Yam el Yam

Challenging, exhausting, rewarding, emotional, crazy, and dirty. Very, very, very dirty. All of these adjectives sum up the jam packed past 4 days that I have had. Yam le yam was definitely something that I’ll forever have on my resume of life.

We started the hikes each morning by waking up anywhere from 5-6:30 am. Groggily, I’d put together my backpack for the day, eat a quick breakfast, and embark on kilometers upon kilometers of some of the most gorgeous scenery I’ve ever seen in my life. Hiking up and down mountains was so challenging, but getting to look around and take in the gorgeous nature around me made everything I was doing so worth it. This trip was the epitome of the saying “it’s about the journey, not the destination”. Some days we met natural water springs, where I dunked myself in some of the coldest water I’ve ever encountered. Other days, we saw the view from gorgeous mountaintops or rivers. I can truly say that this trip pushed me to my limits. Feeling so dirty and sweaty 24/7 was hard on me, as well as figuring out the best way to nature pee. These new experiences showed me that I could do things I never thought I could.

My favorite part of yam le yam was the last day, just a few hours before reaching the kineret. Our surroundings looked very similar to the grand canyon, and everything looked chiseled to perfection. Hiking through such beautiful surroundings made me upset to think about ending this amazing experience, but I was very relieved to reach a shower. Overall, this trip has been the highlight of HSI for me so far. - Arianna