Day 4 on the Trail

Monday, October 04, 2010

Our day began at the lower En Gedi…we hiked up to the falls, then across a hill to view what may have been a place of worship for Sodom and Gomorrah. We then went on to see what might be the ruins of those who were responsible for writing the Dead Sea Scrolls. After lunch, most of the group went to see the upper En Gedi falls. Due to the high temperatures and a hurried lunch, a number of us stayed under the shade trees while they took that last hike. We later noted a sign stating the hike is closed due to high temperatures…this is where you chuckle and think how amazing it is to have a teacher who is able to access out of the ordinary terrain in spite of regulations. It was a good day, though very tough for a number of us. I heard one gentleman say he was in the military in the past, and that last hike was the hardest thing he’s ever done. After the hike we made one more stop at a synagogue which proved to be very interesting of course.

Tonight we came back to our hotel, the Leonardo Dead Sea Resort earlier then normal, around 6:00. Since this is our last night beside the Dead Sea, this is also the last opportunity to experience the Dead Sea. We, along with Kevin Yoders and Dustin Weavers had our “experience” last night in the dark. We still shriek with laughter when we recall it, that is, some of us laugh, Kevin is still failing to see any humor…. we should have known when the guy at the front desk gave Jr. an odd look when he inquired about swimming that something was amiss. But being naïve Americans we blundered ahead. We climbed/slid/fell down a dirt bank, then went through a construction site which looked like it had pretty good access to the beach. (Tonight when others tried to enter using our vague instructions they were yelled at, so I’m sure it was good we went when it was dark, as we obviously were not suppose to be on that part of the beach.) Anyway, it was quite creepy, as no one knew what to expect. We discovered that walking into the water was pretty much like walking on coral rocks except those jagged “rocks” could give way any minute and you could instantly be up to your knees in slimy mud. No one had warned us that this water would burn intensely anywhere you have cuts. While we tried to enjoy the unique experience we really didn’t last long. Kevin, who wasn’t sure he was interested in going at all, was far from amused. While the rest of us weren’t real impressed either, we laughed and laughed at his comments. We were all covered with burning salt water, our sandals and feet were nasty mess of dust which turned into mud as we dripped all over them, and this hotel has no back door we are aware of. (No, this is not the kind of hotel you want to enter in the state we found ourselves.) But seeing no alternative, we made a mad dash to the hotel. Kevin was thoroughly disgusted and stalked manfully ahead, with Crystal coming meekly behind him trying to smooth things over. He was making comments like, “ This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever done!” then to Crystal, “You can’t EVER say I don’t do anything for you!” I don’t know when the last time was that we have been so amused. We laughed about that for hours afterward.

Lord willing, we have another desert hike in the morning then we head to the Sea of Galilee…we are very excited about leaving the desert and also seeing the land where Jesus walked!

Pictures to come...