Muddy

Weather at the Sea of Galilee was pretty unpredictable. Especially at the beginning of our time there were some really heavy but short rainfalls. After a morning of rain we were scheduled to go on an optional hike.

I wasn't sure if I wanted to go out and hike at first... I mean sitting in a hammock next to the sea was pretty tempting but I am so glad that I went on the hike. One of my favorite experiences.

Eric, our hike leader was a local from the Ein Gev Kibbutz. A kibbutz is a collective Jewish community in Israel. They originally were a combination of socialism and Zionism. Many such as Ein Gev ascribe to a communal lifestyle. Eric grew up in Vermont in the capitalistic society of the United States with "socialism in [his] veins". He came to Israel and met his wife who actually grew up on a kibbutz. Children growing up in a kibbutz used to not even sleep with their parents. Now kids go to a care center on the kibbutz during the day while their parents work but they spend the evening and night with their parents. At around two or three months of age children are left to be cared for by others. Sometimes the mother will take breaks to return and nurse the baby.

People can choose to work on or off the kibbutz but their paychecks go into a communal pot and are then redistributed amongst the members of the kibbutz. The Ein Gev kibbutz in particular makes profit from the resort that we stayed at, milk production and banana plantation.

Those are just a few things he told me about the kibbutz lifestyle.

The hike was really green and everything looked fresh and glistened from the recent rain. There was a pleasant chill in the air so I got to wear a raincoat (thank you Quin).

It was the muddiest hike ever. The trail started off with a steep descent into a valley and many people just slid through the mud. The mud had a clay-like consistency so inches of mud would stick to my shoes as I walked and make my feet heavy. I don't think I would have enjoyed the hike so much had it not been so muddy--- it made it more of an adventure.

We stopped at a waterfall site and jumped into the water. Well, some people jumped in. The water was freezing... maybe some of the coldest I have ever swam in. I just decided to jump in all the way first because I figured if I was going to get in... I would go all the way. The water was so cold I lost my breath but after my body was numb it felt pretty good. Full body ice bath.

Then we continued on our hike and the sun was setting. All of a sudden I heard this crazy sound... like a pig screaming/screeching and we looked down into the ravine and there were a couple of wild boar running around. I am glad that they weren't any closer to us.

I loved the exercise and fresh air and the excitement of being out and about.

At the end of the hike Eric said pointing to his mud splattered socks, "after this hike I take my socks and put them in the laundry room and they may be on my neighbor's feet next week".