2020-03-11 Jabal Mousa - The Grand Tour
Trail photos
Author
Trail stats
- Distance
- 13.83 mi
- Elevation gain
- 6,736 ft
- Technical difficulty
- Very difficult
- Elevation loss
- 6,736 ft
- Max elevation
- 5,171 ft
- TrailRank
- 55
- Min elevation
- 5,171 ft
- Trail type
- Loop
- Time
- 9 hours 56 minutes
- Coordinates
- 2719
- Uploaded
- March 12, 2020
- Recorded
- March 2020
near Nahr ed Dahab, Mont-Liban (Lebanon)
Viewed 545 times, downloaded 23 times
Trail photos
Itinerary description
The hike started from the Nahr Ed-dahab (Gold River) entrance and moving up along trail 8 to reach St. George's monastery covering a 400+ elevation gain. The trail moved down slope along trails 10 and 14 to reach Lake Chouwan to the lowest elevation of the trail at 436 meters ASL. The hike then started the hardest climb of the trail along trails 13, 14, and 15 gaining 1300+ elevation to reach the highest point of the trail and Jabal Mousa, the Qornet Mzar (Mzar Summit) - it is there where ancient religions used to offer sacrifices to their Gods. At the summit we had a quick tea break and started our trek back to the beginning point via trails: 3, 6, and 7.
This hike covered 25 km and it took us 10 hours to complete. It is a very very difficult hike and would not recommend it for my worst enemy.
The weather was a great spring-like weather and the scenery was beyond gorgeous.
N.B. Jabal Mousa is the place where the Phoenician Adonis and Astarte myth was born. God Adonis gets killed by a boar at the falls of the river Ibraheem and his blood flows into the river turning it red in color. The red water leads to the blooming of millions of red anemones symbolizing his rebirth. The myth lead Phoenicians to have a yearly pilgrimage walking along the valley to reach the Afqa cave, the source of the tragic love story of Adonis and Astarte.
Waypoints
Waypoint
3,086 ft
Shepherd Meeting Point
Place where shepherds from different villages used to meet during their daily grazing outings.
Intersection
2,697 ft
Go Right
Waypoint
1,551 ft
Lake Chouwan Platform
this platform gives you a birds eyes view of Lake Chouwan. the color of the water is muddy due to rain and melting snow; it usually is blue to emerald green reflecting the surrounding greenery.
Waypoint
2,131 ft
Charcoal Platform
The charcoal industry was the livelihood of many Lebanese citizens in the past century and still is for some. The wood cutters would collect the preferred oak branches into a mound shape and cover the mound with tree leaves and dirt. The platform are usually small (3X3 meters) and charcoal workers (Mish-harji in Arabic) would stay beside it until the charcoal is made.
Waypoint
3,305 ft
Start of Trail 14
Waypoint
4,204 ft
Start of Trail 15
Waypoint
4,533 ft
Start of Trail 1
Waypoint
4,795 ft
Trails 3-2
Waypoint
4,945 ft
Start of Trail 2
Waypoint
4,422 ft
Go Left
Trails 2-6 start here
Waypoint
4,299 ft
Go Right
Comments (6)
You can add a comment or review this trail
Looolll!! Im reading ur description “i wouldnt recommend it to my worst enemies” 😆😆
Man!! This is the most difficult trail i ever did. I even added more sections to increase the suffering 😆
Hope to see u on trail soon
Ray, you improved the trail making it harder?
I designed the trail and this is the hardest I could imagine in Jabal Moussa, without repeating sections.
Can you please post your trail, so we can add a bit of suffering too.
I posted it:) Its before my last trail. The section added on is from Mchété following the roman stairs leading to Qehmez. Then did a small inner loop connecting: Qornet L Mzaar, Yahchouch cross and old houses loop. Then back to Qehmez spot to form the bigger loop connecting iibri, chouwen, Mar Geryes, Nahr L Dehab and back to Mchété without having any repeated sections.
The only missing section is from Mar Geryes to the cross. But found it impossible without repeating sections.
well, and I thought Chris and I are the only sadist hikers around. We should do a trail together soon :).
Hi Zahi! Looking forward man :) ya chi yehroz ya bala 😎😆.
Can u watsp me on 70/149947. Lets share what do we have in mind 😉