I started the day with a side trail : from Daliyot camping site to the ancient city of Gamla – about 3 km, fairly easy walk along the cliffs of Daliyot stream. Looking at the sky along the way, one is able to see the famous eagles of Gamla soaring. I was even more fortunate – I had the chance to see another wild boar on the way.
The ancient city of Gamla was fortified by Josephus Flavious in 66, during the great revolt and was captured by Vespasian in 67, after a several weeks long siege.
Being there, I found that quite surprising. True – there’s only a single path leading to the city (quite like in Masada), but the city is surrounded by higher hills, which are quite flat (the entire region has many cliffs in it – see pic below), and so the Romans could have places artillery (ballistrae and catapults) and bombard the city, as I’m sure they did on their second attempt. On the first, much like in Masada, They attempted to build a ramp and took heavy casualties, which explains their ruthlessness when they did capture the city (pretty much everyone was slaughtered or jumped to his death).
From the ruins I hitched back to Daliyot camp site, and at about noon I started hiking the GHT again.
The trail goes southward to Semech reservoir and from the reservoir – into Semech stream. It wasn’t easy finding the trail in the thick growth, but later it connects to an easy to walk, 4×4 trail.
Semech stream is, to my humble opinion, one of the most beautiful places along the GHT, outranked only by the trail from Bental to Ein Zivan (see Day 2 of the GHT ).
I spend the night inside the wadi, at the lowest point of the trail (sea level. The altitude I started from was approx. 1 km above the sea level)
