Monday in the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve - and Rita's big moment!

On Monday morning, we left Jerusalem and headed south towards the Dead Sea.  The trip begins by driving west, towards Jordan.   The change in scenery is dramatic - one leave the reasonably green neighborhoods of Jerusalem, goes over a hill and through a tunnel, and the Judean Desert stretches before you.  The trip goes past Jericho (whose walls have never been found by archaeologists, casting some doubt on the biblical recounting) and continues south. The trip East and then South takes one from hills down into the deepest valleys on our planet.  The Dead Sea is the further below sea level than anyplace else.

The Judean Desert is prone to flash floods - its soil is not able to absorb water, so when there are major storms in the western hills, the water may travel downhill into the desert towards the Jordan River; when it is on this trip, it may wash out anything in its path.  The water from the hills bubbles out in occasional springs, accounting for many of the villages in the area.  The Bedouin communities - whose ancestors have traveled throughout the Middle East for many generations - are the experts at travelling the land and finding locations suitable for settling, at least temporarily.

Ein Gedi is a community near the southern end of the Dead Sea.  To the west of the sea is the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, a beautiful area where there are many natural springs, and the plant life and wildlife to go with it.   There are also some hiking trails, and that is where we went.

Hani, Rose, Rita, Penelope, Mike (in back), Debbie, Ron, and Asaf
(Bob is behind the camera)
prepare to hike up the hill in the Ein Gedi Nature Preserve

We are greeted by one of the local residents

Even in the desert, it rains sometimes.
s Here is a mud puddle!

In the Bible, it talks about when King Saul felt threatened by the young David, even as David was his son's best friend, and his apparent protege.  David hid in the desert - quite possibly around the area of Ein Gedi.  Eventually, they reconciled.   Here is a picture of Bob by David's Waterfall:



We saw some beautiful scenery, and the remains of an ancient aqueduct:


      

We found the hike to the top (a few hundred meters) to be rather challenging.   Near the top was a delightful pool with clear cold water for wading.  There was a lower pool beneath it, with a channel lined by rocks carrying the water down.  And here was Rita's moment of courage and bravery:

Rita perched on the edge of the upper pool and launched herself down, like a water slide, but very rocky, uneven, and steep.  Happily, she landed safely in the lower pool.   Nobody else in our group had the courage to try the duplicate her feat!

While we found the hike to be rather challenging, not everyone in Israel does!  We met a family of four.   Mom carried the young boy in her arms, and Dad had the baby in the backpack!



Also near the top, we saw an ancient Chalcholite temple.  This may have dated to pre-Biblical times.


  

The view from the top was spectacular!   The way down was largely uneventful.  Near the bottom, we saw this map of the region: