I am Neeman.
I am 56 and divorced with four girls and with a special lady with four boys
So I split my time in an ancient town called Safat and a 6 acre rented holding both in the northern hills of the Galilee in Israel
I grew up in London in a nice middle class Jewish neighborhood.
I went to Cubs and Scout till 14
I learnt Woodcraft, pioneering, knots and splicing, axe and knife, stalking, camping, cooking, and Map and Compass.
We would go to camping with our ash staves, rope hanks and our rucksacks, and the tents and cooking gear and food would be delivered to the site by van
I learnt the classic skills that is now called Bushcraft
At 14 till 17, I went to Officer Cadet Training as part of High School.
The equipment was all from WWII
I learnt on a Lee Enfield 303, and by 16 had my Marksman 1st Class
On our 2 week summer camps, I learnt to travel light, with a blanket and a rubberized cape.
The camps were on the heath and upland moors and mountains of England
Each spring we went for two weeks backpacking in the Welsh Mountains, with canvas pup tents, wool uniforms with aluminum manpacks.
Here I really learnt Map and Compass and how to travel the hills
At 16, I started walking the countryside around London.
I would leave home on Friday and return Sunday night.
I could only afford a Karrimor backpack and a duck feather bag.
I had no money for a tent so I used a space blanket for a ground sheet and a piece of nylon pegged over my rucksack.
These were 40 or 50 mile weekends
At 18, I moved to New York City and stayed for 7 years.
America and its wilderness amazed me.
Weekends hiking in the Catskills and the Appalachian Trail which was a bus drive away.
Long 10 day hikes in North Carolina, Virginia, Adirondacks, the Green Mountains on the Long Train in Vermont, and the White Mountains in New Hampshire.
I hiked longer and later in the Fall, till I needed to Winter Camp.
Winter camping!
My first snowshoeing trip was crossing the Green Mountains on a compass bearing.
I spent $100 in Army Surplus gear and was equipped.
The trails I had hiked in the summer I started snowshoeing in the winter.
I got better gear, snowshoes and x-country skis
Weekends in the Catskills, and up to Lower Vermont and five 10 day trips in the Greens and Adirondacks.
-20 was normal, -40 was cold.
At 26 I returned to England.
I had a lot of time to play.
I did long distance backpacking, walking Wales South to North
I was long distance cycling, from London to Brittany France and back.
I had a 40 day trip cycling and walking in the Highlands of Scotland in November/December.
And I ended up living in Scotland for a year and walked the hills in the winter.
Almost all my trips has been solo.
At 28, I moved to Israel
Life took over...
and I spent much less time out.
Took the girls camping at camp site and day hikes
Enough so they all can hike and camp
I served 12 years as a senior Sergeant in a Reserve Home Front SAR Battalion.
All the catastrophe and end of the world training for earthquakes, rockets and Gas
Trained for the Japan scenario
Being divorced I now have more time
I now take my summer vacations in England walking the hills and watercolor painting
I get out but never for long enough or often enough...
that all
