#toubkalrefuge

[morroccotrek-blog]

Trek and Fun in Morocco www.hiremyguide.com #toubkal2017 #toubkalmountain #toubkalrefuge #toubkalnationalpark #toubkalsummit #toubkal4167m #toubkal (at Active Treks Morocco) https://www.instagram.com/p/Br5zqDMhc42/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=5drhbl1hjd9s

[morroccotrek-blog]

Toubkal Guide www.hiremyguide.com #toubkal2017 #toubkalmountain #toubkalrefuge #toubkalnationalpark #toubkalsummit #toubkal4167m #toubkal (at Active Treks Morocco) https://www.instagram.com/p/Br5yjcghXBJ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=oiwavcnzss33

[writenotfight-blog]

Day 2 - The Trek to Toubkal Refuge

I would just like to make one thing clear: I am absolutely not the fittest person.

Nevertheless my wanderlustful heart dragged me out into the middle of nowhere in the High Atlas Mountains, resisting every screaming nerve in my body which were convincing me to turn back.

Starting at 9am, we drove from Marrakech for an hour to reach Imlil Village to meet our lovely guide Mohammad, our cook Yusuf, and the King of Mules, Shrek(self named). This was an unstoppable team, I could feel it! After preparations were made, we started off on our grand adventure.

The weather was absolutely beautiful, the sun was out in all its glory, and Mohammad was serving up a good pace which I was proud of being able to match. Little did I know this was a mere warm up for what was about to come...

We eventually reached Shamharoush for some lunch, which we greedily devoured. After some repacking, of which most of what we were carrying was transferred to Shrek, Mohammad made his lunchtime prayers and soon we were off again.

The second part of the day was less fun; the path became less defined and the terrain eventually became rocky and narrow. I began to feel to steepness of our hike too, and fast pace walking quickly became fast pace climbing. It was not unlike climbing a lot of stairs, and there was absolutely no opportunity for a break, so the only way was to keep trodding on.

Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot

The mantra kept me going for hours; all I could do was focus on putting one leg in front of the other. I could feel the sheer exhaustion from the climb creeping in, but there was literally no time or energy to even give it a thought.

Left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot

My focus was 100% on my feet. The picture taking and scenic beauty was going to have to wait. My priority was solely on making the right steps in the right place, a mistake or a slip would be costly. I saw pebbles, rocks, stones, earth, water, streams, and sand; I saw good footholds and bad ones, wet surfaces and slippery ones, and several life flashing-me-by moments. As we climbed the weather turned very quickly too, we were at a level where we could see snow.

It was 3 hours of non stop trekking until Mohammad gave me the light at the end of the tunnel.

"It's the base camp! Over there you see it?"

I very nearly cried in joy. I made it! The magnificent building stood proud at 3200m and was truly a sight for sore eyes. The refuge screamed out for me and I was desperate to finally be indoors. The temperature had dipped and our bodies were sore but all that didn't matter now that I had reached our destination for the day.

Stay tune for tomorrow though: The Toubkal Mountain top!