WLE Day 4 (08-11-2011): Biqaa Sifrine to Ehden

WLE Day 4 (08/11/2011): Biqaa Sifrine to Ehden

Length: Aprox 28 km, 8 hrs 45 minutes

Difficulty: Intermediate with one difficult descent

This leg was going to be a test of endurance as opposed to the steep mountain climbing of the day before. It would add about 6 km to our average daily rate thus far to reach almost 30 km some of it uphill some of it downhill.

Chamoun recommended we get up at 5 am for a 6 am departure. We left almost on time and began our journey South West to Ehden.  Even though Samer’s tummy was acting up, he took an Imodium and bravely insisted in joining. The plan was for all of us to wake up around 5 am, and we did. After a brief breakfast that Im Majed, the lady of the house, prepared for us, we departed. Im Majed’s family was very hospitable and housed and fed us. Majed himself the previous evening took us to the town’s Internet Café and helped me find a place that sells cel phones. It was pitch dark because the town had lost its electricity that evening. It turns out this is a common problem there. Majed explained that he had tried to install a wind turbine on the top of his building to generate some power, but authorities had taken it down because it was not allowed. “So they are forcing us not to have electricity. Is there anywhere else in the world where this happens?” I could't find a good or comforting answer for him ...

When we left Biqaa Sifrine that early morning I was worried about the chaffing on my right foot toes. They were all burnt red the previous evening from so much rubbing against my shoes (I guess you don’t get out of valley of hell without any burns J). Samer gave me some band aids. Even though I was confident that it would have an effect, it was not immediate. As we departed the house and took to the cliffs around Biqaa Sifrine, I could not help but limp, which slowed our initial rate. With time though, the band aids and tape took effect and I could not feel a thing.

From Bikaa Sifrine we headed South West over some hills. They were rocky and tree lined but not too steep. At one point, we dropped into a valley and then climbed on the other side. There was nothing and no one in site and no water. As a matter of fact, Chamoun had warned us that water was going to be scarce throughout this leg, so we had stocked up with two 2 liter bottles as well as our camel bags (another 2 liters). It made the bag 4 kilos heavier than usual, but it was well worth it not to take the risk of water shortage. During the trip and as the scenery began changing (farmland and then none), I could not but help think that water is perhaps the one single resource that humans simply cannot survive without. While it may be obvious, it is situations such as this that bring the point home to city slickers!

Once at the top of the hill again, we heard some dogs barking and saw a car parked to the side of a farm house perched on the cliff. We then glimpsed a farmer nd called him. Turns out he is a Lebanese Australian, Albert Ibrahim, who came back to live in his natal homeland on the land of his fathers. Very soft spoken and shy … Offered us some nice cool water … Damn we had to carry all this extra water for nothing!

Hiking on, we started coming into a clearing and heard some shooting. Turns out it was some bird hunters. We took a look at their produce and saw that they had not had much luck, but we still sat around with the men as they recounted to us their days of hunting. One of them actually lives in Sydney, Australia and came back to spend some time with his father and brothers hunting. The father, a proud man, wished he could join us for the walk. At one point I felt Chamoun, who hates hunting animals, was almost going to invite him to join us just to make him stop hunting. They offered us water and some fruits …

On we went in very dry heat. Two hours later, no wells in sight. Thank God for the water we are carrying (yes all the conflicting thoughts that go into a man’s head when walking…). We finally came upon a goat herder who pointed us to a well close by coming out of a small cave called teh Well of Jbeib. His name was Sarkis. he was an interesting and peaceful man. Full of humility, one could tell from the outset that there was something about him. Turns out he is an educated man and runs this business with his two brothers.  Together they herd their flock, but they also have a business that makes goat milk, cheese andf distributes them in the region (this would be confirmed to us at the lodging where we stayed that evening) … Sarkis also knew about issues dealing with farming laws, legislation that affects farming … history, the environment, chemicals ... He enjoyed talking to us and offered us nectarine. We all ate and talked for close to an hour right at the mouth of the cave with cold air blowing out almost like a natural air condition. Samer who sweats profusely, enjoyed this well immensely. A moment to savor. Cheers Sarkis!

Leaving Sarkis behind we continued on our way to Ehden. We knew we were up against a challenge: down a steep mountain and up the other side to the our destination- Ehdin’s protected nature park reserve lodging. If there was a rope from one mountain to the other, the crossing would have taken a handful of minutes. There wasn't; and the descent and ascent took two and a half hours. At times the descent was harrowing, but not really dangerous. Still any fracture or injury would have been very difficult as the closest help would have been hours away. So we took easy and we played it safe. Samer was relieved when we reached the bottom of the valley- a dry river bed- until that is he saw the impending climb to the reserve. It was an hour’s worth of climb at a steady 30 degrees angle taking us from an altitude of about 1300 meters to about 1600 meters above sea level.

When we finally made it, the reserve lodging where we stayed made it all worth it. Nestled in the middle of the park, it provided beautiful scenery, great lodging and food, very hospitable hosts, and nice fellow guests who we got to meet over dinner. As importantly, reaching Ehden also meant we were now back in the “zone” with consistent telephone and Internet service, although the Internet Café had a bunch of kids huddled playing video games shouting their heads off in the process- the owner, a nice chap, quite inexplicably kept shouting “Ninios, Ninios… shut up”. Perhaps they didn’t understand what “ninios” meant. Perhaps they didn’t care …

All in a day of walking across Lebanon …