Nahal Daroch נחל דרוך
January 2018
Photos and Video by Jordan Polevoy
Getting there / Trail details - The hike starts from a dirt road half a km east of the yeshuv of Merhav Am on road 204. This is about 5 km east of Sde Boker.
The first 3 km follows a black trail along a 4x4 track. Continue on the black tail beyond the point that you cross a red trail bike route that cuts to the right. At this point the trail is for hikers only and begins to climb by about 100m over a 1 km stretch. When you get to the top you are at the high point for the day and begin your descent into Nahal Darokh. The next 4 km are spent moving downhill winding through the river bed at a gentle pace. You then take a more dramatic descent using iron handles embedded into the wall to cover the steep part of the descent.
After the ladders there's another 2 km of fun scrambling over boulders to get to the bottom. The black trail continues for two more km along the desert floor until it meets up meet up with the red-marked Israel Trail on the flats of the desert floor in Nahal Tsin. By this point you will have covered 14 km. Here you continue west along the black trail for about 1.5 km and then take the blue trail to the left. It meets up with the green 4x4 track that comes from Sde Boker. Look for the electrical lines that run along the valley floor from Sde Boker as another confirmation that you're in the right place. We ended the hike at our parked cars at the base of the Zin Ascent. Total distance was 17km.
The first 3 km follows a black trail along a 4x4 track. Continue on the black tail beyond the point that you cross a red trail bike route that cuts to the right. At this point the trail is for hikers only and begins to climb by about 100m over a 1 km stretch. When you get to the top you are at the high point for the day and begin your descent into Nahal Darokh. The next 4 km are spent moving downhill winding through the river bed at a gentle pace. You then take a more dramatic descent using iron handles embedded into the wall to cover the steep part of the descent.
After the ladders there's another 2 km of fun scrambling over boulders to get to the bottom. The black trail continues for two more km along the desert floor until it meets up meet up with the red-marked Israel Trail on the flats of the desert floor in Nahal Tsin. By this point you will have covered 14 km. Here you continue west along the black trail for about 1.5 km and then take the blue trail to the left. It meets up with the green 4x4 track that comes from Sde Boker. Look for the electrical lines that run along the valley floor from Sde Boker as another confirmation that you're in the right place. We ended the hike at our parked cars at the base of the Zin Ascent. Total distance was 17km.
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If you feel like expanding your mind, body and soul, head to the desert, camp under the stars and hike its canyons.
We often do not realize how multi-layered life can be until we strip it all away, revealing pure simplicity. This week, our hiking group met at the foot of the Zin Valley just below Midreshet Ben Gurion. We were 7 people camping out and since this campsite has easy |
road access, we were able to bring along a few pampering extras like music speakers, warm sleeping bags, a bottle of wine, some Jack Daniels and meat to BBQ.
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We set up our tents and just before the sunset, there was time for a 4x4 ride across the valley or, in my case, a meditation.
As the stars started to peek out, we began our fire. We had spare wood stacked up high and felt comforted by this promise of heat on a winter’s night in the desert. We bundled up in layers, staring at the fire. We ate looking into the fire then listened to music, still mesmerized by the blaze. We concluded that this obsessive attraction to the flames must be some |
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kind of primitive response to our caveman origins. And, eventually, our woodpile dwindled. We sadly fed the hungry flames, knowing its cold end would soon be near. And so it was. We skulked to our tents hoping to find warmth comfort in our sleeping bags. Jackals howled and then all was silent.
At dawn, we were up preparing breakfast and getting ready for the day’s hike when two friends from Ra’anana joined us.
We had picked out a hiking trail just northeast of Merhav Am. Placing the cars, however, took some time. We all drove to the top of the nahal along a bumpy, driveable road and placed two cars at the bottom of a steep road near the canyon floor. This would be the end point of the hike, a place where we predicted that we would be so tired, we’d be thankful not to have to trek back up the mountain. We then took these drivers to the start at the top. It was already 10am and we had a long day before us. As it was mid January, we did not need to worry about hiking in heat but had concerns about an early sunset.
We had picked out a hiking trail just northeast of Merhav Am. Placing the cars, however, took some time. We all drove to the top of the nahal along a bumpy, driveable road and placed two cars at the bottom of a steep road near the canyon floor. This would be the end point of the hike, a place where we predicted that we would be so tired, we’d be thankful not to have to trek back up the mountain. We then took these drivers to the start at the top. It was already 10am and we had a long day before us. As it was mid January, we did not need to worry about hiking in heat but had concerns about an early sunset.
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We started at a good pace following a black blaze along a 4x4 road, crossing fairly level terrain. We apparently walked right by Borot Hatzatz, 2,000-year-old dwellings dug by the Nabateans. Think we will have to go back and explore! We then ascended to where there were incredible views of Nahal Zin below. As we entered a gulley, we passed clusters of yellow narcissi in full bloom. Spring!
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It was mostly descending from here on, although some of it was a bit technical. Hugging the narrow path aside the canyon wall with a sheer drop below and clambering down using footholds was enough to get one’s heart pounding. Yet there was a gentle aspect as well as we passed groups of ibex grazing and saw eagles soaring above.
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As we descended, we had to scramble over boulders and past water holes that had been smoothed and sculpted over millennia by rain.
We eventually met up with the Zin Valley floor where we continued following the black blaze until we met up with a 4x4 road. We could see Sde Boker atop in the distance and then…a glimpse of our cars! It was 3:30. We had walked 17km in 51/2 hours. |
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It is always a pleasure to simply place one foot in front of the other, have our thoughts wander and then become hushed. We were tired, yet exhilarated.
Wide-open desert skies, serene silence and majestic beauty seem to fill us with a sense of expansiveness; these are the gifts of desert hiking. |
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