Looking south, I was surprised to see the silhouette of Masada, that mesa-top fortress where in the year 73 AD a small band of Jews held out for almost a year against the siege of a Roman legion. History reigns supreme in this ancient land. From the canyon rim, this famous landscape was laid out before me, with not another human in sight. I found it to be not just beautiful, but rich food for thought, and proof that adventure is often discovered in unlikely places.It was just a few weeks ago, in the middle of November, when it already was cold and rainy back in the Pacific Northwest, that I ventured to the Mediterranean for this voyage of discovery through Israel, in the heart of the Middle East. For such a small country I found a frankly unreal variety of terrain and sea shore here, along with a robust and vibrant culture. But as an avid canyon hiker, it was Israels expansive deserts in the south thatdrew me here.The Negev Desert is only a few hours drive south from the bustling city of Tel Aviv but holds some of the countrys most spectacular scenery. Hiking through the limestone mountains of Ein Avdat National Park revealed a network of striking canyons, some harboring dark, deep pools of water surrounded by hanging gardens of greenery and ocasional sightings of the rare ibex. A three hour day hike here can take you from limestone rim, to canyon pool, to canyon mouth, then back to the rim again. But by far the most impressive location in the Negev is Ramon Crater, the so-called Grand Canyon of Israel. Crater is a bit of a misnomer here, as this huge valley is not an impact created geological feature, but a water carved one. Hence the comparison to the Grand Canyon is accurate, and its impressive size and complex landscape makes it one of the most interesting places to camp in all of Israel. The crater and its unique geological formations can keep a hiker busy for days, while the Halukim Hills, just to the north, has some of the premier mountain biking terrain in all of Israel.
