Day 1: From Eilat (SPNI field school) to Har Yo'ash - Sunday 12th February, 2017

I flew to Eilat on Saturday night (it turns out there are very cheap flights to Eilat on Saturday), bought a few last minute things at the Rikoshet store at the Big mall (gas, a watch, a water bottle), and had a fitful sleep at the Club hotel. I woke up early (5:45), managed to squeeze everything into my bag, had a quick breakfast (tortillas and hard boiled eggs brought from home), and got a taxi to the SPNI field school to start the walk at around 6:45.

I basically did this segment:
http://www.shvilist.com/k44.html

finishing the day at the campsite next to Har Yo'ash. While the first day is around 14km of hiking, you go up around 1000 m throughout the day! I finished fairly early (around 1430), but was quite exhausted and happy for some rest. Overall, I really enjoyed the first day - the landscapes and views of Israel, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia were breathtakingly beautiful, and I was surprised by the amount of flowers seen (not typical for the desert).

Below are some photos from the first day.

My pack at the field school

the first trial marker

view over Eilat

There were lots of flowers along the way

and birds!

These trees were seen throughout the walk

unfortunately some dust got in the camera - hence the black marks in the images . . :(

Egyptian army base across the border

My tent - "no-squito". I did not open it before setting off. It was mostly see-through, so did not do much against the cold / wind. I am guessing it would have been good to stop mosquitos / flies, but there were none.

Sunset from the campsite

Eilat at night