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04/01/15. Mador NC to Oron. "Toughest day". Real scramble at beginning, with 6 days' food. Fortunately overcast. At times had trouble righting myself from prone position. Saw no other hikers. Big group took easy route. At top, "rooster's comb"along lip of Big crater, not nearly as scary as the rumors suggested. Down to Oron for water, then camped illegally in desert. Saw someone approaching after dark, but was only Gil Gofer also camping illegally.
04/02/15. Oron to Small Crater (Makhtesh Katan). Gil Gofer also camping. But he quit early - foot problems.
Met Danie from Canada, first encounter with someone going south. Gave me name of trail angel in Arad: Rachael Paine.
Met trail angel couple at Roman fortification:
Roni Meiron, 054-4341372 near the town of modern Ben Shemen forest. Near airport. Phone them when near.
04/03/15. Makhtesh Katan to Mezad Tamar. Great hike down, across, and up the other side of the Little Crater - very symmetrical, nice colored rocks. Climb out was for some reason very tough. Camped out with two Bedouin guys watching me. I took note of their car license plate and bundled all my stuff together. They left, then returned with some food for me (!) I felt such a fool. Couldn't eat the food (rice was uncooked, and mystery bags of spices (?) were unknown to me. I left them their gift and a jar of peanut butter in the morning.
It was a blood moon night, but I slept through the spectacle, camped next to the Roman ruins of Mezad Tamar, which marked their empire's limits in the desert. The Bedouin's camels grazed near me all night, and a gerbil ate into my pack and stole my cashews, the little bastard.
04/04/15 Mezad Tamar to Be'er Efe and beyond. Nailed the hike to Be'er Efe and decided to keep on trucking. A passing motorist/guide gave me some water and - best of all - a 2 liter bottle of flavored drink in ice (!) Made it to about 6 km to Arad, for a personal day's best of about 34 km.
04/05/15. Before Arad to Arad. Arrived at trail angel Rachel Paine in afternoon. Shower, clothes cleaned. Treated Rachel and husband Tony to dinner at pub with banners from every soccer team imaginable. Again, really good meat (this time lamb kebabs).
04/06/15 Arad to Drejat. Country now rolling green hills with Bedouin villages. Easy walking. Big flock of storks circled overhead, on way from Africa to Europe. Started late after good talk with Rachel, a real sweetie. Drejat is populated by Falakhim (Arabic farmers), who until quite recently were living in caves. In fact, I am in a cave right now, very nicely appointed, with carpets, cushions, benches, decorated walls, even electricity. One of the nicest nights yet. 150 sh, including breakfast. And a great view over the city. I lucked out on this one.
04/07/15. Drejat to Meitar. Great breakfast of big old curly flat bread, yoghurt to die for, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, olive oil, tea, some spice to dip everything in, and an omelette. Yummy. Then off on a fairly boring day's hike along dusty windy roads among wheat fields, occasionally along highways with enormous trucks hauling phosphate from quarries - probably the most dangerous day of the hike so far. Plus temperature at around 100 all day. Lots if stork sitings. Ended up at campsite next to Meitar. Two young ladies from the village dropped by and we yakked for about two hours, age not an issue.
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