This is one of those hikes (like Sculpture Park, Ein Akev, Nahal Haverim or Har Tzaror) that don’t require a car. You leave the guesthouse, walk for 15 minutes to the start of Karkash and describe what is roughly a circle, it’s a one and a half hour excursion.
A Steep Descent
So I was writing the blog in my mind as I was walking the other day and was asking myself if it was really suitable for older people. There are steep parts and obstructions along the way and it might not even be suitable for small children. But then I thought, ‘wait a second, what am I talking about? Every year our school takes the entire second grade down Wadi Karkash’.
And now, I need to digress for a moment to tell you about this extraordinary event.
Just Like the Jews Wandering in the Desert for 40 Years
Second grade is when secular Israeli children start Bible studies in school and every year the teachers, in collusion with the parents, prepare a dramatic re-enactment of Exodus. This happens naturally just before Passover which is that time of the year when the Jews celebrate the Flight from Egypt. It is quite a sophisticated production and it comes as a total surprise to the kids.
On the designated day, a number of parents storm into the classroom and start distributing costumes. Led by one of the fathers dressed up as Moses, they leave the school and walk in a crocodile in the direction of Karkash. Karkash is a defile that cuts down from the top of the cliff to the bottom. No sooner have they left the school than they are confronted by the Egyptian cavalry (Arthur on horseback, dressed as Pharaoh). Nothing is left out. Other parents are waiting a bit further along to help them cross the Red Sea (water guns and an inflatable plastic pool with a few drops of water inside). Next the children (who are now feeling peckish) are met by bags of popcorn (manna from heaven) thrown at them by still more parents hiding behind rocks above. While they are snacking, Moses ostentatiously marches off into the distance. By the time he comes back with the two tablets of stone, another group of parents have been hurriedly working with the children to build a golden calf, and in this manner the whole joyous troop continues until they reach a tent were the last parents are waiting with a picnic. I don’t imagine they do this in Tel Aviv.
To get back to the hike, although it can be steep, it is obviously nothing that can’t be handled by a bunch of 7-year-old kids used to the outdoors!
Getting to the Starting Point
The starting point is at the end of the road leading from the village to the main road. You could drive there (2-3 minutes from the house and park) or walk, passing through Ben Gurion’s Grave and Park (about 20 minutes).
The sign for Karkash is imprecisely placed! If you follow it’s direction, you will get an impressive view of the descent but you will be left wondering how you are supposed to get down there!
In fact, you need to continue walking in the direction of the main road and after ten to twenty meters you will find this small concrete post which marks the beginning of the trail.
The Hike
You start immediately going down a white stone canyon. As I said, it sometimes get a bit steep and the fact that you are walking on smooth stones doesn’t help. This part lasts for 10-15 minutes.
Note that these pictures were taken on March 19, less than a week after a good rain. So mostly the pools will be empty.
After a while, the stones change completely and you are in the middle of a much darker canyon. I find this sudden change to be very much part of the charm of the hike.
Most of the time, you don’t have to worry about following the green marks as the riverbed is fairly narrow, their main function on this hike is to show you where exactly to negotiate an obstruction or a step; left or right, as in this case…
But this time, I ended up jumping…
This part also lasts for about 15 minutes.
Now the topography gets flatter, there is more vegetation, you are nearing the canyon floor.
Soon, you come to a junction where the green meets the blue (Nahal Haverim). Here you have two choices.
Extend the hike or head back to the house.
If you turn right, you can start going up Nahal Haverim. The whole loop from and back to the house will take about four hours.
If you turn left, you join Nahal Havarim going down and within 200 meters you get to the bottom of the serpentine road Adjacent to the road is the beginning of the red path.
A 20 minute climb back to the village. A little strenuous…
…but with beautiful vistas
Then Ben Gurion’s park and grave and then home.
(or walk along the road back to your car if you left it at the starting point).
Karkash is ideal for an early summer morning. It is one of my favourite trails… well, mainly because it is short and can be made before breakfast. I generally walk with earphones and listen to French radio or an audiobook, so I am not always as attentive to my surroundings as I could be. But this time, I had a camera and was planning to write a post about the walk, which forced me to pay more attention. And now for the first time, I realized how gorgeous it is.
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