In Lebanon, it is possible to hike all day long with one bottle of water, thanks to the springs. We ate lunch in the shade of poplar trees at a third spring in a secondary wadi draining into Wadi el-Safir. The dry areas on the slopes are covered with scattered ancient juniper trees, some with considerable trunks, that are not seen in the lower parts of the country where most people live. A clear stream flows through lush vegetation. The steep, rocky slopes are covered with forests of various trees.
Flowers bloom in profusion in spring against a background of leftover snow.
This idyllic wadi has not escaped greed. Someone decided to milk a few liras out of it. He bulldozed a road zig-zagging up a steep slope, dumping the soil down over the old trees and weathered rocks.