Jebel Toubkal and Sahara (Morocco) Feb 2006

Having arrived in Marrakech on Sat 4 Feb, we slept over at Hotel Ali and collected unleaded petrol from a Shell station in town for the stove. We repacked our bags to include our hand luggage. Our bags were very heavy – each of us carrying about 27kg. This included tent, ice axes, crampons, mountain boots, stove, fuel, pots, first aid, winter and rain gear, camera, GPS, maps, compass and food for 14 days. We decided to carry everything rather than leaving stuff behind. Early on the 5th of Feb we started our journey to the mountains by walking out of Marrakech and catching a share taxi to Asni, about an hour’s drive away. From there we got another share taxi to Imlil, a small village at 1740m.

Day 1 (5 Feb): Arriving in Imlil we first struggled to find the right way up the hill. A local helped us onto the right track and we proceeded slowly. There was still a fair amount of snow lying around and it was obvious that a lot of snow has fallen a few days before we got here. Our packs weighed us down tremendously and we stopped frequently for a breather. A zig-zag path led us out of Imlil to a track that runs to the next town, Around (1850m), that only got electricity in 1997. Past Around the path disappeared in a very rocky plateau in the upper valley above Around. We followed my guidebook’s directions to a large boulder we could see on the left slope of the valley. Here we picked up the path again and started getting more serious snow patches. Having only my battered old hiking boots and mountain boots, I had to change to the heavy steel-shanked boots here to avoid getting cold and soaked feet. Consequently I was slowed even more. We also decided to put on our snow goggles – it was a bright sunny day and the glare from the snow higher up the mountain was already forcing a terrible squint from both of us. Finally we approached a couple of hovels huddled together in a narrow part of the valley. This was Sidi Chamharouch (2300m). It offered a few sleeping spots and some drinks but little else. We planned on camping as far as we can so we carried on past and up the first deep snow of our trip. About 100m higher than Sidi Chamharouch we decided to look for a camp spot – it was getting cold in the afternoon shade and we were pretty tired from lugging the heavy packs. It was also already past 4pm. As we intended to do an integrale ascent of the ridge surrounding the Toubkal refuge we climbed onto the spur immediately to our right and found a reasonably flat spot in the snow that we stomped down for the tent. Unfortunately the few spots that were not covered in snow were very rocky but at least we had a decent slab of rock to pack our gear out on. We started the stove but it sputtered and struggled with the petrol. After a few adjustments however, it got back into its usual rhythm and we could start cooking our first hot meal. Soon after the sun dipped behind the mountains the temperature dropped below zero and not long after dinner we were ensconced in the tent.

Day 2 (6 Feb): We got up around 7am, boiled some drinking water, had breakfast and packed up. With trepidations, we headed up the hill. It was a beautiful sunny day, like the day before, and we were in good spirits. Walking in the snow proved to be hard as it was deep enough to warrant proper trail breaking and we were often stepping deeper than knee-depth through the snow. About a 100m above our camping spot the terrain steepened and we encountered waist-deep snow. Big boulders also made life extremely difficult as they were hidden by the snow and we couldn’t really get past them. I soon realized that we were going to have extreme difficulty in doing what we intended and things might get impossible later on. Feeling very disappointed, I called Darrell down and we decided to head down to the track leading up to Toubkal refuge. From there we would at least be able to assess conditions better and make a decision of what to do. Getting down to the track was interesting as we descended down a very steep snow slope. I slipped in one spot and twisted my knee enough to get me in a very uncomfortable position with my pack trying to pull me down the hill and both my feet lodged up to my upper thighs in the snow. Darrell had to help me take my pack off before I could use the ice axe to dig myself out. The knee, which I injured a week before back at home, was now sensitive but at least not bad enough to turn around. When we got to the track we rested a while and then headed uphill. The track consisted initially of slushy snow with a few rocky patches in between but soon we were walking on snow non-stop. The packs and heavy mountain boots made things very slow and we stopped often for a breather. Lunch was a rather quick affair but about two hours later we ran out of drinking water and had to stop to melt some snow. Probably due to the heavy pack and fatigue I was lagging behind but we finally got the refuge in view as we rounded a bend in the valley. Darrell got to the refuge about 20 minutes before me and waited while I slowly came up behind. I arrived as the first spots of afternoon shade moved over the refuge. It was very cold and we pulled on heavier gear and beanies before looking for a camping spot. We were quite annoyed when the caretaker of the refuge demanded camping fees from us. Although he said we could use the “toilets” and water inside, we were oblivious of this “rule” that none of our guidebooks mentioned. However, we were exhausted, it was very cold and the price wasn’t exorbitant so we decided to pitch the tent on about 2m thick snow collected above and behind the refuge. It was bitterly cold outside and neither of us felt remotely like cooking. We fled into the tent and tried to heat up in the sleeping bags. For dinner we had some chocolate and Salticrax. We discussed our plans for the next few days and decided to have a rest day first to try and recover from carrying the huge packs but also to use the time to acclimatize. Even though the refuge is only at 3150m, spending an extra night here before climbing 1000m made good sense. We went to bed fairly contented.

Day 3 (7 Feb) We woke to a miserable looking day. It was overcast and it had also snowed slightly during the night on the distant peaks we could see. For breakfast we had our previous night’s intended dinner. We were happy to use the water from the refuge because the only alternative was melting snow, but we still had to treat the water with chlorine tablets and the only way to make this water palatable was to add some Tang. Temperatures during the day hovered barely above 0 and we eventually scurried back into the tent to do some reading and relaxing. Late in the afternoon we started cooking dinner and watched a French couple play around with two avalanche beacons in the deep snow. Soon after dinner we were back in the tents but got up again in the early evening when the wind picked up and we decided to pack the tent down more securely. We used both ice axes and my ski-pole to secure the guy ropes on the windward side and then also packed down all the snow flaps.

Day 4 (8 Feb) It snowed quite a bit during the night and the tent was battered by some strong winds coming down the valley. But the morning was cold and wind-still with some clouds drifting before the sun. After the miserable weather the previous day we weren’t too sure about getting up Toubkal but when we heard other people getting ready to go, we also decided to head up. We had a nice hot breakfast and took our time to get ready – still, we were not the last to leave from the refuge. Dressed up warm, crampons on, ice-pick at the ready, lunch and water on our backs, we left. Immediately behind the refuge we already found our crampons to be useful as we climbed up a 45 degree compacted snow slope to get out of the river bed that the refuge is built next to. Then we angled up the southern cwm route that seemed to be the most popular, also for ski ascents. Because we mainly followed the tracks of people in front of us, the snow was generally compacted fairly hard and we rarely stepped deeper than our ankles. We crossed a rock band that demanded a little mixed climbing but nothing serious. After we reached the top of the first convex part of the cwm, we were able to see the rest of the cwm with spectacular ice and snow fields leading to the col between Toubkal and its neighbour. We followed in the tracks and despite having to rest often due to the thinning air, we made good progress. We eventually reached a point just below the top of the col at around 3800m. From here the upper slopes of Toubkal stretched above us. The angle wasn’t steep, maybe 20 degrees maximum, but most of this slope was mixed climbing with most of the snow being blown away. Getting much more exposure up here, the wind picked up and the temperature dropped well below freezing. Although I didn’t carry my thermometer, I was convinced the air temperature was close to -10 degrees with wind chill probably dropping it close to -15. The last 100m was a struggle. Although the only real altitude symptom I experienced was a slight headache, I was very out of breath and had to stop often, even though my legs didn’t feel tired. Finally we reached the summit and I got quite emotional looking around at the spectacular scenery around us. Everywhere we looked we could see snow-capped mountains and the Sahara stretching into the distance. I was acutely reminded of the views from my Alpine peaks and we stood around for about 10 minutes, despite the cold. Seeing most of the ridge that we intended to do we realized that it was probably a good thing we turned around. Very thick snow, the extreme cold and wind would have made life very, very hard. And then we still haven’t considered the technical climbing and abseiling we would’ve had to do. We finally started descending. Darrell took a bit of a tumble when his ice axe skidded of a rock and he lost his footing when he tried to catch it. Apart from a few scrapes and bruises on his knee and elbow, he tore his pants, but this I was able to sew up back in the tent later that afternoon. We descended faster than everybody else and got back to the tent at around 14:30. It was still chilly outside and we were tired. Although we were thinking earlier in the day to terminate our stay in the hills and head down the valley that same afternoon, we decided against this back in the tent. We jumped in our sleeping bags and had some more chocolates and Salticrax for dinner. The wind picked up during the late afternoon. Initially it was blowing at around 60km/h and some spindrift collected in the bell of the tent. In the early evening though we thought that it was snowing again but it was hard to tell because the wind picked up more speed and we eventually estimated that it was blowing constantly at about 80km/h and gusting up to a 100km/h. That night we did not rest at all as the wind battered the tent ceaselessly.

Day 5 (9 Feb) When it got light we opened the tent to a full-blown blizzard. Neither of us wanted to face another day in the tent so we decided to walk out regardless of the storm. We packed everything inside the tent and dressed warmly before getting out. It was a mission to take the tent down in the howling wind and snow. Even doing small tasks like fastening boots or strapping the packs down became hard. Spindrift was blown in our faces continuously, stinging our eyes. When we were finally ready to go we couldn’t see further than about 10m and the tracks leading down the valley were completely covered. Luckily the valley was wide and easy to follow so all we did was head downhill. But the new snow made the walking immensely difficult. Because we couldn’t see the compacted tracks we would wander into deep loose snow more often than not, ending up in waist deep snow and occasionally even deeper. The only thing that kept us going was the knowledge that it can only become easier lower down. We finally got to Sidi Chamharouch where the wind eased off and the snow turned into rain. We finally also walked out of the snow and were quite satisfied that we’ve seen enough snow for the rest of the year! We continued down the valley to Around where we found a decent place to stay for the night. We had a warm (not hot!) shower that was negated by the temperature inside the place that never rose above 6 degrees C while we were there. We spent the afternoon trying to dry some clothes and our sleeping pads in the cold. We ordered couscous with chicken and vegetables and got our first real decent meal since leaving South Africa. We slept reasonably well that night but still used our sleeping bags to warm up.

Day 6 (10 Feb) We left Around after paying our hostess. We took some time to find our way out of the alleyways but finally got back on the path leading down to Imlil. It was still raining a little but some blue sky in the distance looked promising. In Imlil we got into a taxi quickly and headed back for Asni and Marrakech. In Marrakech we managed to get onto a bus headed for Quarzazate on the other side of the Atlas almost immediately.

The bus trip to Quarzazate was very pretty and we sat staring out the windows the entire way. In Quarzazate we booked into a small hotel and left the next morning for Tinghir just outside Todra gorge. We found a campsite where we pitched our tent and spent the afternoon exploring the area. The next morning we took a walk down the road into Todra gorge, a prominent gorge cut into the limestone ridge running parallel to the Atlas. It was cold so we only stopped at a little restaurant to get a bite to eat before returning to our campsite. I phoned the guide we were planning on using for a short camel-trek into the Sahara and late that afternoon he came to pick us up. We drove in a battered old Jeep to the frontier town of Merzouga, arriving there late at night. We got booked into a mud hotel (all the buildings in Merzouga are built from mud, straw and sticks), slept well and started our camel-trek the next day. We quickly found out riding on a camel's back for longer than 5 minutes is extremely uncomfortable but after about 2 hours walk into the desert, we arrived at our accommodation for the night - 3 Berber tents in the middle of the sand sea of Erg Chebbi. Darrell and I spent the afternoon climbing dunes and taking pictures. Later we were joined by two Canadians we met back in Merzouga - a hashish-smoking minstrel and his wannabe girlfriend. The next morning our two groups made a longer trek to the east, crossing Erg Chebbi completely. We stopped at a water well where our camel herder drew water for the camels before we walked on to a Berber family's hut in the middle of the stone desert, next to a flood plain. We had some tea and chapatis before exploring the surrounding desert. The next morning we trekked back to Merzouga from where we caught a bus to Fes where we stayed with a pastor friend of my Mom's. Then a rather unpleasant train ride got us to Casablanca which we explored for a morning on foot before we flew back home.