Satell Teen Fellowship Israel Trip 2008: Day 5

Monday, June 23, 2008
Golan Heights - Natural Beauty and Water Issues

Dear parents and friends,

Today we woke up at 6:30 in the morning in the Nahal Yehudia campsite to begin our day of intense hiking. After eating breakfast, making lunch and cleaning up the campsite, while avoiding the swarms of bees and hornets, we started off. The journey began by crossing the street and heading into a cow field that smelled – let’s just say “wonderful.” The red path that we followed took us to a waterfall where we went swimming. We all jumped in and spent time splashing around in the water and taking pictures.

Now soaking wet, we sung our way to the next waterfall through trails covered with pink oleander and boulders. Instead of jumping into this pool, we repelled down a thirty-foot cliff. While waiting, many of us ate lunch (and relieved ourselves in the pool below of the three liters of water we were forced to drink throughout the day).

Soaking wet once again, we continued on the last leg of our hike—a climb back up the cliff in the hot sun. Despite being covered in mud and sopping wet, the views that we saw were awesome. Stopping frequently in the shade, we reached the top, telling jokes and singing Disney songs all the way. At the top we were greeted by shirutim (bathrooms) and glidah (ice cream) of which we all took part. Many of us were looking forward to this day as the favorite of the trip, and it certainly lived up to expectations.

The day concluded with a two-hour bus ride to the Meridian Hotel in Haifa, with a short talk about Arab-Israeli relations halfway through the drive. Finally, having showered and eaten a wonderful dinner, we are all looking forward to a good night’s sleep and exciting activities tomorrow.

- Sarah Dafilou and Kara Naseef