Route type: A =>B
Difficulty level: Easy
Waze to start point: 32.59996, 35.16262
Waze to end point: 32.631695, 35.128925
Notes:
- Start early to beat the heat!
Setting off on Section 4 of the Meggido Trail felt like reconnecting with an old friend after the adventure of the previous sections which you can read about here and here.
This section of the trail circumvents the community of Mishmar HaEmek. We parked the car by the coffee stand near the entrance gate of Kibbutz Midrach Oz and set out on a paved bike path alongside Nahal Midrach.
The sun was just beginning to rise over the kibbutz as I looked back. The air was still nippy.
Everything was starting to turn green. The terrain consisted of rolling, stony hills with the occasional oak tree.
At approximately 4.2 kms, you will reach a lookout point and memorial to Israel’s fallen which also provides an impressive view of the surrounding area. We stopped here to eat our breakfast.
Encounters with animal life always make me happy.
At 7.9 kms, you will have ascended Har HaShulchan (Table Mountain). Why’s it called Table Mountain? Because there’s a stone slab table on top!
After Table Mountain, the wide trail led us through areas forested more with pine than oak.
The last few kms of this section were an easy walk along Nahal Zehura and Nahal Gachar, both dry at the beginning of December. The damp, woodsy smell brought back memories of visiting my grandparents in WA state on their 10 acre forested property.
THIS was a rare find! A baby chameleon spotted in the middle of the trail near the end of the hike. We scooped him up and put him at the side of the trail. We saved him from very likely being squished by the clump of bikers who came racing up behind us just then. I hope chameleon was appropriately grateful!
