The Negev is a rocky, stony desert so put away thoughts of sand dunes, think instead of wadis (i.e. dry valleys), with rounded stones, dust and sand, a few acacia trees with a birds flitting about, thorny or scratchy bushes, familiar and strange flowers (in February at least). On each side of the wadi the mountains rise steeply, cliffs of harder formations at the top, scree, softer layers and more cliffs beneath, devoid of vegetation. Think of narrow canyons, with rare, deep pools of opaque water, high waterfalls over which water rarely, if ever flows. Think of narrow ledges and metal rungs that take you around precipitous drops. Think of mountains or crater walls topped by cliffs that you need hands and feet to climb in places, or launching yourself off the top, trusting the rebar rung below, cemented into the rock, does not fail with your weight on it. Think of clambering over fallen blocks of rock left by some catastrophic rock fall. Then in quieter sections cross gentle, bare hills covered with dark pieces of chert or some other loose rock replacing grass and flowers. Follow vehicle tracks across broad valleys, looking towards the next range of mountains. Follow in the footsteps of Moses and the children of Israel, or the traders in incense and spices whose fortress ruins you pass, or Roman invaders reaching the boundaries of their empire. Camp under the stars in remote spots, far from city lights, sticky with sweat, unshaven and unwashed after a long day's hike. Then rejoice in a shower (and a beer or coffee) at the rare villages and small desert towns. Ask others on the trail what lies ahead, or tell them what to expect. Chat with inhabitants of villages and towns about life in the desert.
Maybe this gives you a taste of the desert section of the Shivil Israel, the Israel National Trail. It can be completed in three weeks. Detailed information in English is contained in the Red Guide with updates and other useful information on the internet (tapatalk and fandom.com). Waymarking of the many trails in the Negev and Judean deserts is very good, variously marked with red, blue, green or black stripes. Moving between these trails of different colours the Israel National Trail adds additional waymarks of pinky orange, blue and white painted stripes, sometimes rakishly offset, but these are intermittent. You need the guidebook or a GPS track to tell you which colour of path the Israel Trail is following at any given point. The GPS track that I followed through the desert is in two parts (to keep it below the 10,000 point limit for Garmins), it can be found on wikiloc.com, here, and here, or Viewranger, short codes johnpon0048 and johnpon0049. Traildino.com has the complete Trail, but you will need to cut it into lengths of less than 10,000 points to fit on Garmin GPS's.
This being a desert you also need to think of water. Natural sources are rare especially in the south. Water can be obtained in nearby villages which you need to visit to stock up on food (although shops will be closed on Saturdays) and there are some water tanks you can access. However, you will have to pay someone to cache water for you at points where neither of the above is available. I used Yanir who seemed well known on the trail (Tel: 0542461066, yaniryagel@gmail.com). The Red Guide gives recommended amounts, although in a cool February I used about half the amounts it suggested with day time temperatures in the low twenties or less. At night time temperatures went down to five degrees. In warmer weather in later months with temperatures around thirty rather than twenty I know from experience I would need a lot more water, nearer the guidebook amounts. In February I was very glad of my down jacket after the sun had set and in early in the morning, combined with my microfleece, and a base layer to keep me warm.
This long distance walk has more challenges from a height and scrambling viewpoint than most other treks. Some people walk along exposed ledges, climb up and down vertical cliff faces without any concern, whereas others will refuse to proceed. For myself, I am nervous of heights but manage by focusing on where I will place my next foot, or where I will reach for my next hand hold, rather than thinking of what might happen if I fall off. In most cases there are no alternative routes to these difficult sections, so if you are not sure of heights, or are not confident of picking your next foot or hand hold, I would recommend a scrambling course. I went to one over 5 days at Plas y Brenin mountain centre in Wales and do not regret it.
Although some people recommend hiking shoes for their light weight, I was glad of my stiffer, if heavier, Scarpa Marmolada boots. In addition to providing the ankle support recommended by my podiatrist, the stiff boats could hold me onto a thin ripple of rock, grip sloping slabs, and protect me from stubbed toes and slipping stones.
Flash floods are the other risk. I monitored the Israeli Meteorological Service reports using Google Chrome's translation option, although there were a lot of yellow warnings which generally did not amount to much but were worrying nevertheless. Highest rainfall is in the winter months. There were people stranded by flooding in the month following my crossing of the desert, and people have been killed in the past.
I rose early each morning as the desert is beautiful at sunrise (and sunset) as the rising sun colours the rocks pink and orange, and shadows bring the ridges and ravines into sharp contrast. A memory you are unlikely to forget.
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| Camping in the desert at a night camp |
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| Lizard |
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