Disclaimer: Some of you might find this post a bit long, I kept it as short as I could. Thanks for reading and don’t forget to share

For those of you who don’t know, I love exploring nature, and am very glad to be in a country that provides an easy access to some of the most diverse and beautiful nature around. I love hiking and camping, although I would not be considered hardcore.

The great outdoors is where I usually find inner peace… for however fleeting a time. Whether for a day, a weekend or more, any chance I get to go, I will more often than not, take it.

This weekend, was one such trip. I joined the Lebanon Mountain Trail Association (LMTA) on a weekend hike from Barouq to Ain Zhalta to Falougha. And it was spectacular.

This April, as usual, the LMTA organizes a Through Walk, where a team of hikers walk the full length of the LMT trail: an approximate 440km from north to south. During this 28-29 day voyage, they also organize weekend hikes, where a group of people would meet up with the core team (as they are referred to) and accompany them for 2 days. That’s what I am about to share.

While I urge you to go check out the LMTA site, to learn more about their wonderful activities, here’s a quick look:

The Lebanon Mountain Trail was built with the support of USAID, and a team of Lebanese people dedicated to care for Lebanon’s nature and it’s beauty. Each year, many people, both foreign and domestic, hike the length of the trail. It is made up of 26 sections, starting in Qbayyet in the north, and ending in Marjehyoun in the south. Whether you are up there for more than a day, or just a single day hike, you are welcomed to guest houses spread across all the towns where the trail passes. This is part of the Diyyafa program. Locals invite you to stay at their houses, where they offer you rest and home made meals. There are many companies that organize trips along the LMT, personally however, I find it best to go to the source and find out who to go with. For that, you can contact the LMTA and they will be more than happy to share.

Anyway, back to the weekend.

Friday 8th of April 2011, we departed from Hazmieh towards Barouq. We were to spend the night there at a guest house, and hit the trail early morning. The core team that was participating in the Through Walk, which this year they were doing from South to North, was already there, and cleaned up at their guest house. At our own guest house, it was a good opportunity to meet the wonderful people I was going to hike along with for the weekend. While I will spear you the lengthy introductions (for no short intro would do any of them justice) I will point out one particular hiker of importance. Mrs Hana Hibri, author of “A Million Steps”, a book about the LMT. She was part of the first Through Walk organized.

Dinner was great, and loads of fun, as we fired up on conversations and laughs in front of the fire place.

This is the fireplace at the Barouq guest house

Up by 7:30 the next morning,

This the view from the Barouq guest house in the morning

we had breakfast,

Day 1 Breakfast: Manakish (whole wheat) and Cedar Honey

packed our lunch

Day 1 lunch: Cheese sandwich, and Baked Potato sandwich with Juice and an apple!

all of which were prepared by our hosts and set off to the gate of the Barouq reserve. (FYI: the larger backpacks containing our clothes and everything we need to sleep, are kept in the bus that will meet us at our next pit stop. We carry a small pack on our backs containing the essentials for hiking). The weather was cloudy, and I worried that we might not get to see anything. After all it was my very first hike in such conditions, and I really didn’t know what to expect. Nothing could have prepared me for the experience, and while I will do my best to relay the feeling, I doubt if I should be able to do it justice.

This is the impending weather I saw first!

Didn't expect this when I was visiting the Shouf Cedar Reserve for the 1st time.

The Barouq Cedar reserve was majestic. Blotches of snow here and there, Cedar trees standing proud, and a serenity available only in the woods. At one occasion, we reached a few trees that have been struck by lighting. Here are a few photos of that section.

Just a glimpse of the Cedar Forest

The Trail inside the Shouf Cedar Reserve

Cedar Tree Struck by Lightning

A very important part of this section is a spot where if you look to the left, you can see the Shouf valley and if you look to the right, you can see the Bekaa valley.

The Barouq Valley - Shouf - View from the Left

The Bekaa Valley - View from the right

With Section 18 of the LMT over, we headed to our respective guest house, picked our beds, took a shower and prepared for dinner. As opposed to the previous night, this time around the full group had dinner together. It was a medium sized hall, that fit all 20 of us for dinner, kept warm by a fire place at the end. The food was very good, and especially the fig jam, which was glorious. Another night of laughs and conversations, and off we went to bed to get ready for the next day. Weather report: Windy – Sunny. The weather report was wrong.

Up early the next morning, and here’s the view of guest house where we had dinner.

We were given the heads up that today’s section (LMT Section 17) had a tough uphill from Ain Dara towards Dahr el baydar. Everyone talked about it so much, I worried I wouldn’t be able to complete the trail. But somehow I found the energy to pull through. Anyway, off we went into the clouds that hung low over the mountain. We were walking into the mist, and that was such an amazing experience, I can’t find the words to explain. Instead, I hope these videos would give you a taste of what we went through.

With no wide landscapes to enjoy, the close scenery had to do, and there were a lot of things to enjoy.

At one point, we reached a “pool” where we had challenged a couple of guys to jump into… except with no sun, and some strong cold winds, it was a bit ridiculous, so after a short respite, we set off again towards Dahr El baydar; which, for those of you who don’t know, is on the highway towards the bekaa… it is one of the highest points on your drive there.

This is the 'challenge' pool... see the fog?

The fog was thick and the rain was pouring… (a point to note here is that I was wearing shorts, and was ecstatic to find a shelter where I got to switch to wearing pants), and we had to cross the highway, (it’s 10 meters wide), so after grouping ourselves, we headed towards the biggest surprise for me on this trip. The French Hospital. Now if you’re anything like me, you imagine a hospital, however old or small, but a hospital building nonetheless. As it turns out, it wasn’t. Unfortunately, though, and due to weather conditions, I couldn’t shoot the entrance or the inside. My camera had died the day before, and I was using my iPhone’s cam to record the rest of the trip. So what was this hospital? It was a hole in the ground, just like in the old westerns, it’s entrance looked like that of gold mines… that’s it… we had to go in there for our lunch break, and once inside, I was told what it was. A bunker built in World War I… no light inside, we had to use headlamps and flashlights. I am thankful for those who came prepared for it… for I wasn’t. Inside the bunker we found a square room where we all gathered up to eat.

Now, because it had started raining since that pool I showed you, and the winds picked up even more speed, we had to alter our course from the French Hospital. So instead of heading forward towards Falougha, our final destination; we instead headed in another shorter way towards another town, and had the bus meet us there. We still made it to Falougha, because the municipality there had prepared a welcome for us hikers. It was great, and I really wish more municipalities would take the time to show appreciation, not to hikers, but to the LMT and the LMTA, who are taking care of our forests in any way they can. I really hope they get all the support they need, and I for one, am sure to anything I can. This is Falougha off the bus, see the old fire truck?

If you want to help out, give them a call, and see what you can do, it could be as simple as joining them on a 1-day hike, or better yet, how about you spread the word, and share the info about the LMT with your friends… whether you share this post or not is nowhere near as important, as sharing the LMT website…

So go ahead, and share the LMT website link… Share this post with your friends, and Share your thoughts in the comments below…

Hope you had fun, I sure had….