Photos: 1: ibex on the steep cliffside of the En Avdat canyon 2: me at the entrance of one of the ancient hermit caves, from the Byzantine era (4th-7th centuries A.D.), where Christians came for a more challenging experience of faith once Christianity became legal--and less demanding 3: the steep canyon wall of En Avdat that a group of us climbed up, all the way to the edge of the gorge 4: view back at the canyon of En Avdat--we came from here! 5: wide view of the bedouin camp where we stayed overnight