Hi. My name is Larry Haverstock and I preach for the Church of Christ in Kirkland, Washington, U.S.A.
In April and May of 2010 and again during those same months in 2011 I spent a total of 34 days exploring Israel. During the 2011 tour I first spent 10 days with 38 other Christians in a bus on a guided tour, then another six days with Ferrell Jenkins (college professor and archeologist extraordinaire) in a rented car, and finally on foot and by myself for six days with the help of The Jesus Trail operators. I've already published a blog of this entire trip which you can find here:
However, I thought I'd produce this second blog devoted only to the "Jesus Trail" for those of you who might be contemplating one of their tours.
First, let me say that this will be a very positive review. I had personal contacts with three of the Trail's creator/operators and they never failed me in any way. Courteous, knowledgeable, responsive, and trustworthy, they were a pleasure to work with at all times. I never had any serious trouble in any of my six days on the route and those moments where things didn't go quite according to plan were either my fault or entirely serendipitous, not the organizer's responsibility.
My purpose here is only to shed light on the experience so that others might enjoy the journey as much as I did, perhaps avoid some of my mistakes, and/or be better prepared over all.
PREPARATION
The Jesus Trail website (http://jesustrail.com/) is excellent. I wouldn't know how to improve it. I bought their outstanding guidebook "Hiking The Jesus Trail" for $25 and it was the excellence of this publication which gave me the confidence to write my check and book a tour. In fact, it is one of the better guidebooks on Galilee, bar none. Get a copy. It will tell you all you need to know and it will be a most useful resource even if you NEVER visit Israel.
Now, I am NOT a hiker, nor was I in particularly great shape. At 59 years of age, 5'7" tall, and 155 pounds, I was not participating in any kind of athletic or excercise program prior to my trip. However, I began working out about four months prior to the hike and wouldn't have finished the journey without the help of taxis or buses if I hadn't.
Don't kid yourself. I spent five days on the classic trail from Nazareth to a point just a little ways past Capernaum where the Jordan River crosses the main coastal highway as it enters the Sea of Galilee. Had I not been serious about a training regime prior to this hike I am absolutely certain that I would have failed to finish it.
HIKING
In December of 2010 I bought a good pair of hiking shoes/sandals made by Keen, a cheap $50 backpack, and a similarly priced "over the shoulder" bag whose straps I cut off and then attached to the first bag's straps on my chest with snap links (carabiners). In this get-up I started walking - A LOT.
Now where I live I had to do this hiking much of the time in the rain which explains the hat and coat in the following training pictures.
This is what I actually looked like as I walked out the door for the airport:
I made sure that I never walked less than three times a week and after a month or two of working at it I got to the point where I could hike six miles in three hours without taking a break while wearing a pack I'd loaded with 25 pounds. Once or twice a week throughout the last two months before the trip I would do four or five hour walks (with a one or two hour break in the middle) and thus I started hitting the 9 and 10 mile mark. Only twice did I log more than 10 miles in a day and one 12 mile day was the longest I ever did.
Friend, this workout schedule was only barely enough for me. Any less and I would not have been able to complete one (and possibly two) of the five day's requirements.
If you are approaching codgerdom as I am, DON'T kid yourself. The Jesus Trail is sometimes strenuous. I didn't lift weights, swim, or do ANYTHING other than walk. But walk you must, or trouble you'll have.
GEAR
I bought a 3 litre "Camel Back" liquids pouch to go in the back pack so I had plenty of water/juice to drink. I always carried a backup pair of shoes, food, three cameras, a "monopod" for the cameras, swim trunks, the Jesus Trail Guidebook, telephone, prescriptions and headache medicine, and other stuff so that I probably carried about 15 pounds in the packs at all times while in Israel. I trained with 25 but only actually wore 15.
Of all this gear the water is the most important, but in a very close second place was my hat. I'd seen a lot of hats on my first tour in 2010 and I saw a lot of hats in the first three weeks of this second tour, and while the hat I wore was larger than most and had a stiff brim to boot, I was EXTREMELY glad that I picked the one I did. It only cost me $15 in a sporting goods store, but as you'll hear in the blog entries for specific days, it was a lifesaver too. Of course, I'm from western WASHINGTON so admittedly I seldom see anything over 80 degrees and if you're from Arizona or some similarly hot and arid location then wear what you like, but as for me, this hat was PERFECT and really necessary.
OK, that's enough for now. Future entries will deal with the specifics of each particular day's events. The upshot of all this is pretty simple: do what the Jesus Trail materials tell you to do. Prepare yourself physically with LOADS of walking. Protect yourself with sunscreen, hat, and lots of water. Do these things and you'll have the time of your life on the Jesus Trail.
In April and May of 2010 and again during those same months in 2011 I spent a total of 34 days exploring Israel. During the 2011 tour I first spent 10 days with 38 other Christians in a bus on a guided tour, then another six days with Ferrell Jenkins (college professor and archeologist extraordinaire) in a rented car, and finally on foot and by myself for six days with the help of The Jesus Trail operators. I've already published a blog of this entire trip which you can find here:
However, I thought I'd produce this second blog devoted only to the "Jesus Trail" for those of you who might be contemplating one of their tours.
First, let me say that this will be a very positive review. I had personal contacts with three of the Trail's creator/operators and they never failed me in any way. Courteous, knowledgeable, responsive, and trustworthy, they were a pleasure to work with at all times. I never had any serious trouble in any of my six days on the route and those moments where things didn't go quite according to plan were either my fault or entirely serendipitous, not the organizer's responsibility.
My purpose here is only to shed light on the experience so that others might enjoy the journey as much as I did, perhaps avoid some of my mistakes, and/or be better prepared over all.
PREPARATION
The Jesus Trail website (http://jesustrail.com/) is excellent. I wouldn't know how to improve it. I bought their outstanding guidebook "Hiking The Jesus Trail" for $25 and it was the excellence of this publication which gave me the confidence to write my check and book a tour. In fact, it is one of the better guidebooks on Galilee, bar none. Get a copy. It will tell you all you need to know and it will be a most useful resource even if you NEVER visit Israel.
Now, I am NOT a hiker, nor was I in particularly great shape. At 59 years of age, 5'7" tall, and 155 pounds, I was not participating in any kind of athletic or excercise program prior to my trip. However, I began working out about four months prior to the hike and wouldn't have finished the journey without the help of taxis or buses if I hadn't.
Don't kid yourself. I spent five days on the classic trail from Nazareth to a point just a little ways past Capernaum where the Jordan River crosses the main coastal highway as it enters the Sea of Galilee. Had I not been serious about a training regime prior to this hike I am absolutely certain that I would have failed to finish it.
HIKING
In December of 2010 I bought a good pair of hiking shoes/sandals made by Keen, a cheap $50 backpack, and a similarly priced "over the shoulder" bag whose straps I cut off and then attached to the first bag's straps on my chest with snap links (carabiners). In this get-up I started walking - A LOT.
Now where I live I had to do this hiking much of the time in the rain which explains the hat and coat in the following training pictures.
This is what I actually looked like as I walked out the door for the airport:
I made sure that I never walked less than three times a week and after a month or two of working at it I got to the point where I could hike six miles in three hours without taking a break while wearing a pack I'd loaded with 25 pounds. Once or twice a week throughout the last two months before the trip I would do four or five hour walks (with a one or two hour break in the middle) and thus I started hitting the 9 and 10 mile mark. Only twice did I log more than 10 miles in a day and one 12 mile day was the longest I ever did.
Friend, this workout schedule was only barely enough for me. Any less and I would not have been able to complete one (and possibly two) of the five day's requirements.
If you are approaching codgerdom as I am, DON'T kid yourself. The Jesus Trail is sometimes strenuous. I didn't lift weights, swim, or do ANYTHING other than walk. But walk you must, or trouble you'll have.
GEAR
I bought a 3 litre "Camel Back" liquids pouch to go in the back pack so I had plenty of water/juice to drink. I always carried a backup pair of shoes, food, three cameras, a "monopod" for the cameras, swim trunks, the Jesus Trail Guidebook, telephone, prescriptions and headache medicine, and other stuff so that I probably carried about 15 pounds in the packs at all times while in Israel. I trained with 25 but only actually wore 15.
Of all this gear the water is the most important, but in a very close second place was my hat. I'd seen a lot of hats on my first tour in 2010 and I saw a lot of hats in the first three weeks of this second tour, and while the hat I wore was larger than most and had a stiff brim to boot, I was EXTREMELY glad that I picked the one I did. It only cost me $15 in a sporting goods store, but as you'll hear in the blog entries for specific days, it was a lifesaver too. Of course, I'm from western WASHINGTON so admittedly I seldom see anything over 80 degrees and if you're from Arizona or some similarly hot and arid location then wear what you like, but as for me, this hat was PERFECT and really necessary.
OK, that's enough for now. Future entries will deal with the specifics of each particular day's events. The upshot of all this is pretty simple: do what the Jesus Trail materials tell you to do. Prepare yourself physically with LOADS of walking. Protect yourself with sunscreen, hat, and lots of water. Do these things and you'll have the time of your life on the Jesus Trail.
Thanks so much for the advice. I am considering hiking the Jesus Trail and being 61 I need realistic advice.... Starting preps first thing in the morning!
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