Amasa to Sansana on the Israel National Trail: Day 24

After walking across the desert only two days ago, the misty pine forest I hiked through today was something of a contrast.

After a wet and windy night in this kibbutz high in the mountains, I left Amasa in a cloud. Wet mist limited my visibility as I peered for the waymarks on a recently diverted section of track. For the first time on my trip thick clods of mud stuck to my boots and spread up my trousers. I was soon in a pine forest, its floor carpeted with green, a deer bounded away from me, with the mist it was a surreal contrast with the desert of a few days ago.

Pine forest near Amasa

The guidebook promised an observation deck at the Forester's House, this turned out to be more of a fortress, surrounded by a double fence and a locked entrance. Some construction work seemed to be in progress and the waymarks disappeared through a new section of fencing. Regaining the trail I passed the ruins of some buildings, low arched roofs  being most noticeable. They were near where the guidebook reported that a Byzantine church mosaic had been discovered. 

Ruins of some kind

I moved on to grassy hills across which shepherds and shepherdess' led their flocks of sheep. Woolly, a little muddy like me, with red tags in their floppy ears. Another pine wood followed with picnic sites near the town of Meitar, then the scenery changed again as I walked parallel to the security wall, close to the road, then through another woods up to Sansana. I had been seeing many beautiful red flowers among the grass today. As I walked up the final section a man and his wife said hello. He said the flowers were called kalanit, apparently a type of anemone, and only flowered for about two weeks of the year. 

Red anenomes or kalanit

Sansana has a superlative hikers hut, built to remember a young resident who died accidentally when travelling in the far east. I am sitting on the terrace with extensive views of nearby pine woods, Meitar and other towns, their white buildings now tinged pink by the sunset, and the less attractive concrete security wall. The lady in charge has left me some cookies and I have been invited to an evening meal by a local resident and a fellow walker, so things are looking good!

Later: really enjoyable meal at a family gathering: barbecued meat, roasted vegetables, potatoes, salad, and even beer. Such kind, hospitable and friendly people, which jars with the nearby security wall to keep out their Arab neighbours, of course some of those neighbours probably want the destruction of Israel and to drive the Jews into the sea....