Midreshet Ben Gurion to Mador Night Camp on Israel National Trail: Day 14

A short day before the climb of Mount Karbolet tomorrow.

For the next 6 days (plus or minus) there will be no opportunity to buy food, so I made an important visit to the small supermarket in Midreshet Ben Gurion this morning. As I do not carry a stove for weight and logistics reasons (you have to buy gas canisters "in country", you cannot take them on a plane) the food had to be edible cold. After much deliberation I bought tuna, sardines, biscuits, nuts, dried fruit, some soft tortillas in sealed plastic, peanut butter, M&Ms and a collection of cereal bars. I hoped it would be enough, it was probably too much, it certainly weighed a lot and cost plenty.

I walked out of town via Ben Gurion's tomb and park. The park was tastefully landscaped, a path through a little "valley" constructed of blocks of local rock was surrounded by watered lawns, trees and desert plants. Located on the cliff edge, the desert behind them, the graves of Ben Gurion and his wife were simple blocks of stone inscribed with their names in a dramatic setting.

Ben Gurion's park

Continuing along the promenade I came across a group celebrating communion, the priest blessing the bread and wine, the golden chalice glinting in the morning sun, the desert panorama behind him, a moving sight. Possibly a church group on a tour of the Holy Land, a coach stood nearby.

Descending the "Zin ascent", which I laboured up yesterday, a Park Ranger in a pickup stopped by me. Concerned there may be heavy rain, which could cause flooding of the canyon I planned to climb the following day, he noted my phone number and said he would tell the relevant ranger that I would be at Mador Night Camp tonight, in case I needed rescuing. 

Today's walk was uneventful, mostly flat with a few ups and downs across small valleys and with rare, attractive, patches of flowers, large cliffs to my left. At one place people had arranged stones into Hebrew words or names or patterns. 

I was not to be alone at Mador Night Camp, a Danish couple had already pitched their tent and like me were planning to climb Mount Karbolet tomorrow,  which is supposed to be the most difficult day on the Israel National Trail.....

20.4 kilometres walked today.