Mount Arbel

 One of the challenges of planning the monthly hikes is figuring out where we should end. It would be great if we could just start walking and end at a certain time or when we feel like we've had enough but because we park one car at the end point, we need to decide that before we leave. Sometimes we cover as little as two kilometers in an hour and others as much as five so it's very hard to estimate. We seem to average about 3 km per hour which seems very slow but, including our very short stops and time we spend doubling back because we missed a turn or whatever, that seems to be our average. Given the short Friday and the still relatively long drives, we decided that about 15 km was the right amount for this hike. In the end we found a place to park 16 kilometers after our starting point and figured that was perfect. 

We met at our ending in the middle of the Schweitz (Swiss) Forest which had some sentimental value to Ahuva since some of her family comes from Switzerland. We got there around 5:15 and then drove together to our starting point in Migdal. We davened and were on our way by 6:10. That was about twenty minutes before sunrise but by that hour it's light enough that you can start hiking. This was especially true this time because the beginning was walking through the city of Migdal where it was very well lit. 

After a kilometer or two, we got to the base of Mount Arbel. We don't do any advance scouting and really never know what we're going to hit on the hikes so it's always a surprise to us. First there were steep steps going up. It was tiring but not difficult and we were doing great. That only got us halfway up the mountain though. Then it was more difficult climbing. There were some bars to grab but a lot of the time it was just holding onto rocks. For people with a fear of heights this proved to be scary but we all did great and got to the top of the mountain. I don't clock every section so I don't know our exact speed but I'd guess we went no more than 2 km per hour up the mountain (including stopping to wait for stragglers or to rest). 

By that point, I was starting to get a little nervous about time. We had a 30 minute drive back to our cars and then a 2+ hour drive home. Candle lighting was 4:16. We were each having company and had stuff to do to prepare for Shabbat. Luckily, there was no steep decline to get down Arbel and we made excellent timing. We walked on the edge of Kfar Hittim and Mitzpe before walking for a while in the city of Teverya Ilit. Then we got to the Swiss Forest and walked the last 3 km or so on walking/biking roads in there. 

Besides the climb up the mountain, the walk was very easy overall and we made great timing. We covered 16 kilometers in about 5 hours. We were home before 2. I really enjoyed this hike and if I were to rank the hikes we've done so far this would probably be number 1. The views of the Kineret were really nice and the temperature was perfect.