New Blog!- Unpacked: A Walker Returns Home

Hi Everyone,

Half a year in the backcountry was a total adventure. But not as big an adventure as leaving the backcountry for home!

We are inviting you to share in our journey to come home and come home well. This journey takes form in our new blog- Unpacked: A Walker Returns Home. Give a click here- we'll see you there!

Home

Sunday, October 6th: I am (Yannai) sitting in The Coffee Bean Cafe in Jerusalem. My coffee steams me an initial aroma. With the immediate shot of wake up comes a surprise: deja-vu, whacking me over the head like a two-by-four. I am back updating the blog at The Stellar Brew Cafe in Mammoth Lakes, California, sipping that delicious, poisonous beverage and waiting to return to the trail. A quick shiver of tears and emotion, I'm back to the present and it hits me: Our walk is done.

Back home, back in Israel, back to work. The last weeks have been a daze. We’re walkers and life around us seems only to run.

It is wonderful to be home; we have missed family and friends and it is pure joy to be reunited. But we are sad, too. This is difficult and overwhelming and overstimulating.

First things first- our last week on the trail:

We met Yael in Darrington, WA., spent a day at the computer and hit the trail from Rainy Pass, eyes on Canada. Our first day was very sunny- unusual in Washington. No complaints from us.

We set off on a brief climb to a ridge, and once near the top, began what was to be a constant stream of alpine (above treeline) trail, a dramatic end to our hike. Jaggedy teeth of the North Cascades peered down at us from all directions. We dipped into forest from time to time, but spent most of our final 60 miles in open highland, landscape with vistas everlasting.

We spent Shabbat in a peaceful gully, reading, thinking, collecting our thoughts for the end. Two basic thoughts occupied our minds: Wow. This thing is almost finished. And we’re going to have salad soon- you know, cut vegetables, dressing, the works.

In all of our blog-bonding together, we’ve not covered the subject of Shabbat on the trail. Shabbat in general is a time for listening, for appreciating, for stopping, looking around and realizing, "Hey- things are okay." Trail Shabbatot make such a realization hard to avoid. With no human act to develop the status-quo, it is evident that beauty exists without our footprints.

We leave Shabbat with a renewed sense that our job here is merely to uncover. Perfection exists. The view from Shabbat proves that. During the rest of the week, we need simply to dig It out from hiding.

Back to our week. Sunday was long- a thirteen hour, 25 mile day pulling Canada that much closer. We met Achilles and Jen, a thru and section-hiker, respectively, and paralleled them till the end. 'Twas another taste of how easy it is for us to befriend fellow hikers. How special for Achilles to finish his trek- from Mexico to Canada, over 2700 miles!

Monday was our final day on the PCT. Before midday, we reached our highest point in Washington, inhaled a final panorama and climbed down, en route to our trail's end below treeline. A few miles later, we glimpsed the meter-long clear-cut that marks the US-Canada border.

Under mostly cloudy skies, we reached the country line: a miniature Washington monument and funny little towers marking the northern terminus of the PCT. Chana remembered to knock down the Washington Monument, which bizarrely hides the PCT register, a journal for finishing hikers. Ignoring the symbolic value of tumbling the US-Canadian border, we read comments written by fellow hikers, many of whom passed us along our way. We signed our own names and wishes to the PCT community, put the border back together and continued seven anticlimactic miles to the highway.

Thankfully, we made it to the road and the Manning Park Lodge before dark. And just like that, we were done. We were in a kind of shock at that point and didn't fully comprehend our achievement. That shock lasted a while- the following days of travel to Vancouver, to Seattle, the plane ride to NY, even the extra day in Dublin and return to Israel.

As our responsibilities expand beyond the capacity of a backpack, our daily interactions beyond one another, our biggest challenge is to take our walk home with us. To be honest- it is not easy. Harder than we anticipated.

We look back on pictures, and sometimes find it hard to believe where we were. Ireland, Scotland, the Sierra, Adams, Goat Rocks, Rainier, North Cascades. How do we contain such a journey in day-to-day life?

For the first time, we are beginning to understand the miraclulousness of Tzimtzum- God's constricting of Himself within the constraints of this world; His extraordinary kindness in allowing us to access His Infinite-ness despite our fragility. He took this giant Thing, full of unfathomable Light-i.e., Himself, and packaged It special for us to be able to taste at just the right dosage.

For the two of us, maybe for you, too, it seems intuitive to take pictures of “big,” almost infinite experiences like this trip of ours, to remember them with sentimentality but leave them as “other” to everyday life- to define them as “vacation.” Or time "off.”

But we are told to imitate God. And we do not want to just close our trip between the bindings of a photo album. So how do we do it? How do we blend something so huge into the nooks and crannies of day-to-day? Human beings are the world's greatest juxtaposition of spiritual and physical- perhaps because we're the greatest Tzimtzum of all, it is our job to make sense of the whole thing, and uncover the limitless-ness that the illusion is covering up.

Our guess, at least a major ingredient in cracking the mystery- and in turn, a blessing and a prayer that we offer and beg you to offer us back:

Slowness. Perhaps the greatest gift the two of us can take from walking so much is learning to walk. When we walk, we appreciate. The most mundane of objects is Divinity's hiding place. The same can be said of us: Our mundane activities and possessions and business and daily interactions are hiding places for magic and depth that can only be fully appreciated at a slow but sure pace.

We felt it as we walked. We could meet each other, ourselves and our surroundings in an un-blurred, unhurried fashion. We could make out the details and fine tunings and fall completely in love with them.

Our prayer for us as a couple is to take this walking speed home. No running, just walking. We pray that we not move too fast to dive into a water source. We pray not to rush past a viewpoint, even if it is off-trail. We pray not to run past the chance to listen. We pray not to dash to the store for something new, before finding the depth in what we have already. Through it all, we pray that we take the time to know ourselves, because if we are here, some Greater Power finds us interesting enough to be here.

John Muir, our dear friend from the Sierra once wrote: “Oh, these vast, calm, measureless mountain days inciting at once to work and rest! Days in whose light everything seems equally divine, opening a thousand windows to show us God. Nevermore, however weary, should one faint by the way who gains the blessings of one mountain day; whatever his fate, long life, short life, stormy or calm, he is rich forever.”

Five months of mountain days behind us, we joyfully embark on years of enjoying the generous wealth provided us. And as wealth generates wealth, we dream, and plan, on many more 'a mountain day. Nope, we surely not done just yet.

Windows into Him, windows into ourselves, windows into each other, windows into us. Wealth, indeed.

Gratefully,

Chana and Yannai

It's Raining- and We're Watching it through a Window!

Hey everyone,

We're back indoors! On the east coast, inside a house, surrounded by familiar faces- both deeply joyed and saddened to have completed our long walk.

We crossed the border with Canada just a week ago, hiked another eight miles to the road, spent a night, and made our way to Vancouver, Seattle, and eventually, Riverdale, NY.

Now comes a few more days with the family at Yannai's parents. Then it's back on home to Israel.

But guess what! On route to the Holy Land, we get to spent one last night in Dublin- to savor the end of this treasure of a journey we've been traveling, and enjoy the music, beer, cider and purest of happiness-es that make Ireland the oh-so-dear place it is.

We're gonna take a few weeks to gather our thoughts on the whole trip, the walking, the outside, the simplicity, the experiencing of uninterrupted nature and uninterrupted each other. When we've got it all together, we'll share our last week on the Pacific Crest Trail with you and post our closing thoughts. Feel free to prepare yours, too!

For the time being, we're excited to come home and bring the PCT, Ireland, Scotland and our last six months along with us.

May the coming year reveal to us the sweetest of things- and when they come, may we be awake enough to realize them and savor them eternally.

Chana and Yannai

They're Back....!

There was a Yannai & Chana sighting in Riverdale, NY this past Friday, September 7th. They look great and look forward to write about the final part of their journey when they reached the Canadian border and their goal!

You guys rock!

Your hiking buddy,

"Ibex" Yael

You guys want me to meet you WHERE????

Several months ago when Yannai was still sitting at the desk opposite mine at the Derech Hateva offices at SPNI Jerusalem we talked about how amazing it would be to meet him and his Chana on the trail sometime in August. A good idea. One of those ideas that may actualize but could very easily not. The west coast of the US is very far from Jerusalem.

Fast forward to early-August, high on the success of an amazing summer at Derech Hateva where 5 groups of diverse Israeli and American teens have just finished - healthily and happily a month of backpacking on the Israel trail. I have booked a ticket to the US for a work and family related trip. It may actually work out. Excitedly, I e-mail Yannai & Chana-- I would love to meet them on the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail). No response. They are apparently deep in the wilderness without WIFI. Days pass. More days pass. Uh-oh!

My travel agent is now calling me several times a day to book my travel within the US. I give her tentative dates with the hope that it will buy more time. The airlines have become less forgiving and don’t like to hold seats for people awaiting responses from the wilderness. Decision time. No e-mail. Decided. I am going to meet them – worse comes to worse I’ll be accused of stalking – decisions without consensus – a hazard in group dynamics as Derech Hateva participants are truly aware – but hopefully okay in this case (they did agree five months ago, what could have changed …). I pick a date that works in my schedule, book a VUSA ticket which allows travelers to change dates/times without a fee or penalty and hope for the best.

I arrive in NY, it Thursday, 8/16, I still haven’t heard from them. Eager to confirm my plans, I call Yannai’s mom. She tells me that on Sunday night they (the parents) are flying to Washington to meet them at Steven’s Pass – WOW! They will have a cell phone and can call me – EVEN BETTER – two way, real-time communication. They call. I was however on vacation with my family and rural Pennsylvania with bad dial-up internet and no map of the Pacific Northwest. We discuss dates and places to meet. The date I had chosen didn’t work for them. Okay – we move it to the week before. No problem. Where? Stehekin. Okay. “It’s accessible?” “Yes – it’s a town. You may need to take a boat.” “Okay, I naively say.” I try Google maps. They don’t like dial up. We set a window of time and a place and say adieu until we (hopefully) meet on the trail. I am happy.

Barnes & Noble does have a map of the Pacific Northwest albeit hiding behind a map of Washington, DC. I find Stehekin. No roads. Uh-oh x2. Only accessible by boat, “okay,” down a 55-mile lake, once a day. The town is 10 miles from the trail. Challenging. I’ll fly in a day & a half before I should meet them. Hope for the best.

In Kansas City, minutes from leaving to the airport to fly to Seattle. Yannai tracks me down via my mom. Chana got sick and they hiked out. They are off the trail. Change in plans. I am running for my flight, I agree to meet them at the Darrington Motor Inn in Darrinton, WA. I arrive in Seattle at 11:30pm. Get my bags. Rent a car. They only have a Jeep. Not the compact I ordered, not so sustainable. I argue. That is my only option; I take it and start driving the 2 hour drive north and west. Arrive super late and fall into bed.

It’s Wednesday morning August 29th. I am in Darrinton, WA. Yannai knocks on room #2. Reunion. YAY! They look amazing. A little shaggy, but it’s great to see them. We shop for food at the local IGA.

So we are off to the PCT for a couple of days. Time to pack. I’ll write on the other end.

Love,
Yael

Mile 1150: Onwards to Canada!

Hello!!

'Tis been a long time since posting last- towns are few and far between in these parts, and those few that are far between have very- very- limited computer access time- our mighty apologies...


The last weeks have been quite splendid- often adventurous, mostly beautiful- and always breeding both relaxation and exhilaration.

So for a short summary of up till now:

Yosemite was tremendous- golden and heavenly like the entire High Sierra - although shuttling down to the Park's renowned valley proved more exhausting than anything else, when abundant beauty was overshadowed by abundant crowds, and we learned that for us, Yosemite's grandeur is best experienced in solitude.





Once out of Yosemite, storing our food in bear cannisters was no longer required. Without missing a beat, we sent ours home. We've yet to discuss the whole packweight thing. In short- every bit of ounce counts- we've cut tags out of clothing, ripped unnecessary straps from our backpacks, and cut our shared toothbrush in half. Losing six pounds of bear cans was a gift we couldn't resist granting our knees.

We now had to hang our food- quite an experience, but a skill well-worth re-learning. Some hangings were more successful than others, and a few times we just gave up and slept with our food (a brilliant thing to do, especially the time we saw a bear peering at our camp before bed time. Ahhh, the stupidity of an exhausted mind...) We've been more careful since then, and have yet to lose our food to any form of four-legged bandit. But that might be habituated critters telling us that the wilderness and/or other campers offer much better goodies than the dehydrated delicacies present in our food stores. One morning, we discovered that despite our very accessible food bags, a small animal had chosen to munch on a dug out piece of used tissue, instead.

Continuing north, we descended towards Lake Tahoe where we bid California our bittersweet goodbyes. We tucked that which it had given us deep within our camera, journals and memories, and headed up to the wet, green Cascades of Southern Washington.

From the beginning, we were dropped below treeline. After weeks and weeks of open, shining sun, the forest's initial gift was claustrophobia. Ultimately we adapted to the darkness, thoroughly enjoyed the thick, sweet smell of pine, and were inspired by the nobility of the towering trees.

After a short bout with food poisoning, turned in our favor by a forest-service man who drove us to town, we continued our walk through a pleasant section--wildflower-rich Mt. Adams Wilderness.

Guiding us through the Southern Cascades were the giant volcanoes- Mts. Adams rising in the East, St. Helens to our west, the godly Rainier up north and Hood in the south- each one divinely hovering on our trail's horizon.

Next came the Goat Rocks Wilderness. Everyone who has been through the Goat Rocks Wilderness seems to have a story. Our experience was no different. In almost zero visibility, we baby-stepped across narrow ridges, glaciers and snowfields- a multi-hour march balancing wonder, terror, and the nagging desire to be able to see just a few more feet in front of us.

After Goat Rocks came the infamous "worst miles of the PCT"; 40 miles through logging territory --clearcut after clearcut, each former-forest in its own stage of regrowth. All in all it turned out to be kind of a drag-made-fun by the huckle and blueberry bushes that offered their fruits as consolation for the missing trees.

Four days and 75 miles later, Adinah and Elli Kranzler- Yannai's parents- came to visit us on the trail, bringing hugs, a few days of relaxation and really, really, really good food. We got to sit, rest, feast, and enjoy being taken care of. They picked us up from the cold, fog, rain and hail at Steven's Pass Ski Area, and drove us to the peaceful Lake Chelan.

A word about Steven's Pass and the top half of our trail in Washington: It lies in what is referred to as a "rain shadow," i.e. the leeward and drier side of a mountain range. In addition to the rain shadow, locals told us of the area's perennial hot, dry summers. Well, climatology and local wisdom can be decieving: many days and more clouds behind us and we've come to the wet realization that in a state that boasts a rain forest, terms like "rain shadow," "hot" and "dry" are quite relative. One hiker eloquently explained the ins and outs of Washington weather to Chana: "Lady - it RAINS!".

As we headed north, Glacier Peak Wilderness greeted us with perhaps the most stunning views of all. First we had a few more days of mist and rain. But one miraculous morning, we awoke to a pink and red sunrise that shooed away all grayness and brought about clear skies. With Glacier Peak and endless ridges of craggy, snowy pinnacles as our background, we treaded up and over the most lush alpine meadows we've seen.

Always whistling us a hello from the rocks below and above were burly marmots, passing their day in the most tumbly, bumbly and ungracefully adorable of fashions.

A day, an emergency run down 10 miles of mountain (a medical scare that is, thank God, okay), and lots of logistical adventures later and we've now a few days of treat- hiking the trail with Derech Hateva director, Yael Ukeles!

When Yael leaves, we'll be 'a trekkin' the last fifty miles or so to the Canadian border- and B'ezrat Hashem, bring our walk to a peaceful and safe ending. What a journey it's been! Blessed we certainly have been, and we'll joyfully let you know when all is good and done...

Till then...

Much Love,
Chana and Yannai

Happy Hike Naked Day!

Hi! We're up in Cascade Locks, Oregon. Just a few miles from the border to Washington, the month of August and Cascade mountains await. Just wanted to tell of a special day on the calendar of the one foot wide, 2700 mile long community known as the Pacific Crest Trail...

June 21st marked the summer solstice, known as "hike naked day" on the Pacific Crest Trail. The day was celebrated in the most literal of fashions- by hiking naked. We crossed paths with one thru-hiker who observed Hike Naked Day by climbing up Mount Whitney, the highest peak in the lower 48- a site filled with over a hundred people per day, including some who are innocently unaware of the uniqueness of June 21st.



In honor of Hike Naked Day, we wish to explore the depth and hopefulness that exists within it.


A solstice occurs when night and day last exactly the same amount of time- when sun and moon are granted equal exposure. Many nature-worshiping traditions, including the Celtic/druidic and Wickan ones, numerous Native American ones, and other such cultures made/make great celebrations and dance festivals in honor of the yearly solstices.

According to our tradition, the moon was originally created as one of the two "Me'orot Hagdolot"- the great lights. As a punishment, though, God minimized the moon's size, promising to return her to her original grandeur when this world would reincarnate itself into the next. The moon's equaling the sun as a great light, therefore, is one of the elements of our Acharit Hayamim- the "After days" (Acharit does not mean "end of" as it is often translated. It is more like "afterwords"- as in representing a time after - or beyond- time).

Our redemption includes a return to the state of Adam and Even in the Garden, and continues with our rise- or better said, adjoining of the Oneness, from there. As we all know, Adam and Eve were naked before they sinned. They had yet to be pulled down by physicality, could rather transcend it- and therefore did not need clothing. Their embarrassement at being naked was a reflection of a lowered state.

So back to a solstice. What is the celebration of solstice? When moon gains equal footing as the sun. What are we talking about? Redemption! And why then, would thru-hikers walk naked? Because they are celebrating a return to Eden! They mark the special day by displaying that they are beyond embarrassment at their own physicality. (One might argue, that even when thru-hikers are naked, their bodies are so dirty that they are not, technically, naked, but that's a whole 'nother subject...)

So...


For those that are curious...

We did not hike up Mount Whitney on June 21st.


Nor did we hike naked on Hike Naked Day.


Those with extra relgious fervor might want to ask- why did we not hike naked on Hike Naked Day? After all, its seriousness is the most possible of seriousnesses, its holiness of the holiest degree.

Our answer to such questions is this: As Jews, we are committed to both cyclical and linear understandings of time. While we recognize a constant Divinity within the forces of Nature, identifying God's perfection as being woven within the current state of the world- we also believe in an ultimate redemption, a linear process from imperfect to perfect, incompleteness to completeness, a return from exile to the Land of Israel.

While we have seen clear signs of redemption in the context of our return to our land, we're not there yet (For further research on us "not being there yet," read the news...). So just like the Ma'apilim who were not allowed to rise to Israel after the sin of the spies, just like we are forbidden to enter certain parts of the Temple Mount- we are forbidden from hiking naked on Hike Naked Day.

But how cool is the world! Even if we can't hike naked, we can appreciate others' recognition of something obviously holy- and Hike Naked Day is definetly that. People are so exciting! The universe is so exciting!

So we end with a prayer: We bless you and us, that we may reach the state of meriting to transcend our physicality. No doubt that when we rebuild and return to the Garden, with the help of Hashem, it will be designated wilderness by the Geulah's national park service. And it will no doubt have a special long walking trail through it, in which we can explore God's revealed perfection. On this trail, there will be trail angels, just like there are on the long trails on the current earth. Only these trail angels- they'll be real angels- congratulating humankind on thru-hiking history; overcoming the painful challenges, the tears, the failures, the constant blisters and aches and falls and the dreams to just be done with it all- achieving a full unity with the Master and Breath of the world, and coming out standing tall and proud. And when that happens, please, please let it be soon, may we all be blessed to unabashedly Hike Naked through the backcountry of Eden.