Moonlight Shadow
On Thursday Ofir called. “Let’s make a hike tommorow”, he proposed. Of course. Only that by the time we woke up and got ready in Friday, it was already past noon. Not that it matters: a late wakeup at an almost full moon make an excellent opportunity for a nocturnal visit to some pretty places.
Of all the pretty places, the one that crossed my mind was the Prazim Canyon. Prazim has some features that make it ideal for a moonlight walk. It is very easy and well marked, with no obstacles on the ground; the soil is very bright and reflects the moonlight, so the entire canyon is well lit; and the scenery benefits from the special moonlight, which emphasizes the unique canyon walls and their special details. Also, the canyon location make it ideal for nightly walks, as it often - even if not during this season - becomes too hot during the days. Prazim Canyon, as some of you probably know, is located at Sdom.
My girlfriend was spontaneous enough to go with me to the Judean desert at night just one day after visiting the Golan heights (it is another aspect in which we fit; we are now at this phase, where we continuously find the good things in each other…. hmm…). She had a nice offer: why don’t we see flowers in the way, she suggested. So until the evening falls, we went to look for flowers.
Be’eri region, at the northwestern Negev, is known for its red anemone flowers. We went there on Friday afternoon to look for them. Alas, we were a bit too late and did not see too many anemones: they finished blossoming a few days ago. Nonetheless, it was very beautiful - the entire region is agricultural, with many fields which are at all the shades of green: certainly not what you first expect from the Negev. We took the opportunity to see some of those fields, and noted that the green vegetation is spotted with carpets of yellow wildflowers: not anemones, but flowers nonetheless. Most of them were probably wild mustard, chrisanthemas, and more.
At the afternoon we crossed the Negev from west to east, and arrived at the dead sea around half an hour after sunset, at the last light. On the way we noted how the green fields abruptly change into the series of brown hills that form the Judean desert near Arad. A few herds of sheep led by an occasional shepherd (usually in the form of a small bedouin child) gave a biblical touch to the scenery, and as the space opened up we could appreciate its beauty.
At the gas station at Zohar we left one car (together with Ofir and his girlfriend, we were two couples in two cars. How convenient), and after an essential coffee took the other car to the beginning of the hike - behind Sdom mountain. On the way I noted that the salt column that represents Lot’s wife is lit by some projectors in a different way then I remembered: I should visit this area more often. After passing the salt mountain we left the road, and arrived into the Amiaz plane. Finally we left the car and started walking.
Though we had flashlights with us, we didn’t use them: the moonlight was so strong in the canyon, you could clearly see everything. It was just like I hoped - very pictoresque, not the tiniest cold, nice stars (Orion, very bright), and not too packed - in fact, we were the only ones around.
During an ancient geological era, the place where we hiked was located on the shore of an ancient lake (the infamous “tongue sea”). The water level of this lake changed with the seasons, rising in rainy winters and dropping considerably at dry summers; while dropping, layers of mud petrified on the shores, and generated what the geologists call varve - a special structure of finely interleaved dark and bright layers of stone, very delicate and gentle. On the moonlight, which emphasized the bright layers even more, these special structures became very prominent, creating a unique and very romantic atmosphere.
The walk was very easy and enjoyable: we took the time, walked slowly, talked and looked around. We noted how the canyon - which is pretty narrow and steep at the beginning -gradually widens and shortens as we approach the sea. Eventually it disappeared altogether, and we were once again at the Amiazz plane, near the dead sea. We continued on the well marked road (here the trail is suitable for 4×4 drives, so it is almost like a road), but at the end of the original trail we found out that a fence, unmarked on the map, was built between the road and the walking area, and blocked our way. We found the easiest point to cross it, and got back to the car at the gas station around 22:00. We drove our way to the other car, where we separated.
I should have made a stop on the way, prepare myself coffee or something: I felt tired, but not tired enough. I decided to start driving and see how it rolls (there were some initial talks about a late dinner at Be’er-Sheva, but they never materialized). Eventually I drove all the way back to Hertzeliya at one stroke, which was really foolish. I got home well, but it was not the safest thing I did in my life: during the last part of the drive I felt half sleeping, as indeed I was. Not that it matters - we got home in one piece, and we didn’t have power for a more traditional Purim party anyhow. The following day, which saw a rather late wakeup, hosted only more usual drives - during that day we did not reach much northern then Haifa.
