Adonis Diaries

Ascending Mount Sannine in Lebanon: Beware of the return trip

Note: Repost of Sept. 30, 2016 “Ascending Mount Sannine in Lebanon: The descent is the troubling part”. 

There are 3 ways to descend Mount Sannine of Lebanon (barely 2,500 meters altitude):
La Grande Coulee, COUCADO, and Col Berland (seems that Berland managed to come down in just 34 seconds).

The descent is in most cases the hardest of any mountain climbing. It is mostly in the descent that people get injured.
The crest called Chamber of the French (Ghorfat fransawiyyeh) was erected by the Club Alpin Francais (CAF) in the 1920’s.

I managed to get to the top 3 times.

The first time we had a substantial breakfast and a variety of mankoush and I had enormous pain digesting.

The second time, I was short on breath: The younger “mountaineers” considered that everyone of us must be a goat.

And all that I needed was just a few minutes to recover in this steep portion where Not a single bonsai tree or shrub grow.  I was climbing on my four.

A Syrian soldier in sandals (thongs) climbed down to help me to the top.

What bugs me is why after reaching the top, they all want to come down immediately.

At least take some time to plant a flag, an underwear, anything to enjoy the scenery.

“You want to descend right away? Suit yourself”.

I remove my shirt, bare my chest, take off my “boots” (never had any kinds of boots to brag about) and my socks and lay down on a rock to dry my body.

Then, I change my socks and my shirt and get ready for the hardest part of the journey.

The last descent ( always the same route) was a catastrophe for me since we lost the way where we had to branch off.

We got lost and we could barely see ahead of us.

The worst part is when the wind and the humidity put off the last of my cigarette lights.

At one point, most of the team got down using their behind as a gravity support.

I bucked and sat smoking a cigarette. They waited for me to decide and harangued me that it is Not that hard to bruise my ass.

My nephew Cedric had to climb and urge me to descend.

The climbing “team” was all waiting by the car and fuming at this stubborned older man, refusing to bruise his ass.

I usually describe my adventures on my blog, but since these adventures diminished drastically, I opted Not to write any of the latest ones.

Note 2: During the civil war, members of the Syria National Social party (Lebanese branch) managed to bout out the Phalangists from this strategic top that had view to encircled Zahli and where radar could locate warships close to Cyprus. These valiant members spent the harshest of winters in this tiny chamber, Not meant to dwell in and Not fitted with anything.