You can order now for $29.95, and the book will be shipped to you hot off the press!  As an incentive to order early, we’re offering FREE shipping from Israel to anywhere in the USA, Canada or Europe if you order before Easter (April 4, 2010)!  Other countries will receive $5 shipping.  We use Google Checkout for secure financial transactions, and ship via Air Mail from Israel.  Your purchase directly supports the ongoing work of the trail.

Along with your order, we will send a FREE map of the Jesus Trail with handy quick references for accommodations, transportation and more!

If you’re coming to Nazareth soon, you can reserve a copy of the guide to pick up at the Jesus Trail office.  If you live in a country with an unreliable postal service, this may be your best option.

Buy online at: http://www.jesustrailguide.com

Thank you for your interest in the Jesus Trail!  We hope to see you on the trail soon!

Anna Dintaman and David Landis

Village to Village Press, Jesus Trail

info@villagetovillagepress.com

Hiking the Jesus Trail and Other Biblical Walks in the Galilee provides a welcome addition to Jesus Trail resources, including detailed full-color maps in English, expert advice on backpacking in Israel, thorough information about historical sites, along with hundreds of full-color photos and diagrams.

“I’ve been hiking in Israel for over five years, and almost all of the hiking resources are only available in Hebrew. We want to make hiking in the Galilee accessible for the international community to experience the rich history and warm people of the region in an authentic way,” commented coauthor David Landis.

Hiking the Jesus Trail coauthors Anna Dintaman and David Landis have been involved with trail development from the beginning of the Jesus Trail. Landis cofounded the trail along with Israeli entrepreneur Maoz Inon. Dintaman was involved in resource development and research. Both bring ample experience in international travel and trekking, and their book research included a seminary course on the first-century context of Jesus and walking the entire 500 miles of the Camino de Santiago in Spain. “We’ve tried to create a book that is not only an accurate practical guide but also paints a picture of the world of Jesus,” said coauthor Anna Dintaman.

“This is such a comprehensive guidebook–photos and sidebars and so much more beyond the regular text,” commented New Testament professor Reta Halteman Finger. Jesus Trail cofounder Maoz Inon billed the book as, “hands down the best hiking resource for Israel.”

The guide covers the classic Jesus Trail route and over 220 km of additional trails in the Galilee. The 256-page book is available for pre-order online at www.jesustrailguide.com and will shortly be available in select book stores in Israel.

Come out to REI to discover outdoor adventure opportunities in Israel, a tiny country with a big history and a huge network of hiking and mountain biking trails! Israel offers a host of outdoor opportunities for the trekker, pilgrim and historian, including:

• The Israel Trail, a 600-mile cross-country sojourn from desert to snow-capped peak
• The Golan Trail, 80 solitary miles through lush and hotly-contested landscape=
• The Jesus Trail, 40 miles of spiritual history in the Galilee region

About the Presenters:
David Landis and Anna Dintaman have been adventuring and trekking in the Middle East for over two years, working with responsible tourism and writing a guidebook to the Jesus Trail.  They will bring insight into trekking tourism in Israel, anecdotes and stories from the trails, and reflection on the positive role adventure tourism can play in bridging relationships between diverse cultures and religions.

Dates:
February 4, 2010 at REI Marlton, 7pm
February 9, 2010 at REI Conshohocken, 7pm

Price:
FREE!

Facebook Event: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=251206327790

Check out:
http://israeltrail.org
http://jesustrail.com

Click here to view and download the free Jesus Trail Map (PDF)

The map features:

• Practical information about where to sleep, buy food and supplies, get water, catch a bus, etc.
• Descriptions of points of interest
• Elevation chart with distances and difficulty ratings
• Description of how to use Jesus Trail markings for navigation
• List of accommodations contact info, price and amenities
• Chart of bus numbers and schedules

If you would like us to mail this free map to your home address, send us an email to freemap@jesustrail.com.

Many thanks to our generous sponsors who helped to make this map possible!

Jesus Trail Free Map Sponsors:

Fauzi Azar Inn
Al Mutran Guest House
ILH Hostel Guide
Abraham Path
BLESS—Biblical Lands Educational Seminars and Service
Jerusalem University College
Nazareth Village
Go Eco Volunteer Program
Shavit’s Family B&B Arbel
VeloIsrael
Kibbutz Lavi
Moshav Zippori B&B
Tiberias Hotel Association

The ride shows that it is possible to mountain bike the Jesus Trail route, with only short sections where it is necessary to walk or carry the bike. For a list of these sections, visit the mountain biking thread on the Jesus Trail Forum (see below).  The new guidebook will also describe the biking alternatives.

“The only way to define your limits is going beyond them”
- Nazareth Mountain Bikers

View photos from the ride on Jesus Trail’s Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=125674&id=64330873837&l=6ffe7ab93d

Mountain Biking thread on the Jesus Trail Forum: http://forum.jesustrail.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=10

Visit Nazareth Mountain Bikers on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#/pages/Nazareth-Israel/Nazareth-Mountain-Bikers/148863526218?ref=ts

Middle School students from public schools in Nazareth, Cana and Mash’had thronged the streets of their towns armed with trash bags and gloves to clean up their neighborhoods.  International volunteers from the US, Russia, South Africa and Germany participated as well, forging friendships with the enthusiastic and curious children.

Trash is a major environmental problem in Israel, where over 90% of the country’s waste is buried in landfills, which are reaching maximum capacity.  Only about 5% of Israel’s waste reaches recycling facilities.

The Jesus Trail and Jewish National Fund plan to make this trash pickup activity a monthly ritual, hoping to instill in these youth a sense of pride in caring for the environment and making the Jesus Trail a clean and pleasant place for locals and international visitors alike.

Photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=124511&id=64330873837&l=47d0467841

So far the project has been selecting and developing small sections of the route in each country along it.  Each country team is working separately on their segment of the path, in parallel, but not in cooperation with each other.  Trail sections in Turkey, Jordan, and Palestine have already been inaugurated.  The project is working to promote economic development and ecological preservation along the trail, as well as to foster mutual respect between the Abrahamic faiths centered around the shared common narrative of Abraham.

As part of the inauguration, a delegation walked a small portion of the trail near the south Hebron hills, ending in the Bedouin town of Derijat.  The group also visited important archeological sites associated with Abraham, such as Tel Arad and Tel Be’er Sheva, lead by the renowned archeologist Avner Goren.  The program featured a stroll through Be’er Sheva River Park, a huge green area being developed as part of a renaissance of Be’er Sheva as a tourist destination.

The delegation met with some of the unique and diverse people of the Negev, including the Cochin community of Jews from India, who trace their ancestry back to one of the ten lost tribes of Israel, as well as a group of Ethiopian Jewish women potters, who create and sell beautiful traditional clay sculptures.  The group also heard from a young Bedouin woman realizing her dream of creating a line of cosmetics made of natural local ingredients.

Jesus Trail representatives enjoyed learning more about the Abraham Path and comparing notes with a project that connects to similar goals.

Check out the Abraham Path web site for more information about how you can be involved or walk a portion of the trail: www.abrahampath.org

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Also, a print piece by ABC:
http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=7480208&page=1

An article by the Agence French-Presse also ran in several different venues, including this one:
http://www.asiaone.com/Travel/News/Story/A1Story20090506-139704.html

This route includes the following improvements:

• Adjustments for the newly blazed orange route from Nazareth to Golani junction
  • More direct route from Nazareth to Zippori with a stoplight crossing of Rt. 79
  • More scenic route from Cana to Golani junction on the top or the ridge with great views to the north and south
  • Increased number of footpaths
• Full Google Earth files and GPS tracks for the return loop (Arbel, Tiberias, Yardenit, Tel Rekhesh, Mt. Tabor, Mt. Deborah, Mt. Precipice, Nazareth), 76.1km.
• All GPS tracks are now under 500 points per section for improved compatibility with older GPS units (in response to user feedback)
• Small route improvements around Cana, Kibbutz Lavi, and the Arbel Valley
• Increased lodging and transportation options on the route including a great new guesthouse in Cana and camping area at Golani Junction
• Additional sites in the surrounding area stored as waypoints, which may be used for side trips or to navigate by bike or car.  Hiking routes to these sites are in the works…
• The Jesus Trail route network v3.0 now includes a total of 138.1 km.