Last week during Sukkot break, we spent 5 long, wet, beautiful, and amazing days hiking across Israel on a trip called “Yam L’ Yam”, Sea to Sea.

We began on Sunday when, after picking everyone up from the different Israeli homes in which they celebrated the first days of Sukkot, we drove north, starting our trip with a water hike in a swamp in the north Kinneret (Sea of Galilee). This was followed by a short bus ride to the first campsite of the trip and a general orientation and distribution of equipment. This site was fairly high in the mountains near Safed and the chilly mountain air encouraged us to have an early night.

Throughout the hike, he group was split into three subgroups. Each subgroup set off in the morning carrying cooking equipment and food for breakfast and lunch. Part of the way the subgroups walked together and part of the time they did their own navigation, being equipped with maps and two-way radios. Each group then decided when to stop for meals or rest breaks before reuniting with the guide and the counselors at a prearranged landmark. The meals that the students prepared were varied while some of the results were very impressive; others were interesting (to say the least), we even had iron chef type competitions to see which group could come up with the most creative and delicious lunch with the ingredients they carried.