Lebanon Mountain Trail Friendship Trail
The BTC Friendship Trails Program involves matching up or “twinning” one section of the Bruce Trail with a section of trail on an international hiking trail of another country. We designate a section of our Trail in their name, and in return they designate a section of their Trail to us!
The intent is to raise awareness and support for public footpaths, through the creation of these Friendship Trails. It also promotes the importance of hiking trails, encourages sustainable trail development and protection, knowledge sharing, culture sharing, and recognizes the international significance of creating an ongoing relationship with hiking trails around the world. It is a great honour for the BTC to represent Canada by participating in this program!
The Lebanon Mountain Trail Friendship Trail was officially opened on September 22, 2012 on the Bayview Escarpment Nature Reserve.
A second “opening hike” was held April 15, 2015, this time including members of the Lebanese community in Canada, as well as Salam Khalife from the Board of Directors of the LMT itself, from Lebanon.
The Lebanon Mountain Trail (LMT) is the first long-distance hiking trail in Lebanon. It runs north to south in Lebanon, meandering through or near 75 towns and villages, perched 600 – 2,000 metres above sea level. With a total length 470 km (293 miles), the LMT showcases the natural beauty and cultural wealth of Lebanon’s mountains. It’s dotted by Roman ruins, temples, mosques, churches and rock-cut monasteries dating back over 1,000 years. For more information and a map of the Lebanon Trail, go to www.lebanontrail.org.
Other Friendship Trails on the Bruce Trail are shown at https://brucetrail.org/International-friendship-trails/. There are 9 Friendship Trails altogether, 1 in each Club section. These are all clearly shown in the BTC Guidebook (Edition 31).
We recently reconnected in person, at the World Trails Conference 2024, in Ottawa. So glad to meet Omar Sakr, Executive Director of the LMT Association (at right in this photo). Even the Lebanese Ambassador to Canada H.E. Fadi Ziadeh (center) took time out of his busy day in Ottawa to pop over to the Conference and meet us. Also attending the conference for the LMTA (but not shown in this photo) were Takla Khoueiry and Julie Lebnan.
For each event/photo below, click within the photo to view full screen and see more photos from that album.
July 2016 – Lebanon Mountain Trail Friendship Trail Picnic
Thanks to Wafa and Bechara for bringing our Lebanese friends up to Owen Sound for a delightful Friendship Trail picnic, at the Grey Sauble Conservation picnic shelter.
One group took the long hike through Harrison Park and the Palisades section, while the other group took a shorter hike past Inglis Falls and the Creamery Hill Side Trail. Then we all shared a “potluck” of Lebanese and Canadian foods, with Kibbeh featured as a theme – there were enough varieties of Kibbeh to start a recipe book!
April 2016 – Lebanon Mountain Trail Friendship Trail – Flags in the Forest
The flags of Canada and Lebanon were fluttering in the forest on April 23, 2016, as a large group of 30 Lebanese hikers from the Toronto area joined local Sydenham Club members on the Lebanon Mountain Trail – Bruce Trail Friendship Trail. For several of our Lebanese friends, it was their first hike on the Bruce Trail. Some found it challenging, but felt themselves to be in good company and safe to take that challenge. They brought great energy and amazing spirit, and we enjoyed friendship, sharing of cultures, and especially food! Everyone enjoyed the camaraderie on the Trail, as well as the sunshine which brightened the first views of spring wildflowers and wild leeks in the forest. The colourful flags also brightened the forest!
Thanks to our Lebanese Canadian community leaders and members – Wafaa, Lina, Dunia, Maysoun, Sana, and Najwa, for making connections with various Lebanese groups, and organizing them to come up to Sydenham Club for a hike. And also thanks to our friends in Lebanon – Nadine, Salam, and Martine of the LMT Association, and Jassem for bringing the Lebanese flags directly from Beirut.
April 15, 2015 – Lebanon Mountain Trail Friendship Trail – The 2nd “Grand Opening”
On April 12, 2015 (The 2nd “Grand Opening”) our Friendship Trail hike was lovely. A good crowd showed up from Lebanon, Montreal, and Toronto (thank you Salam!). The weather was perfect and sunny, and everyone really enjoyed the time together. These photos at the trailhead (entrance to Bayview Escarpment Nature Reserve).