Colombian hermit finds paradise on Lebanon trail

QADISHA VALLEY, Lebanon, May 7: For a Colombian hermit thousands of miles from home, Lebanon's Qadisha valley is a heaven on earth where he hopes to end his days.

Yet Father Dario Escobar may lose some of his solitude when hikers learn about a fledgling national trail that passes near his cliffside hermitage as it meanders nearly 400 km over Lebanon's mountain spine from the far north to the south.

The creators of the Lebanon Mountain Trail see the Qadisha valley, with its limestone crags, waterfalls, rich vegetation and ancient monasteries, as a showcase of what can attract Lebanese and foreigners willing to explore the country on foot.

Fortunately, Escobar does not seem to mind when hikers test-walking a section of the trail intrude on his privacy.

''Usually I speak to nobody, but I speak with you because someone knocked on my door,'' laughed the black-cowled monk as he emerged from his cave cell near a rock-cut chapel.

''This is paradise,'' the 72-year-old greybeard said, looking out at a verdant, steep-sided valley from the tiny 13th-century monastery of Our Lady of Hawka. ''I am here for good.'' The calm beauty of the spot where Escobar spends his time in prayer and contemplation is a far cry from Lebanon's image as a tinderbox for Middle Eastern conflict -- an image that the trail organisers say tells only part of the story.

''Despite all the trouble Lebanon is going through, this is a different universe,'' said Karim El-Jisr, the project's deputy manager. ''Hopefully the Lebanon Mountain Trail will bring people together ... and appeal to people in Lebanon from all walks of life, religions, confessions and political affiliations.'' SHADOW OF WAR The project itself, funded by a 3.3 million dollars grant from the United States, suffered a few delays due to last year's July-August war between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas.

But ECODIT, a US-based consultancy which has a two-year contract to set up the trail, hopes to have the route mapped, marked and ready to hand over to a non-governmental association by the end of the year. A guide book in English, maps and a website are also in the works.

''It's all about connecting dots, linking things up,'' said Jisr, explaining how the trail will take walkers to nature reserves, archaeological sites, holy places and villages at altitudes from 800 to 2,000 metres.

The idea is also to promote ecotourism, a relatively new concept in Lebanon, where tourism has long relied on attractions such as the temples of Baalbek, the ancient port of Byblos and the Cedars, along with the shops and nightlife of Beirut.

Unlike wilderness routes popular in North America the Lebanon trail includes many villages, with money spent on guides and accommodation intended to stimulate the rural economy.

It uses centuries-old paths, some disfigured by litter -- careless dumping, hunting, tree-cutting and illegal building are among many threats to Lebanon's landscape and wildlife.

TRAMPING THE TRAIL The 20-km (13-mile) stretch between the towns of Ehden and Bsherri via the Qadisha valley proves exhilarating, if strenuous. The little stone church of Mart Moura on the outskirts of Ehden, where the walk begins, is an immediate plunge into the arcane but bloody Christian quarrels of the Byzantine era.

''It's one of a series of churches built by the Jacobites until they were pushed out of the area or killed by the (Maronite) people of Ehden in the 1400s because they were Monophysites,'' says Paul Khawaja, a climber and cave explorer who advises ECODIT's environmentalist team on mapping issues.

The feud was rooted in a theological conflict over the divine nature of Christ.

The narrow path leads past a ruined water mill to Ain Tourin village and then winds steeply down, crossing and recrossing a cascading stream. In the woods, botanist Nizar Hani points out clumps of thyme and other edible, medicinal or aromatic plants.

''People collect wild plants like oregano or cress and offer them to customers in restaurants. They are delicious,'' he says.

In the valley lies the St Anthony monastery of Qozhaya, dating to the 7th century or earlier, where visitors are welcomed with sweet wine in tiny glasses as bells toll.

The Maronite monastery houses a 17th-century printing press, one of the oldest in the Middle East.

After a steady climb to Hawka village comes a knee-punishing descent down hundreds of man-made steps to Escobar's eyrie.

The path then winds past more monasteries, chapels and caves to a river rushing through a gorge alongside Qannoubin, the only permanently inhabited village in Lebanon without road access.

Finally the trail ascends sharply from the Qadisha valley floor to the apple orchards on the edge of Bsherri, the birthplace of Lebanese-American poet Gibran Khalil Gibran.

By that time, weary hikers racing nightfall might need Gibran's exhortation: ''March on. Do not tarry...March on and fear not the thorns or the sharp stones on life's path.''

REUTERS>