I am a Physician, but I also serve as a mountain guide within the Environment Council—an association I founded around thirty years ago in Qobeiyat, North Lebanon. My journey with walking commenced at the age of 10 when I began hiking with the scouts in the Akkar and Qobeiyat regions. It offered me a splendid means of escape.
Together with friends, including fellow walkers, I established the Environment Council with the mission of acquainting citizens with the nature that envelops them and cultivating their consciousness about forest preservation and the broader environment. Walking served as the cornerstone of our approach. We believed that leading people through trails to foster a connection with nature and encouraging them to become environmental stewards was more efficacious than hosting conferences. Consequently, we began organizing hikes every Sunday, year-round. This is how my role as a guide unfolded, complementing my responsibilities as a doctor and a manager within the Environment Council. Within the NGO, we also initiated training sessions for aspiring hiking guides.
To this day, I hold the conviction that walking remains paramount. Indeed, walking is living. It triggers an array of physiological functions, including cognitive processes, and awakens our senses. It's a quest for harmony with nature. Humans are inherently designed to walk; thus, cultivating this activity benefits both adults and children alike.