Two Days in the Carmel Mountains (aka Middle Earth)

8/3/10

Yesterday morning, we set out bright and early for the Tzofim Center in the Carmel Mountains. After waking up at 6:30 for the first time in months, I passed out on the bus in Bat Yam and woke up in the Lord of the Rings. Seriously. The Carmel Mountains are lush, green, and surreal, with a supernatural feeling about them - as if you've stepped back in time. My camera died on the first picture, so unfortunately, I won't be able to show you what it looked like, but perhaps it's better that way. Our first hike (if you can call it a hike) was a 3 hour stroll to/through the Peace Farm. It's an old mill that now serves as a sort of museum for old milling tools and a tourist spot along the hiking routes. We stopped there to learn a little and eat lunch, and then finished our walk. I really can't call any of these treks 'hikes' as they were all flat and slightly downhill, but I suppose YJ has to compensate for everyone.

In the afternoon, we arrived at the Tzofim Center. Essentially, it was a summer camp setting that serves as the equivalent of a boy/girl scout center (although the tzofim are much more than boy/girl scouts in my opinion). At the center, we played a bunch of team games with the scouts, most involving ropes. They're a bit obsessed with the ropes up there...we had to jump over them, climb through them, untangle them, support giant cages with them... It was intense. We then split into three groups: one for cooking, one for ceremony, and one for fire signs. I went with the cooking group and proceeded to spend five hours lighting fires, shredding/chopping veggies, and finally making veggie patties. It took forever, but it tasted fantastic and was totally worth it! Dessert was baked carmel apples...mmmm..... After dinner, we all gathered for a giant tribalish fire dance/sign. It was AMAZING. Celebration of the "Lama Lo". No one has any idea what that means.....

This morning, we were all sore from sleeping on a wooden floor, but we dragged ourselves out of our sleeping bags and prepared for today's 'hike'. We set out early and hiked for a couple hours through a super muddy area of Middle Earth. It was absolutely gorgeous, stunning, mezmorizing, and many other words! Not much of a walk, but completely worth the views. Afterwards, we hopped back on the busses and headed back to camp to make lunch. We rolled pita bread balls, made fires, and made our own pitot. It was yumminess.

Now, I am freshly showered and ready to zzzzzzzzz. =D
Lots of Love,
Rachel