Eilat - January 17th - January 19th 2013

Our annual trip to Eilat was a lot of fun.

We traveled to Eilat on Thursday by various routes. 

About half of the group met at the Rooster Restaurant for an all you can eat Chicken Dinner, which was very good.

On Friday morning we boarded the bus, and were taken to the beginning of the hike. We started our hike at the Har Yehoram campsite, and started walking north on the black trail. We used the red trail to descend into Nachal Netafim and then walked over to Ein Netafim for our first stop.

Ein Netafim is the only spring in the Eilat Mountains, and is very important for the animals who live in the desert.

We continued on the green trail down Nachal Netafim. We left Nachal Netafim to take a bypass that would the shorten the route, and met back up with it after a very sharp and tricky descent.

At the intersection with another black trail, we turned north, and climbed over the mountain to Nachal Roded. 

Our next stop was Guy Avood, the lost valley, a short sandstone canyon with lovely pink and white walls.

After the break, we started climbing up Har Shchoret. It was a long, and at times steep, ascent.

From the top, we had a great view of the Arava, and then we started our descent. The first part was very steep into Nachal Shchoret, and then we went into Kanyon Shchoret, for the last leg of the hike.

The canyon had some challenging dry waterfalls that had to be descended carefully.

Once we all finished the hike, we got on the bus for the ride back to the field school. We made it just in time for Shabbat.

The hike was about 10 kilometers. We started at an altitude of 622 meters and ended at an altitude of 220 meters. 

The last leg of the hike, from the top of Har Shchoret, started at an altitude of 480 meters.

A track of most of the hike (My phone's battery died), can be seen at http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/152302900?user=6115877

We had our, now traditional, Shabbat Dinner at the Orchid hotel.

After dinner, our guide Ro'i, had a presentation about the wild life in the desert. 

Thanks to Havi for organizing a great weekend, and to our guide, Ro'i for doing a great job. 

Pictures:
Gadi's Pictures