Wild Birds by Daniel Baylis

Author Daniel Bayless was enjoying a permanent full-time position at an in-flight magazine accompanied by a decent salary. He soon made an offer on a condominium. He was at a point in life when he began to think about settling down. This all changed and he altered his plans when he was blindsided by his cousin’s unexpected death at age 26.

This book is a detailed personal reflection about Daniel’s experiences on the Israel National Trail, a book one should expect to read slowly and savor the details – mirroring Daniel’s unhurried hike over 1,000 kilometers across Israel & Palestine.

It is refreshing to read about hiking through this part of the world; most of our reads involving long hikes about been written by through hikers on the popular Appalachian trail or Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

As with any hike of this length, adventures are expected. The first part of the hike was in late winter and the trails were muddy with river crossings; Daniel didn’t meet a single through hiker. As he continued to hike he became more comfortable. Some highlights experienced were staying with people in their homes in Palestine, dancing with Bedouins, sleeping in caves, and hiking through the Negev Desert.

The title of the book was inspired by the annual migration of hundreds of millions of birds over Israel and Palestine.

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