War scuppered the 2026 thru-hike of the Lebanon Mountain Trail, but it didn't stop the walking. When the annual April trek was called off as conflict escalated in early March, London-based artist Ali Pretty of silk design studio Kinetika launched 'Walk with Lebanon' — an open invitation to hike wherever you were in the world between April 3 and May 3, in solidarity with the trail and its communities.

The response was remarkable: 67 organised hikes by 32 groups across more than 25 countries. Pretty herself walked sections of Türkiye's Lycian Way and Carian Trail carrying hand-painted silk flags. A Scottish artist took a mandala flag to Nepal's Chisapani Nagarkot Trail. In southeast France, French-Lebanese walker Azul Thome organised an 18km walk from her village, complete with seven upcycled fabric flags depicting migratory birds that shuttle between France and Lebanon — around 50 people joined, from parents with strollers to a 90-year-old woman.

The flags are the heart of the story. Kinetika and the Lebanon Mountain Trail Association (LMTA) had been working since 2024 on hand-painted silk banners for each of the trail's 27 sections, based on stories and drawings gathered from villages along the route. One northern flag features cedar, fir and juniper trees, the rare Lebanese hyena and a shepherd's tent; another shows a citadel, mosque, olive press and the Hasbani River. Each day of Walk with Lebanon was tied to a trail section, with the flag's 'story' posted online, alongside five philosophical questions from Bertrand Russell for walkers to ponder.

So what is this trail? The LMT runs 450km along Lebanon's mountainous spine, from Andqet in the north to Marjeyoun in the south, crossing 80 towns and villages between 570 and 2,072 metres, with a further 150km of side trails. Twice a year, in April and October, the LMTA runs thru-hikes led by local guides — walkers pass through remote villages, valleys, nature reserves and cedar groves, sleeping in convents, guesthouses and family homes and eating home-cooked meals. You can join for a month or just a few days.

The 19-year-old LMTA hasn't given up. The October hike was scaled back to weekends, and a full thru-hike is planned for April 2027, when all 38 flags — including 11 new ones for side trails, painted in workshops Pretty led in Lebanon in September — will be gifted to their communities. Responses from Walk with Lebanon are being compiled into a 27-page magazine.

Why it matters for travellers: if you've written off Lebanon, this is a reminder that the trail community is very much alive and actively welcoming hikers next spring. A guided thru-hike segment is one of the most immersive ways to see the country's mountains and rural life — and in 2027, you'd walk it alongside its new flags.

Story via Adventure.com.