New trail seeks to let hikers meet the 'real Golan'
By Eli AshkenaziOver the years, Golan tourism officials looked on with frustration as hikers began the Israel Trail in the Galilee Panhandle, not the Golan Heights, because of the decision that the trail would not pass beyond the Green Line.
The head of the Golan Tourism Association, Israel Eshed, believes hikers would love to include the Golan in their treks. He thought up the Golan Trail as part of his plan to turn the Golan into "Israel's park."
The 140-kilometer-long trail opened officially on Thursday, five months after it was marked. The trail, extending from Mount Hermon in the north to Ein Tawfiq in the south, has 20 segments of varying levels of difficulty, from easy to moderate. "Excellent hikers can do two segments a day," Eshed said.
The steering committee for the trail decided to mark it on the eastern side of the Golan, which is less familiar to Israeli hikers.
"There were various compromises," Eshed explained, "like the fact that the Golan has many military areas and minefields, nature reserves we wanted to avoid so walkers wouldn't have to pay, and other issues."
Debates on the location of the trail were sometimes acrimonious. Officials in the Golan city of Katzrin were angry it was not included. "It would have been impossible for the trail to go through Katzrin," said Eshed, who is now retiring after 10 years at his post. "That would have required a 30-kilometer walk on a paved road."
However, said Daphna Feldman, coordinator of the trail-marking project for the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, "it was the very constraints due to which we had to mark the trail on the eastern side that will allow people to get to know the real Golan, with its streams, ruins and interesting tells."
The Golan Trail is marked in blue, white and green, symbolizing the Kinneret, the snow of Mount Hermon and the green Golan. Only 30 kilometers of the trail had been previously marked, Feldman said. While checking maps of the area, "we found interesting routes and lovely corners that I would be happy for everyone to know about," she said.
Eshed is sure the trail will become very popular. As proof, he mentions two hikers in their 70s he met at the trail head last week: "They had just finished walking the Israel Trail, and were now starting the Golan Trail."
Feldman adds that the trail will become "one big picnic site ... intended for people who love and protect nature."
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just walked 3 days of the Golan Trail and it's beautiful. (know most of the rest from previous trips). I put down all the info, photos and logs here www.yowyowyow.com for other travellers to use. Have the greatest of trips
Syria lost the right to that land when it attacked us continuously without provocation in order to drive us to the sea. Us taking the Golan Heights is good punishment to the Syrians that will remind them that they can't just attack us whenever they want and expect to get away with it. You guys are funny when you say we are in denial, you guys are in denial if you think we will give it back to you. lol. And you talk about us occupying, Syrians were occupying Lebanon for the longest time and still try secretly to control it. You guys have major issues to deal with.
Be that as it may, the fact remains that the Golan Heights is legally part of Syria, not Israel. You suggest that Syria may cede the Golan to Israel as it ceded Hatay to Turkey. Maybe, but I wouldn't count on it.
It is now Turkey's Hatay province, and Syria finally gave it the full blessing. You think Israel will settle for anything less, after Syria attacked Israel in 1948, 1967, and 1973? Israel didn't occupy the Golan until the 5th day of the 6 day war; they had plenty of time to consider the consequences of coming to Nasser's aid by attacking Israel. Golan was never "Syria's Park". It was Syria's base for attacking and bombing the Galilee for almost 20 years. Peace was only brought to the Golan by Israel's "occupation".
Golan was stolen, as was Najd (a.k.a. Sderot), as was so much.... Create as many trails as you want, we wont forget
So if Ramzie is Lebanese, that will not give him opportunity to tell you the truth? You rush to tell him that he is mistaken because bla bla bla?? You Dov woudln't have possibility to trek in our territory, that I can promise you, neither peicefully, nor with your military might hehe.. and if you are enjoying golan for 40 years, and may be you will enjoy it for another 40, that is not yours, and never will be and one day that will end. so don't live in arrogance, that doesn't help to forget the problems you are surrounded by.
Ramzi: I second the motion put forth by Dov. When will you give up the ghost of murder? Your children are being condemned to the same mindless fate of your generation. Lebanon has a unique opportunity now to throw off the yoke of Syria and Iran with the help of the Americans. But I'm not optimistic hearing from you and your ilk. There is never enough murder and sadness to satisfy you. You should try living the "simple life" even with the problems around you my friend. Instead of worrying if Israelies are enjoying the Golan or not why don't you go for a walk and look around at the beauty of creation? We are all God's children. Enough is enough! You might find peace very rewarding.
It sounds like a very nice hiking trail, but I don't understand this idea about calling the Golan Heights "Israel's park". The Golan Heights are part of Syria, not Israel.
Ramzi, we have been enjoying our nature trails in the Golan for more than 40 years now. I look forward to the day that you can join us and peacfully trek the beautiful trails of the Golan just as I would love to trek on the Lebanese and Syrian side of the of that same mountain range as well the Shuf mountains - without being in danger of being kidnapped (or worse) by Hezbollah thugs. Its unfortunate you bought into the hate rhetoric of the Syrian drug lords, Iranian Mullahs and Militant Palestinians with an eternal chip on their shoulders, all who have both robbed Lebanon from ever reaching it's full potential. Speaking of Paris, Beirut as you know used to be called the 'Paris of the Middle East'. But that was back when Christians, Moslems and Jews lived together peacefully in Lebanon.
its amazing the level of denial in the israeli society, in a lot of issues...trying to live a 'simple life' ignoring the huge ammount of problems around ..but as Paris you might finish crying of despair...enjoy ur trekking neighbours..
articles like this should always show a detailed map of the proposed / final trail - however it is an interesting story