The weather turned one week ago, December 5. Naturally the change came on the day we went on a charity hike at the Dead Sea. We got picked up at 630AM, in pouring rain that lasted until well past the half-way point between Jerusalem and Ein Gedi. In fact there was some question about the feasibility of the walk due to the danger of flash floods. It turned out to be a beautiful day - mostly sunny, breezy and about 70 degrees, perfect hiking weather.
There were 2 tracks - medium and challenging. We opted for medium, which is very much a relative term. It made me curious to see what they call challenging. The trail was located in the hills overlooking the Dead Sea at Ein Bokek, where the hotels are. We walked up a modest incline to a table mountain with a gorgeous view. SFSG. Then we had to get down. The path was narrow and very steep, and was made of loose gravel which is quite slippery, particularly at a 40 degree angle. That wouldn't have been so bad if we had good hiking shoes, but since we hadn't planned to do any mountain climbing while here we didn't. I was in a pair of Keen sandals; Sid had walking boots but not the kind that were made for the terrain we were in. Someone gave me a walking stick which turned out to be a lifesaver. We made our way down the first descent very slowly, then walked on more or less flat terrain, then climbed a fairly steep incline (up is definitely easier than down), and finally stopped for lunch. The final descent is what separated the men from the boys, so to speak. We took one look and said "not for us". Fortunately the people who planned the hike anticipated this and sent a jeep for anyone who didn't want to complete the final, death-defying descent. We were the only ones who wimped out, which was really embarrassing since in our group we had an 80 year old, a 75 year old, and pretty much everyone else was 60's and 70's. The 80 year old had her 2 grandsons with her.
The hike for was an organization called Melabev, and don't worry I'm going to ask everyone for a donation.
Melabev (www.melabev.org and www.walk4alz.com) provides support for Alzheimer's patients and their caregivers and families. As all too many of us know, Alzheimer's is a growing phenomenon that takes a devastating toll. The reason we got involved is because I opened the Jerusalem Post one day and saw an advertisement for the walk, which was dedicated this year in memory of Rachel Wasserman, who was a friend of Sid's. She suffered for many years with the disease, and passed away a few months ago. Since we had a personal connection we had to support the organization. Yes we were stiff and achy for a couple of days, but it was well worth it. The people we were with were very dedicated to the cause and very appreciative of the fact that we joined the walk.
In the week since, the temperatures dropped a lot (enough that I packed up my summer clothes and pulled the winter clothes out of my suitcase). It didn't rain much until yesterday, when it came down in buckets. We went to the Israel Museum yesterday to see the fabulous Herod exhibit, so we were indoors. But getting to and from the Museum by public transportation we were drenched.
For the past several days all everyone talked about is the forecast. It started to snow in the northernmost part of the country, which isn't unusual. Snow in Jerusalem is still something of an event. And snow it did. We woke up this morning to a heavy, wet snowfall, which stuck to trees and there was some accumulation. All schools were closed and classes cancelled, followed by some major highway closings. We, like everyone else in the city, had to immediately go to the grocery store. What a madhouse. When I lived here in the early 70's people would buy all the bread and milk they could carry. Now they buy everything. The siege mentality takes over, even tho in this climate everyone knows the snow can't last more than a couple of days. But it's a party atmosphere, and we will get more snow and colder temps over the next 48 hours. Everything has come to a halt because everyone is staying home.
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