After a short drive we floated in the Dead Sea which was surprisingly cold, but who could resist.  We found out how quickly the sea is evaporating, it might not exist in 20 years.

Right when we reached the top of Masada we saw the sunrise; a view that most of us will always remember. We learned a lot about the incredible history that took place at Masada thousands of years ago. Afterwards, many of the participants had a joint bar and bat mitzvah ceremony together.
 

We were all very surprised after stepping in the water and realizing it felt like a hot tub. It was so cool being able to float in only 2 feet of water, and I was happy that there was minimal stinging during my experience.

We went to a breathtaking viewpoint called Haas Promenade to admire the city and had a discussion. As we admired the Holy Land, we shared what Jerusalem and tradition meant to us.

"The sunrise from the top of the mountain was more legendary than any of Barney Stinson's charades."

It was a very difficult hike -- completely uphill (a few people counted the stairs and settled on a number between 962-976). The trek was definitely worth it because the sunrise from the top was absolutely beautiful.

"Climbing Masada and floating in the Dead Sea were two of the most memorable experiences I've had so far. I was looking forward to doing both of these and I'm so glad that I finally did it!"

It made hitting the snooze on our 3:00 alarms a little less tempting. Hiking up the snake path under a full moon, which flooded every ancient crevice filled any void in our motivation. Some of us were ascending in groups, listening to Miley's "The Climb" while others chose a more solitary and peaceful journey.

When it got darker, we went out into the desert itself and stargazed. This was something that I really did not expect to be as spiritual as it was. There's just something about being in the middle of the desert with the only sound of silence that makes this very meaningful.