Monday, June 9, 2014

NACHAL DAN RESERVE - שמורת טבע נחל דן



There are three streams whose waters create the river Jordan. Its sources are Nachal Chazbani (Snir) (חצבני שניר) which arrives from South Lebanon, the Banias (נחל חרמון), its spring originating deep under the Hermon mountain, and Nachal Dan (נחל דן), whose waters are made up of melted snow and rain from the Hermon, seeping into a karstic system and dividing into hundreds of small springs at the foot of the mountain, flowing down, combining with the other two sources and forming the Jordan, which is by all means not an almighty or spectacular river, but most of the year a quite narrow and often shallow stream. The Nachal Dan is the largest and most important source of the Jordan.

Last week at the Shavuot Feast (Pentecost) (חג השבועות) we undertook a family outing to the Dan Reserve, a small Park enclosing some of the springs and tributaries of the Dan River, and walked the trails along the fast rushing brooks. The day was very hot, temperatures reached almost 40 degrees.



But we certainly did not suffer, because the paths lead along beneath tall beautiful trees rising to the sky, which form canopies above and filter the scorching sun. We comfortably hiked on shady and cool grounds. 



The bubbling sound of the foaming water and the smell of the magnificent fig trees edging the creeks accompanied us at every step. At one point there is a wading pool, where we could enter wading the fresh water, or sit at the margin and hang our feet in to chill them. The water has a stable temperature of about 14 degrees all year round, really cool and a pleasure on such a hot day. 


Along the way we passed an old flour mill which was built about 150 years ago and operated on water power with two pairs of millstones. The flora and fauna in the region is very rich. The fig trees at this time of the year are most impressive, sending their erotic scent in the air. 


We saw some fresh water crabs, but missed the most famous resident of the area, the amphibious black fire salamander with its orange spots. I loved the many blotches of light green march fern with its small leaves, which is native along the Dan river.


There is a Tel, a small hill, of an ancient, 7000 year old, settlement, the Tel Dan. We did not wander around it this time due to the hot weather condition, but we explored it in the past. When we visit there again I shall write about it too.


Happy and in splendid mood we returned to the parking lot. We noticed the wonderful eucalyptus trees shading the place, which were planted in 1939 by members of the Kibbutz Dan.

The photos are of my daughter and son-in-law, and three of my grandchildren, the fourth one unfortunately did not get released for the holidays from her army service. My husband was there too, but we forgot to photograph him. :-( Actually you can see him at the end of the little video.
Music of the video by our son Yaron.

11 comments:

Faxi Nadu said...

very nice! :)

Anonymous said...

שמחה לראות שאת מטיילת ונהנית יחד עם המשפחה. אני רואה שיסמין כבר בגובה שלך :)
ורד

Tanja said...

Very very nice :-)

Dawn of LaTouchables said...

What a lovely walk through this enchanting area--and the fig trees! You look fantastic, Yael! XXX

Bob Bushell said...

Beautiful falls, and the rest of scenery, so good so eloquent. Very nice the pictures of your family and you.

wandamarie.blogspot.com said...

Thank you Yael for such a LUSCIOUS walk. and i LOVE seeing you and your family! i can smell the odors from here and feel the fuzz on the figs...did you feel the kiss on your cheek? xo

Unknown said...

Looks like you had a really wonderful outing. The weather treated you well.

Anonymous said...

Neben Faulenzen gibt es nichts Schöneres, als im Schatten der Bäume am erfrischenden Wasser entlang zu gehen. Ich habe 40° heißes Sommerwetter nicht oft erlebt, ab 35° wird es für mich schlecht erträglich.
Ein eindrückliches Posting, danke dafür.

Beate

margaretpenfold@btinternet.com said...

What a beautiful blog of a happy day. How does one keep blogs like this to show off to great-grandchildren in future years? So much more interesting than a photo album containing nothing but pictures,

stardust said...

Dear Yael – My first response was “Incredible, you walked in the 40 degrees C?” I’m almost worn out in that temperature. However, as you wrote, walking along the brook under the canopy of trees’ foliage wouldn’t be so hard or rather enjoyable as shown by your words and photos. Looks like June had been a peaceful time for you.

Thank you for your comment, which I always like to read. My thoughts are with you and the people involved in the ongoing conflicts. This is a difficult time for Jews and Arabs, but with so many victims including children, I can only wonder why cease-fire is so difficult. Probably there must be reasons I haven’t heard from the news. Wish you peace of mind sooner.

Yoko

mirjam said...

When i came to Israel i lived in Sde Nehemia where the Banias and the Hatzbani meet and marry .....
your lirrle film reminded me of walking there
mirjam