Israel Trail שביל ישראל

Getting There:

     Part of the challenge is planning where to get on and off the trail.  The Egged Bus company has vastly improved their web site.  You can now easily find the schedule of every Egged bus route in Israel in English and Hebrew.  Sometimes it is a challenge to find the transliterated place names, but even that is made easier because if you type a part of the name every possibility will appear in a drop down window.  We are hiking the trail with our Dog.  Egged allows dogs on all their buses, but you have to pay half fare and the dog has to have a muzzle. 

What we brought:

• Camera
• Batteries for camera
• Sleeping bag per person 
• Sleeping pad per person 
• Mosquito netting
• Flash light per person 
• Suntan lotion
• Mosquito repellant
• Water containers (6-7 bottles = 9-10.5 liters for 2 people and dog.  More water for hot, dry weather)
• Rope, 10 meters
• Maps and guide
• Compass
• Binoculars? 
• Knife
• Cooking gear:  gas stove, pot, 2 forks, 2 spoons, 2 cups, 1 dish 
• Matches
• Note book, pencil
• Cell phones
• Toilet paper (one roll)
• Tooth brush, tooth paste, shampoo, soap, wash cloth, small towel 
• First Aid (band-aids, blister pads, antibiotic cream, aspirin)
• Garbage bag to take out all garbage

Food:

• Dog food (kibble)
• Bowl for water
• Trail mix = raisins, cranberries, cashews, peanuts, chocolate chips (200 gms of each for 2 people for 3 days.  Chocolate only good for cool weather!)
• Raman noodles (one package per person per day)
• Grated hard cheese (i.e. parmesan) for noodles
• Salami - enough for each lunch
• ½ Pita per person per day
• Granola for breakfast
• Hard boiled egg, one per person, for first morning 
• Tea bags
• Salt and pepper
• Sugar and long life milk (small amounts)

Clothes:

• 2 pairs of shorts in case one gets wet or torn
• T-shirts (one per day)
• Warm sweat shirt
• Socks, underwear (one pair per day)
• Water sandals per person
• Hat per person 
• Leash (and muzzle for buses) for dog