Morocco, Mount Toubkal trek – Small Group Adventure
This blog is intended to share what an amazing experience this was, that many strangers you meet through small group adventure travel will go on to be close friends, how unexpected events take place and still become treasured memories and how important it is to have moments in your life you look back on with a smile and huge sense of achievement. Not all adventures have to be as active or eventful, so whether it's this or a more relaxed adventure you are after, there is something for everyone.
September 2022, saw 28 trekkers of which we were 2, arrive in Morocco with Intrepid Travel, to take on the beautiful Mount Toubkal, the highest peak of the Atlas Mountains standing at 4167m. Intrepid Travel are and have been the leaders of sustainable adventures for over 30 years. They work with local leaders and guides, and include local authentic experiences.
We prepared for this trip as best we could, training for the terrain and altitude here is not that easy, however we were fit and ensured our kit included everything we needed. What we hadn’t foreseen was managing an overseas hospital process, the language barriers that gave us, the discovery of my new best friend - google translate and dealing first hand with travel insurance and international medical assistance! I always ensure my clients have Travel Insurance in place to cover the unexpected and now I can say, I have dealt with this scenario first hand, and without travel insurance it would have been a very different and more expensive experience!
Day 1. Marrakech. As a group we met in the hotel with Nicola Graham, the founder and mummy of Reuben’s Retreat, the main charity we were all walking for. She covered the vision, progress, and work that they do in memory of Reuben, which was incredible, heart warming & motivating for all of us. From this moment on we all went from strangers to a strong and bonded team of adventurers ! We were also joined by Ibrahim and Mohammed, our guides for the coming days, and they soon became great friends. They welcomed us to their country, discussed the plan for the next few days and then we ventured out for the Marrakesh medina and foodie experience, we discovered the local street cafes, dined on soup with doughnuts, tagines and plenty of desserts from street vendors. Our senses were overloaded with smells, singing, drumming, dancers, snakes and much more. This evening will also firmly be remembered, as it also marked the day, we received the sad news that our Queen had passed away, such a surreal moment now embedded in this trip’s memories.
Day 2. We left Marrakech and travelled through the valleys and up towards the higher villages, the High Atlas Mountains presence were taking our attention to what lay ahead. We arrived in Imlil Village, from this traditional mountain village we started our trek to base camp. The trail crossed the floodplain of the Ait Mizane valley before we headed up the mountainside. It was here that it starts to get steeper, this is what we had prepared for, and every step was nearer our goal. We arrived at Toubkal Base Camp, Neltner (3,207 metres above sea level) where for some the altitude was now felt. This section took us around 7 hours, even with a lunch stop and petting baby goats on our way. After this long day you would expect everyone to get to bed early and sleep like babies. Not many of us, and not me! I couldn’t sleep- my heart started racing with the altitude and maybe it was just adrenalin and excitement too.
Day 3. Summit Day. Today was a key day for us as it was Reuben’s birthday, so despite the lack of sleep, we all donned our head torches and left for the summit around 4am. Thinking of Reuben was motivation for the early start. I headed up in the first group to reach the summit, it was pitch black, hard going and a very rocky and unforgiving terrain. About an hour after we left the altitude really started to kick in with me, I literally hit a brick wall. Unable to move forwards, my legs felt like dead weights and my breathing was very difficult. Many of us hit this point at varying stages, and the team spirit to support and motivate each other to battle on was amazing, along with lots of Jelly Babies and a few swear words !! Two years of training and to be so close, I wasn’t giving up, so a huge mind over legs moment to pull through!
But wow, the summit… 4167m ! We managed to get there early, which meant we were treated to the most amazing sunrise and clear views across the Atlas Mountains range. This wasn’t just beautiful but emotional for so many of us. Jan’s group made it up to the summit about an hour after we did. It was a really special memory to share. We all sang Happy Birthday for Reuben, then there was not one but two marriage proposals in the group !!
Time to descend, so we started the trek back down around 10am after leaving base camp at 4am, just halfway through our trek! The sun shining, and a terrain that downhill was definitely tricky, a bit like walking on marbles and one of our party fell badly, my sister ! Mohammed was so quick to run back up the mountain to bring down 2 doctors he happened to get chatting to earlier ! So, with what we thought was a dislocated ankle, being on the side of a mountain doesn't make for the easiest of locations to be rescued from. The guides were incredible, and so kind to us and kept spirits up as much as they could as they literally piggybacked Jan down to base camp, through rain, thunder and lightning (shows how quick weather can change), then a mule for a few more hours back to Imlil Village. Once I had caught up, later that evening in the dark - trek complete ! We took various forms of transport back to Marrakech and checked into Clinique International where we stayed for the next 3 days. Not quite the All-Inclusive luxury hotel stay we had planned on checking into.
Regardless, this really was the most amazing adventure. It will definitely be an experience we will talk about for many years to come. Thank you again, to all who donated at the time, we raised over £30k for Reubens Retreat, plus Jan and I were able to support our own personal charities.
