Montfort

Montfort is a Crusader fortress in the Upper Galilee, only about 8 miles from Nahariya, making it theoretically easily accessible. It is in the midst of the Nahal Kziv , or Kziv Spring Nature Reserve, so the only way to reach it is by hiking down to the Kziv and then back up.

As a castle, Monfort is not among the most significant Crusader sites in Israel. It was the headquarters of the Teutonic Knights, who moved, essentially to the middle of nowhere, to avoid conflicts with the Templars and the Hospitallers in Akko. Construction began in 1228, it was occupied by 1229, and was destroyed by Sultan Baibars in 1271. There isn’t a very long history of occupation.

It is significant because of the hike and the magnificent panoramic view from the top. Orli and I had decided that we wanted to do a hike there because she wanted to see the castle (and wasn’t as interested in the other hiking options I suggested). We started a little later in the day than I would have liked (Someone was enjoying watching episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race a little too much). And we (well one of us) were looking for the fewest number of buses to get us there.

We left for our bus, a little before 3. The bus of course was running a little late due to late afternoon traffic and we made it to Moshav Goren, where we’d begin, relatively quickly. Had we taken another bus route, we might have had a more level hike, instead we headed down a relatively steep and very rocky embankment moving down toward the stream.

After about 30 minutes we reached the stream and enjoyed the coolness of the canopy, the sounds of birds around us, and the views of the water and flora surrounding us.

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The flat part of the trail inevitably ended as we crossed to the southern side of the stream and began the hike up toward the ruins of the fortress. It was more gentle than the original descent, but it was uphill, nevertheless.

Eventually we did reach the summit and took a few minutes to explore what remained of the building.

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We then began our return. Here is where we experienced a slight hiccup. We were going to try and find another way out to avoid the steep climb back and take an earlier bus. We looked over options when we were at the summit, but by the time we reached the base, we had no internet connection. Unsure of the exact route, we returned the way that we had come, up the steep and rocky path. Eventually we did reach the top.

Even pushing ourselves, we couldn’t make the bus we wanted. It was almost two hours until the next bus. I tried repeatedly, actually continuously, to get a cab, but to no avail. After almost ten miles of hiking, we sat for a long time at an empty bus stop.

The bus did come and we made it home without incident. The morals of this story are that RuPaul’s Drag Race will not speed you up, and that the shorter the bus ride, the longer the hike.