WLE Day 2 (08/09/2011): Fneidik/Amou'a to Wadi Jouhannam (Valley of Hell)

Hike Length: Approx 22 km, 8.5 hrs

Difficulty Level: Difficult

The night before in Tashee we slept in a makeshift tent (using matresses hanging from the branches of a Shouh Cedar tree. The whole experience should be a story of its own. Suffice it to say that it includes howling wolves, creeping insects under my pants, an outdoor bathroom, 3 am visits to our host of some dubious characters, and a star-line night sky with shooting stars to boot.

The morning of the 2^nd day saw us devour a massive breakfast of locally grown eggs, cheese, and what Samer said was the best tea he had ever tasted.

We departed at 8:30 with Chamoun bamboozled out of US$20 for his night – guides are usually free. Understandably, it bothered him, but we needed to get going. The initial scenery was green with lots of Shouh Cedars aligning the mountain ridges. We stopped and talked to many villagers, some of whom Chamoun already knew. For the most part they were all friendly, hospitable, but visibly poor. Still they showed a happy and generous spirit. At one of our stops, a whole family sat with us telling us about their life. Surprisingly, they did not live there all year long, but rather for the summer- mainly because of their kid’s school. They invited us to some green grapes and some apples- which the region is famous for. On another stop, one man told us he was thinking about sending his son to Australia to his uncle. “Most of the town is already there anyway,” he said. And on a third stop, one smiley young woman told us she was farming but also taking nursing classes.

The route for this day would take us to the top of the mountain- whose nature all of a sudden changed from green to barren and then down the other side to a Wadi (valley) dauntingly named Jouhannam (Hell). While the decent was steep and at times tough on the knees, the natural beauty of the place transformed the ordeal into one of fascination. Water was everywhere with overflowing waterfalls and creeks. Water at times rather inexplicably flowed upwards and then down following us on our trail as if beckoning us forward or perhaps providing constant relief to the heat surrounding us. Reaching the bottom of the valley, orchards and farms became very common, and the people again displayed hospitality with the common regional invitation of “Hawwil”, meaning take a detour and visit them.      

Once in the valley, we walked up and down for about two hours before finally reaching our destination, which is the town of Qmamine at around 5 pm. The town itself is nestled in the mountain and surrounded with trees. Water runs at its base and provides for drinking and cleaning. We found Moustafa eager to receive us and please. And what a dinner followed, with one of the best rice chicken we ever tasted. No Internet unfortunately, but there was a very weak mobile connection, on condition you have to do up to the roof (on a steel ladder- my Birkees fell as I was climbing up J) and make the call from a single spot- on top of a water tank !!! So I managed to talk to Karim D. and Karim M. all from that spot- the marvel of technology. The advantage too I guess is I got to check on my laundry, which is also hanging up there!

After dinner, the team decided to make a slight change in the plan and to go straight to Bekaa Sifrine instead of stopping in Kfar Bnine. The total trip will therefore be about 25 km but with some serious steppes. So Samer opted out and instead volunteered to take the hiking bags of the team straight to Bekaa Sifrine in car. He has been an outstanding Expedition team member so far, and thanks a mil for offering to transport the load for us. Not having to carry 15 kg for 25 km is a pleasant surprise. The idea though will be to depart earlier than usual to be able to cover the distance before darkness kicks in. So we will be leaving around 6:30 am instead of the usual 8 am.

This also means I will have to tuck it in a bit early …