Mountains of Hope:
Sharing the stories and dreams of the communities along the Lebanon Mountain Trail

The Lebanon Mountain Trail winds through more than 80 villages and towns, connecting people, places and stories across 450 kilometres of terrain, with an additional 150 kilometres of side network trails to explore. From ancient cedar groves and sacred valleys to wildflower meadows and mountain peaks, it is a route rich in biodiversity, history and culture. Kinetika worked in collaboration with the Lebanon Mountain Trail Association (LMTA) to bring these stories to life in a new way, through the design and creation of illustrated silk flags.

Across the trail, schools and communities came together to co-create 27 hand-painted silk artworks, each capturing the spirit, identity and environment of their region. Measuring 1.2m², the silks formed a vibrant visual tribute to the people who lived along the trail and to the landscape that sustained them.

This became Mountains of Hope, a creative journey that honoured the past, celebrated the present and imagined a shared future.

Workshops with schools along the Lebanon Mountain Trail.

27 Silks. Countless Stories. 1 Trail.

The LMT is divided into 27 linear trail sections, along with protected areas and seven side and network trails – each with its own personality and story to tell. This project produced a unique silk panel for every one of these places, with each design shaped by local participants and reflecting what made that stretch of the trail meaningful.

Through the process, themes of connection to the land, intergenerational memory, cultural resilience, dreams for the future and environmental guardianship emerged. The result was a bold, moving visual tapestry that brought the full beauty and complexity of the trail to life.

67 walks.
6 continents.
25+ countries.
1 collective act of solidarity.

Between 3 April – 3 May 2026, people across the world joined Walk with Lebanon: Mountains of Hope alongside the Lebanon Mountain Trail Association and Kinetika.

What began as a response to the postponed Lebanon Mountain Trail thru-hike became a global act of connection, care and hope.

From Batroun and Byblos to Thurrock, Melbourne to Munich, Kathmandu to New York, people carried stories from the Lebanon Mountain Trail into their own landscapes. Across mountains, coastlines, forests and city streets, each walk became part of a growing collective thread.

Throughout the month, the stories behind the 27 hand-painted silk flags, created with Lebanon Mountain Trail communities, were carried through landscapes across the world as acts of solidarity and connection.

And enormous thanks to Omar Sakr, Takla Khoueiry, Ranwa Imad, and the Lebanon Mountain Trail Association, and to all LMTA communities, for their trust, openness, and partnership throughout this journey.

We are now gathering reflections, photographs and responses into a collective publication to be shared with Lebanon Mountain Trail communities and presented later this year at the World Trails Network Conference.

If you walked with us, we would love to hear your reflections, memories, photographs or responses to the five questions via the link below.Thank you to everyone who walked alone, gathered friends and communities together, shared stories, and carried Lebanon in mind throughout the month.

Five questions for the walk

During the walks, we invited participants to reflect on five questions first posed by philosopher Bertrand Russell and revisited by historian Rutger Bregman:

• Who are we?
• Where did we come from?
• Where are we going?
• How should we live?
• What is sacred?

These questions sit at the heart of the project and invite conversation about identity, community and hope in uncertain times. Walkers around the world were invited to carry these questions with them as they take part.

Read the Silk Stories

Section 1A Andqet to El Qoubayat This section of the Lebanon Mountain Trail runs from Andqet to Qoubayat along the northern mountains on the border between Lebanon and Syria. Forests, orchards an

Section 1A Andqet to El Qoubayat This section of the Lebanon Mountain Trail runs from Andqet to Qoubayat along the northern mountains on the border between Lebanon and Syria. Forests, orchards an (1)

Gallery of Silks

Creating the Silks

Through workshops, drawings and conversations with 27 communities along the trail, these stories were transformed into 27 hand-painted silk flags. The creative process was led by artists Takla Khoueiry (LMTA) and Ali Pretty (Kinetika), working with communities along the trail and an international team of artists who helped bring the flags to life in silk.

To help communities get started, we developed a resource pack, designed to spark imaginations, honour local identity, and build confidence in self-expression. Live, interactive online sessions with Kinetika’s artists further supported community leads and creatives, giving them everything they needed to guide their community through the design journey.

View the Resource Pack

Creative Residency in the UK

In autumn 2025, Kinetika hosted an international creative residency in the UK, bringing together Takla Khoueiry from the Lebanon Mountain Trail, Wales’ Citrus Arts and Leeds’ Slung Low. The residency combined training in silk-making techniques with walks, workshops and the co-creation of the silks.