every day.
• printed list of trail angels
  I forgot to take it myself and deeply regret it. Could have stayed with local people more. Don't make the same mistake. You can find the list on shvil.wikia.com
• sandals
  I didn't have them, but should. Flip-flops also are ok, if you don't plan to walk in them. You should have something to wear in the evening or when resting to let your feet breath

Water

Water is more or less readily available in north and almost not at all in desert. On average I carried 6L while in north and 9L while in desert. In north you can carry less if you are willing to go extra mile or two off the trail to nearest town. You can chew gum so your mouth doesn't dry so fast and you drink less or employ other tactics but be carefull - dehydration is serious bussiness. All cemetaries along trail have running water. You can ask town guards near (usually) yellow gates for water or carefully use water hydrants (I don't really know if this is totally legal, but hey - I saw locals do it, and did it myself).

Desert

Desert is the most beautiful and the most challenging part of the whole trail. You have to hike ~400km and only few places along the way has water so you have to cache (hide/bury) it someplace. Basically - you hire car/driver and hide water (and maybe some food) along the trail every 20km-40km. Preferably you share this ride with other people - it will be cheaper. This was the reason I didn't complete my trail - I didn't plan for the desert and when I got to it, it was too expensive for me to do it alone. In some cases it can cost 3500 NIS (~500 LVL) to do it. You can cut costs dramatically if you are in a group or drive the car yourself or even hitchhike along the road to cache water.

I only walked ~80km in the desert, but so many epic vistas have been seen, I feel like it was 2 weeks. Desert part (Arad to Eilat) is something I want to finish some day. Definately with someone - just to share feelings about awesome sceneries along the trail. It's hard, but don't be put off by this - it can be completed even if you never been to desert or are feeling a bit scared. Just make sure you have water cached, guide/map in your backpack. Road is never far away in case you need. You will cross craters, awesome rock formations and just grand, vast plains. It's epic and worth it.

Dead Sea

If you are in Israel and don't visit Dead Sea - you are doing it wrong. This is must-see place even if you are not into tourist atrraction sites. It's a very strange and interesting feeling to float in this semi-liquid (30% of water is salt). It's not really possible to swim in the common sense of this word, you can't dive (DON'T TRY), there are no waves and after 30min in the water I wanted real sea. Nevertheless - if you have a chanche - don't miss this lowest point on earth. Dead sea can be easily reached from Jerusalem or Be'er Sheva (through Arad).

Observations

• There are a lot of young people in army uniforms. Almost all of them with machine guns.
• Random security checks are often performed in train and bus stations, supermarkets and some other important places.
• Lots of garbage lying around, picnic tables are partially burned and toilets are dirty.
• People exercise a lot. Mainly running and cycling.
• Everyone is on the (smart)phone. Almost all of Tel Aviv is covered in free wi-fi.
• People are very helpful.

Nature and wildlife

Quite a lot of animals. To name a few: foxes, snakes, ibexes, camels, parrots, chamelions, wild pigs and quite a few unrecognizable to me species.

Getting lost

Whole trail is marked with 3 stripes (orange, blue, white). You will encounter lot of other trails: blue, green, black, red, purple and often Shvil path uses these existing trails. Markings are painted on rocks, fences and other objects and sometimes can be difficult to spot because of thick vegetation or human tampering. Because of this I got lost all the time. But to my (poor) defense - I also frequently got lost on Camino de Santiago. Mostly small distances - you get suspicious if you don't see any signs, you walk back and find where you missed a turn. Sometimes you continue on wrong track. This is all part of fun - if you go into wrong direction for too long and are near road - just hike back or forward. You will loose gained distance/time some other time.

All signs should be no more than 5-10min apart from each other, but mostly they are even closer.

Diary

I wrote short summary about each day in my notebook To keep things as original as possible, this section is in Latvian - sorry for my english speaking readers. Texts have been rewritten from my diary almost 1:1. Additional info is in square brackets.

Day 1 - Riga -> Helsinki -> Tel Aviv
Telavivas lidostā pavadīju ~2h. Kkas nepatika ar ieceļošanas iemeslu un ielika mani pie visiem imigrantiem (~20 korejieši bez vīzas mēģināja ieceļot). Silts - 22:00 ir 27 °C. Nogurums un miegs. Satiku bārdainu čali no Itālijas - kkas saistīts ar cirku. Beidzot tiku uz Nimrod.

Day 2 - Nimrod -> Dan (12km)
Ja pirmā diena bija nepatīkama at best, tad otrā bija vienkārši lieliska - vismaz Nimrod Fortress daļa. Beidzot sākās hikings, bija karsti un vakarā gāzos nost no kājām. Principā esmu Dan (naksņoju gan Dafne, 1km nostāk).

Day 3 - Dan -> Yesha fort (31km)
Karstums. Redzēju ~2m garu, melnu čūsku. Pievienojos superlēnai grupai ar kuru tālāk gāju kopā. Gājām līdz tumsai, palikām tādā kā hostelī, kur mūs aizveda ar auto. Tur bija čalis, kas Bolīvijā redzēja jaguāru.
[Čūska vēlāk izrādījās ne-indīga]

Day 4 - Yesha fort -> Mount Meron (38km)
Rīts sākās 06:00 un ~07:00 izgāju. Maldījos, kamēr uzgāju dzēku, ar ko turpināju iet līdz vakaram. Palikām foršā kempingā. Gulējām mākoņos un drēbes tā arī neizžuva. Redzēju kkādus bara dzīvnieciņus.

Day 5 - Mount Meron -> Migdal (40km)
Atvadījos no ceļabiedra un gāju talāk. Satiku 2 no ASV un vienu lokālo/no Austrālijas. Uzzināju, ka var ēst kkādas pākstis, kas aug kokos (sausas un saldas). Aizgāju pa nepareizo ceļu ~25km un nācās 2x stopēt ar auto. Paliku pie ezera. Tiku supermārketā. naktī bija drudzis.
[Pirmais veikals kopš Nimrod]

Day 6 - Migdal -> Hirbat Sirin (44km)
Dabūju ledusaukstu ūdeni. Redzēju pupuci un papagaiļus. Pačiloju ~2h parciņā. Uz kalna džips iedeva ūdeni. Paliku turpat uz akmeņainā kalna - vakariņas, zvaigznes, skats uz pilsētām lejā - perfekts dienas nobeigums.

Day 7 - Hirbat Sirin -> Mashad (37km)
Vakarā nomaldījos un tikai tumsā tiku vajadzīgajā pilsētā. Auto apstājās nočekot, vai viss ok - izrādās runā arī krieviski. Sīkie parādīja veikalu. Izrādās daudzi strādā arī sestdienās. Naktī pilsētā smuki - ļoti daudz jauniešu. Gāju līdz ~20:30.
[Sestdienās strādā arābu veikali]

Day 8 - Mashad -> Isfiya (40km)
Apmaldījos vienā vietā un, kad "atradu" zīmes, nonācu sākumpunktā. Pēc tam atradu, bet nu vismaz 1h pazaudēju. Redzēju saupermazu hameleonu. Vakarā paliku kempingā kalna augšā. Nereālā tempā uzkāpu - adrenalīns, ka drīz paliks tumšs.

Day 9 - Isfiya -> Zikhron Ya'akov (38km)
Redzēju mežacūkas. Gulēju ~500m no tās vietas. Vakarā ļoti noguris. Nekas cits īpašs nenotika. Govis gāja garām guļasvietai. Piezvanīja Artūrs.

Day 10 - Zikhron Ya'akov -> Hofit (35km)
Redzēju vēl 1 gājēju. Sasniedzu jūru. It kā jābūt vieglākai iešanai, bet tāpatās maldījos un nogāju tikai 1.5 dienas quotu. Vakaros kkādi sīki dzīvnieciņi kliedz. Naktī mežacūku bariņš izskrēja cauri kempingam.

Day 11 - Hofit -> Tel Aviv (44km)
Lielāko dienas daļu gāju gar jūru. Pa ceļam beidzās pārtika, tāpēc garīgais nokritās. Iet lēni. Izskatās, ka nepaspēšu noiet visu 30 dienās. Ļoti daudzi sporto. Daudziem ir moto-velosipēdi. Pludmalē satiku čali, kas arī ir izgājis Shvil.

Day 12 - Tel Aviv -> Gimzo (41km)
Sāp kājas. Uz vakaru gandrīz beidzās ūdens. Paliku kempingā. Ļoti daudz riteņbraucēju.

Day 13 - Gimzo -> Tzova (45km)
Kājas galina nost. Pēdējie 10km bija ārprātīgi sāpīgi. Dienas sāk paiet ātri.

Day 14 - Tzova -> Sarigim (39km)
Sestdiena. Viss ciet un pārtika palikusi tikai nedaudz. Sāku klausīties mūziku ejot. Vakarpusē, nezinot, pagāju garām pilsētai un bija gruzons. Piezvanīju uz B&B, teica, ka vairs nestrādā un, ka Yom Kipur var zvanīt tikai pēc 20:00. Tuvākajā pilsētā sieviete iedeva ūdeni un 5 ābolus - perfekti. Rīt veikals =]
[Nezinot trāpījos Yom Kipur dienā]

Day 15 - Sarigim -> Tel Keshet (37 km)
Beidzot pa ceļam atkal trāpījās vīnogas (lielas un gatavas). Km iet lēni, bet vismaz dabūju ēdamo. Kājas sāp, bet nav tik traki kā vakar/aizvakar. Uzaudzēju megatulznu pēdas sānos. Satiku džeku ar 2 sīkajiem, kas arī gaja Shvil, tikai pa posmiem (šis bija 4 dienas).

Day 16 - Tel Keshet -> Sansana (36 km)
Rīts sākās ar garu gājienu caur laukiem - ļoti patīkama sajūta. Uzpildes stacijā redzēju vakardienas džeku ar 2 sīčiem. Satiku zīmju krāsotāju grupu (džeks un meitene). Kopā viņi ir 5 (viena grupa uz visu valsti), krāso cauru gadu. Ieklīdu armijas zonā - pēc 2min piebrauca džips un teica, ka nedrīkst šeit atrasties (pie žoga bija zīme "Mortal danger"). Ejot prom redzēju 3 cilvēkus, kas ātri izskrēja ar mugursomām un ieleca piebraukušajā mašīnā un tikpat ātri aizbrauca.

Day 17 - Sansana -> Tel Arad (40 km)
Naktī izlēju ūdeni un pilnīgi viss paklājiņš, guļammaiss un drēbes bija slapjas. Briesmīga gulēšana. Pa dienu apsargs pie lielveikala izrādījās krievs. Tiku iekš forester's house - pirmo reizi 2 nedēļās bija īsta duša. Vakarā pārvērtēju attālumu un sanāca iet pa tuksnesi tumsā - bailīgi. Zīmes reti, ceļu saskatīt grūti (arī ar visu lukurīti). Beigās nonācu vajadzīgajā vietā un viss bija baigi labi. Pirms tam 3 arābu sīkie piesejās un meta ar akmeņiem (neviens gan netrāpīja, bet palika neomulīgi).

Day 18 - Tel Arad -> Arad (11 km)
Nopeldējos Nāves jūrā - kā pludiņš. Nenormāls karstums. Paliku pie trail-eņģeļa - riktīgi forša vieta. Pirms tam kļūdaini ielauzos svešā mājā. Fun. Not. Gulēju īstā gultā.

Day 19 - Arad
No rīta ar taxi braucu iekešot 9L ūdens nākamajai dienai. Izmaksāja 300 NIS (45 LVL). Brīvdiena - viss slēgts. Tuksnesī redzēju savvaļas kamieļus.

Day 20 - Arad -> Meizad Tamar (40 km)
Piecēlos 04:30 un izgāju ~06:00. No rīta patīkami iet - vēsumiņš. Pēc tam atkal karsts. Dienasvidū tuksnesī nekur nav ēnas. Uztaisīju shelteri no telts. Miljons mušas. Gāju garām kamieļiem. Pirmie 23km pagāja ātri (pa grūtu terrain), bet nākamie 17km otrādi - ievilkās, lai gan ceļš bija vieglāks. NC ir tikai nosaukums. Gulēju senā romiešu fortā, apkārt klejoja kamieļi. Pirmā oficiālā nakts tuksnesī. Vakarā pūta spēcīgs vējš, bet no rīta viss bija mierīgs.
[Ja saule nav aiz kalna vai mākoņiem, tad cepināt sāk ap 08:00. NC - night camp. Tuksnesī gulēt drīkst tikai specialās vietās, jo pārējais ir dabas rezervāts. Neviens gan tevi tur neatradīs un nesodīs]

Day 21 - Meizad Tamar -> Oron (41 km)
Izgāju cauri mazajam krāterim - iespaidīgi. Izkāpšana gan bija murgs - 300m uz augšu un ~500 uz priekšu prasīja 50min. Otrajā dienas daļā nomaldījos un izgāju uz ceļa, kur sēdēja help meitene, kas piedāvājā aizvest līdz Oron (mans dienas galamērķis) pēc 2h. Piekritu. Parunājām par ceļošanu un Indiju. Izlēmu, ka rītdiena būs pēdējā. Reāli šodien nogāju ~25km.

Day 22 - Oron -> Arad
Izdomāju tālāk neiet, Daļēji aizstopoju, daļēji ar autobusiem tiku atpakaļ uz Arad.

Day 23 - Arad
Aizbraucu līdz Nāves jūrai (atkal). Secinājumi - papeldēt nevar, ienirt nevar, karsts (~37 °C), viļņu nav, visur sāls un krievi. Fun pirmās 10-20min, pēc tam gribas īstu jūru. Savācu pāris akmeņus piemiņai. 25 NIS (3.5 LVL) uz katru pusi no/līdz Arad.
[Fun fact: sāls saturs ūdenī ir 30% un jūras līmenis krītas vairāk par 1m gadā. Zemākā vieta pasaulē]

Day 24 - Arad
Visu dienu nosēdēju mājā un tikai vakarā pastaigājos. Bija riktīga chill sajūta. Naktī ieradās 2 čaļi - viens līdz Arad bija ticis tikpat ātri kā es. Uzpīpējām kkādu Āfrikas zāli. Redzēju kā čaļi lieto Salvia. Iedeva arī man, bet nekas īpašs nenotika. Čalim gan bija crazy epizode.
[Salvia - kkāda dimensiju atveroša narkotika]

Day 25 - Arad -> Jerusalem
No rīta atvadījāmies un devos uz Be'er Sheva un no turienes uz Jerusalem. Nesapratu kur ir kas, bet beigās atradu OK vietu vietējā mežiņā. Sajūtas labas. Beigās vakardienas čalis sarunāja palikšanu pie viņa vecākiem. Šī bija pēdējā Sukkot svētku diena un bija greznas vakariņas.

Day 26 - Jerusalem (20 km)
No rīta pabrokastoju majā un devos Jerusalem Trail pirmajā daļā. Gāju lēni un visu dienu. Nav tik traka tā Jeruzaleme. Pieskāros West wall un nopirku daļu no suvenīriem. Paliku ārā teltī netālu no lielākās universitātes.

Day 27 - Jerusalem (20 km)
Nakts bija auksta un no rīta visa telts no ārpuses bija slapja. Naktī kkāda mašīna piebrauca klāt, bet uzreiz arī aizbrauca.Turpinu iet JT 2. daļu. Nogāju. Ir ok, bet ne pilsētas daļa. Paliku pie ģimenes. Miri [mājas saimniece] ir slikti - vakariņas nebija, bet es jau biju paēdis pirms tam. Līdz vēlam vakaram sēdēju netā.

Day 28 - Jerusalem
Sestdiena - pilsēta daļēji izmirusi. Viss ciet. Vecpilsētā sapirkos atlikušos suvenīrus. Atkal paliku pie ģimenes un sarunāju couchu rītdienai Tel Avivā.

Day 29 - Jerusalem -> Tel Aviv
Ar autobusu aizbraucu uz Tel Avivu. Maldījos kamēr ar 3 autobusiem tiku pie hosta. Nebija mājās, tāpēc nogaidīju 2h. Garām braucot redzēju Azrieli torņus. Hosts, izrādās, dzīvo foršā vietā (tik patālu no centra) un ir sertificēts gids. Istaba is safe-room [kara gadījumā]. Vakarā Ori [hosts] pagatavoja killer-pastu.
[Dzīvoklī dzīvoja vēl 2 ļoti draudzīgi dobermaņi, ko es regulāri palīdzēju izstaigāt]

Day 30 - Tel Aviv
Nogāju baigo gabalu, bet apskatīju +/- lielāko daļu no centra. Atpakaļceļā gan ilgi maldījos. Vakarā baigais chills. Pa dienu mārketā ēdu supergaršīgu shwarma-falafel tipa sendwichu. 22 NIS (~3 LVL). Vakarā aizgāju līdz parkam, kur tumsā klausījos oldies radio un veroju zvaigznes. Mājās biju 23:30, izvedām vēl suņus.

Day 31 - Tel Aviv
Vēlreiz aizgāju uz Carmel market, kur šodien bija fair - atvērās papildus iela, kur pārdeva dažādus rokdarbus un, holy fuck, cik tur bija daudz foršu lietu. Padārgi, bet nereāli kruta. Pagaršoju humusu - ir ok. Apskatījos Old Jaffa - beigās noguris aizgāju mājās (ap 18:00).

Day 32 - Tel Aviv
Nopirku saldumus mājām. Dobrash [viens no suņiem], it kā saprotot, ka dodos prom, visu vakaru bēdīgs gulēja klāt. Ēdu garšīgu falafelu. Ori pagatavoja vakariņas - garšīgi. Ap 00:00 aizdevos uz staciju, kur apsargs (jauns džeks) jautri jautāja, vai man somā ir ierocis vai kkas bīstams.

Day 33 - Tel Aviv -> Istanbul -> Riga
Lidostā, protams, atkal pārbaudīja uz katra soļa, bet vismaz tāpēc 4h pagāja nemanot. Security te ņem pa nopietno.

Jerusalem Trail

There is 40km long walking path in and around Jerusalem which can be completed in 2 days. Jerusalem trail is only partially marked (mostly outside of city) - if you do decide to walk it through - get guide or map with trail highlighted. I enjoyed hiking outside city - Jerusalem is located in very hilly area and scenes along the trail are very beautiful. In city you just go along the streets and there is not much to see. If you have nothing to do for 2 days - do it. In my opinion it isn't really worth going to Jerusalem for this hike specifically.

JT goes very near, but not in Old City. Because you have to walk only 20km a day, Old City touring can easily be incorporated in one of those 2 days.

Final thoughts

National Geographic listed INT among 20 Most Epic Trails In The World. Desert part is epic. North part is just beautiful and very enjoyable. I would love to redo desert part. If you have 1-2 months spare time and love hiking - do it. For me 2 month is too long to stay in one country (India doesn't count - it's like a million times bigger =]).

You can definately walk whole thing in 30 or even less days. But it's kinda hard. If I had to do this again, 40-45 days would be enough time to enjoy everything without too much effort.