Ten Days of Registration – Day 3
In honor of Birthright registration for the Winter/Spring 2015-16 season (sign up now!) we are posting daily blog posts from the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas trip with Israel Outdoors this past June. Thanks for sharing! And now Day 3…
With the promise of coffee and a nap, we began our journey to Masada to climb the mountain and see the ruins. Once climbing the Roman ramp, we found a nice lookout and waited for sunrise. Though a particularly hazy morning, we saw the sun rise over the Dead Sea and the imminent 112 degree day ahead of us. Hagai taught of the battles against the Romans and saw the infrastructure of the ancient culture. Descending the Snake Path, we quickly realized how stairs (700 to be exact) could deter even the largest of armies. We ate breakfast readily at the bottom, realizing how long we had been awake and how much more we had to go for the day. Our next adventure resumed at Nahal David, hiking through desert oases and stopping at an incredible waterfall. We splashed around, cooling off, and took the pictures we knew our parents want to see. After a long morning in the sun hiking, we moved onto the Dead Sea to grab lunch, coat ourselves in mud, and float in the salty waters. After a long day in the sun and drinking water like the camels we will be riding tomorrow, we slept the entire way to the Bedouin tents. We set up our sleeping bags and geared up for the life in a tent city. We bonded over dinner and a bonfire, connecting with ourselves, each other, and our Judaism. As the sun set over the desert, we embraced the journey we started and prepared for the journey yet to come.
Signing off from The Negev,