Yam L'Yam (Sea to Sea)

WE'RE HOME!!!! Home as in Kibbutz Tzuba that is. We arrived home around 11:30 p.m. last night after a weekend in the north on Kibbutz Hannaton. The kibbutz was our place of relaxation after the longest and most physically difficult week of EIE: Yam L'Yam, aka Sea to Sea. Last week on Sunday morning we all packed up our things and got on the bus to drive to the Kineret (Sea of Galilee) where our five-day hike began. The first day was a breeze because all we did was hike through a super cool and mystical-looking stream that led to the Kineret before we headed to our first camp site. I have to say that my two favorite days of this hike were the first and the last, mainly because neither consisted of much walking at all...but that's okay because the other days weren't too terrible. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were all similarly scheduled: we woke up at 6:30 a.m., we hiked for about an hour, we cooked our own breakfast, we hiked for a couple more hours, we stopped again to cook our own lunch, we hiked some more, and we finally made it to the campsite where dinner was cooked for us.

But on the last day of the hike there was no hiking involved at all, we all biked 20km to the Mediterranean Sea. The moment we all saw the ocean in front of us with its enormous waves and the welcoming beach was the moment we knew we had accomplished what made getting thousands of blisters and mini cacti stuck in all our belongings worth it. Although the hike was long and sometimes seemed unbearable, in the end it felt like I could achieve any goal I set my mind too. After all, I had just walked across the entire country hadn't I? Being able to say that I did such a thing brings me a tremendous sense of pride and triumph, however I don't think I can honestly say that I would want to do it again. Overall, I'm more than glad that I got to adventure on this rewarding hike with the people I love most in the land that I consider home.