Early dawn kayaking in the see of Galilee; ELSC retreat

On the final day of the ELSC retreat at the Golan Heights, we rose at 4 a.m. to join our kayak guide and watch the sunrise over the swirling waters of the Sea of Galilee, Kinneret - Israel's largest freshwater lake. As we paddled out onto the Kinneret, we were greeted by a view so beautiful that it almost made us forget the fact that we had sacrificed precious sleep for this. The swirling waters looked like a giant coffee cup that had been stirred by a caffeinated giant. Meanwhile, our kayak guide, who seemed to be powered by pure adrenaline, was enthusiastically explaining about the swirling nature around us while we struggled to remember how to paddle without splashing our fellow participants.