2023-06-10 Shabrouh Rock &amp; Dam: The Extended Loop

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Photo of2023-06-10 Shabrouh Rock & Dam: The Extended Loop

Author

zahi.ramadan

with 1 trail buddy

10,022 258 1779

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Trail stats

Distance: 12.19 mi
Elevation gain: 2,677 ft
Technical difficulty: Difficult
Elevation loss: 2,677 ft
Max elevation: 6,380 ft
TrailRank: 55
Min elevation: 5,078 ft
Trail type: Loop

Time: 6 hours 54 minutes
Coordinates: 1646
Uploaded: June 12, 2023
Recorded: June 2023

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near Aïn Ourâj, Mont-Liban (Libanon)

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Trail photos

Itinerary description

Lebanon's Highlands are beautiful all year round; the rock formation make up for the lack of woods.
Just to introduce the elephant in the room, this is a difficult hike. It is a difficult hike because it is long and because it is mostly a rocky trail.
Whatever you pay in sweat, you make up for it in beautiful landscape and scenery.
The hike started from the bottom of the Shabrouh dam and moved left toward Hrajel (The first 5+ km were on pavement). After Hrajel, the hike started to take shape, the trail started a steady climb passing by rock formations that was shaped by thousands of years of snow, rain, and sun. Some of these rocks had familiar shapes and we named them based on these shapes: snake, turtle, etc.
The sky was blue clear with dispersed white clouds and the breeze made it a cool one.
After the quarry, we started our downhill towards the Shabrouh lake and the taupe color started to mingle with the jaded green color of the lake.
The objective of this hike was to break a sweat (which we DID) and to reach the famous Shabrouh rock. Getting to the rock proved a bit challenging but we made it and there we had our lunch break where, no picture, could describe the view.
After the rock we descended on a steep switchback to reach the banks of the lake - my fellow hikers enjoyed a dip in the cold water of Shabrouh and half an hour later we reached our cars and called it a day.

Waypoints

Old Style Resort Homes

I was happy to see this sustainable architecture; the roof of the houses are used to raise veggies.

Go Right

Go Left

Jabal (Mount) Mousa

Snake Head

Rock formations over thousands of years chiseled by snow, water, and sun made the rocks look like different shapes.

Tree Rock

One of the few trees (oak) encountered on this trail. It is protected by the rocks surrounding it.

Rock Plates

Coffee Break

My fellow hikers decided to have their coffee break in the shade of the Turtle (we named it) rock.

Oasis

once in a while we came across a sinkhole rich with lush greens. Such a treat in the middle of rocky terrain.

Cross

Christian towns have grown the habit of putting up a cross on the highest hills surrounding the villages.

Shabrouh Peek-A-Boo

The first sighting of the Shabrouh lake from. We had visual contact a few hundred meters before the summit of the trail.

Quarry Site

You see this all over Lebanon; "citizens" take advantage of the government impenitence to punish them and start destroying nature. The quarry is the summit of this trail.