Riad Imlil
Travel Blogs from Imlil
SUMMIT DAY!
... desperately need to continue to breathe!
At 4167m, the top was beautiful, not cold and not windy, but I was spent. Because it was hazy, we could not see as far as the Sahara, but we could make out the plains of Marrakech. The top is also very wide, so there's plenty of space for all groups to just seat down and have a pic nic, taking all the time you want.
The group had lunch, I didn't as that's when altitude sickness ...
A good Moroccan squeeze
... a bucket of water). Nevertheless, a fourth local kindly invited me in as soon as he heard about my destination. Around 45 minutes later, we were ready to depart... The bus would indeed take off only when full. Patience is key. And, against all odds, the vehicle departed! Thanks probably to their fruitful discussion. We were at the ...
Atlas Mountain Hike and Berber Villages
... while we waited for our pungent and heavy soup and bread to be ready. With Abdul’s help in translating, we got to chat a bit with Lassan. He was tanned and gray-haired and I would guess maybe in his early sixties. The way he hiked up those mountains, however, made him seem like a 35 year-old. His eyes often glinted with humor, and he smiled a lot, showing his only two teeth in front.
After dinner we were more than ready to fall asleep in our ...
High ideals in the High Atlas
... had taken care of our needs and were now centralised in one room for prayers. With their shoes removed and all chanting in total harmony, this was definitely a sight I'd never seen before on a mountain! An early dinner and grateful reflection on what I'd managed so far was a good enough basis on what to sleep on, in a large dormitory of sleeping climbers.
Wed 24th August 2011
Just about everyone was up by4am and eating a ...
The Roof of North Africa, Jebel Toubkal
... refuge at around 13:00, we headed back down the mountain path to Imlil and hopefully a taxi back to Marrakesh. We made a quick pit stop at Sidi Chamharouch for a brief rest and another orange juice, before continuing on down the valley, arriving in Imlil at around 17:00. We were a lot faster coming down the mountain than getting up it, with every step becoming easier as the air became thicker.
We hired ourselves a taxi back to Marrakesh, which lasted another ...