Hiking Through the Land of Israel

A group of 30 hikers traversed the Sartaba range a week ago.

The route taken (orange line) from east to west (r to l) in a new view: -

and the topographical map:-

From the Sartaba peak they went west and met up with a group from Itamar, on a two-day hike, coming from the other direction after visiting Aromah. From the Gichon, they went on the black-marked path north to Wadi Koorazliyah to the spring and finished, going east, at Masuah in the Lower Jordan Valley.

a real cool interprative view:

Some pics:

More here and here

Walking through Eretz-Yisrael is a mitzvah:

said R. Jeremiah b. Abba in the name of Rabbi Yochanan, "And spirit to those who walk in it" [Isaiah 42:5] - "Whoever walks four cubits in Eretz Yisrael is guaranteed entrance to the World to Come." (Babylonian Talmud, Ketubot 111a)

which has been considered so -

Because of the intrinsic Holiness of the Land of Israel, a person gains spiritual merit by merely walking here.