Shouf hike #2

Way up into the Shouf Mountains, formerly thick with cedars of Lebanon, we covered 10 kilometers (about 6 miles) of the Lebanon Mountain Trail, which was developed under a USAID grant and covers 400 kilometers. A lovely hike! Walnut and cherry trees in bloom, balmy air at 3,000 feet.

We crossed a stone bridge built “before there was money,” for traders on the Silk Road route from China to Baghdad to Damascus to the Mediterranean. The bridge, in a rather deep gorge, was the only connection between the Bekaa Valley and the coast. Now covered with grass, with a small river flowing underneath, it was an idyllic spot.

Toward the end of the hike we could have climbed up a rocky ledge to see a stone where animal sacrifices were made (by whom, we didn’t think to ask), but we were too lazy...

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Other news: Presidential election delayed for 17th time!