The Mountain Climb

Yesterday, I decided that I wanted to climb one of the nearby mountains. I really wish I could just give you the name, but I cannot. The mountain is just south of my village. The peak is 3265 meters, and what that translates to into feet, I have no idea. Basically I think it is roughly 10500, though I may be off in either direction. My village sits about 1950 meters, or roughly 6000 feet. So I am going to describe the climb, and try to break it down into sections. I am not sure how long or far I hiked, but basically I started at 5am and got back at 12:30 in the afternoon.

Section 1 – The Road
Leaving at 5am in the morning, it was still dark. As dark as it can be with streetlights still on, and a pseudo full-moon hovering above like a parent hovering over a baby. There were people out on the streets, much more than I had expected, and some of them were noticeably intoxicated. I was still extremely groggy and so speaking and thinking in another language was difficult. However, I only had to exchange a few greetings with people, and I continued onwards. I had my doubts about leaving so early, as we have many pseudo wild-dogs that come out at night, hoping to find food. They tend to stay away from people, but then again, they are wild, and some may be sick. So dog bites are no uncommon. But luckily, no run in with dogs today, but I was loaded with a rock in hand just in case. I left the main section of town and all was quiet, no people, no dogs barking, just me. In fact it was eerily quiet. As I left town, there was a hint of dawn peeking around the horizon, just the type of light that makes it a lighter blue. The road continued onward for a little while, and I passed fields or wheat, and crossed over irrigation streams. Having only been this way once before in the daylight, I had difficulty finding the trail that I needed to take. I looked around, and for about 5 minutes thought I was following the road too long. I tip-toed across the stream and finally found the trail.

Section 2 – The Trail to the Cave
Happy that I had not wasted too much time trying to find the trail, I continued onward. The trail, like the road, was mainly flat; however it was uphill, but in a most gradual sort of way. The substrate was mainly a slate like gravel, as most of the land around is exposed and there is little topsoil. There were no large trees around, just shrubs and bushes and thorns. The trail winded along the path of a stream-bed, the stream having gone somewhere else to spend the summer. By now the sun light was creeping over the small mountain to the east, and things were a bit easier to see, and the light to the east was an orange-yellow. There were no clouds in the sky, and the stars were all but gone, having spent the night illuminating the sky and dancing with each other. About this time, I came into the flat lands; a valley of sorts between the mountains, and the trail met a road, and they continued together for a while. Along the path, fields of wheat were waving in the morning wind, and interspersed were pockets of yellow wildflowers and the occasional red poppy flower. I stopped for a few pictures of the sunrise, as it was quite nice, and continued along the way. I reached a small house, a family that I know from my town, and the man was outside in the fields doing some irrigation work. I stopped briefly and greeted him. Naturally he asked me if I wanted to have tea, and I told him that I would return later for tea (and of course I did!). It was at this point the road ended, and the trail began to go uphill. At this point you are at the edge of the foothills, and the mountain is breathing the wind of the morning from around. I followed the trail over a small series of cascades, until I reached the cave, and the pass and gateway to the mountain. On my left side the cave, a nice opening in the side of a cliff. While it is not very deep, it provides sleeping grounds to some shepherds, and the rare hiker. However, most local people believe spirits live in these caves, so they stay away. It is a good place to relax, see a good view, and take it all in.

Section 3 – The Ascent Part 1
At this point things have been relatively flat, gradual, and happy. That quickly changes though. At the point of the cave you are at about 7200 feet, so you do the math and quickly realize it is extremely uphill. While the tree line is probably 8500 feet, there are very few trees here, just small shrubs. The substrate changes from a fine slate rocky topsoil to bigger rocks of slate. I started to walk up, and quickly realized I need to follow the shrubs as much as possibly, because as I would step on barren places, I would be slipping on all of the slate rocks, and every step meant sliding back a little bit. I would see the occasional lizard wandering around as well, as the sun was fully on my back. It is a hot sun here in Morocco, and even though the breeze kept me cool, my head was baking due to my thick bunch of hair. I continued on this line, until I came to a point where the shrubs stopped, and there was just slate pieces blanketing the side of the mountain. At this point I was even with the little bit of snow left on portions of the mountain, and above the tree line. I found myself getting super-tired, and trying to catch my breath. I could tell the elevation was not allowing my body to get the oxygen it needed. So I took more breaks. I reached a cliff, and took a break, finishing this portion, and readied myself for the final ascent. I was at 9200 feet at this point.

Section 4 – Final Ascent
So from this point I had two choices, I could go straight up the bare face of the mountain, and struggle to keep my footing, sliding back down with each step, or I could go up the side, with the very small shrubs, and more stable rocks. I chose the latter. While this made each step more productive and conserved energy, the slope was a bit steeper for a while, and generally at that point you are at least at a 45 degree angle. I would take more frequent breaks, and play little games in my head as my legs (calves especially) were starting to rebel against me due to lacking normal oxygen. I would take 100 steps, and then stop to catch my breath. I kept looking back, and I was blessed with an amazing view. I could see for miles to the north, across the plateau and see the middle atlas range. I could see all the nearby villages, including my own, and it was crystal clear. The only this that was around me at this point were ravens, as they nested on some of the cliffs around. I was now into the shade again, and out of the wind. It was quite comfortable. I reached the ridge, and the slope decreased slightly, a hint that I was close to the top. I couldn’t see the other side, but the every so often the wind would whip around me. I made a last push to the top, and all of the sudden everything changed.

Section 5 – The Top
It was morning still, about 10am, and I believe this is what accounted for the wind being so fierce. I don’t think I have ever been in a wind that was so sustained. It was cold at the top, and the wind made it even colder. I quickly put on my gloves and fleece shirt. While I was at the top, I was not at the highest point yet. I would have to follow the ridge to the next peak, and the stack of rocks that every climber knows means “This is it: the very top”. I could see the extreme mountains to the south, and the even bigger peak to the east. I could see little towns to the south nestled in valleys between mammoth mountains. I climbed to the stack of rocks, and sat down behind it for a few minutes just eating some peanuts and drinking some water. I felt content with having accomplished my goal (after failing due to cold temps and no gloves before. I have bad circulation, so at high elevation there is greater effect, and I could not feel to climb, so it was unsafe I thought). It was so gorgeous at the top, and I could see sheep grazing near the cave, and the shepherds were shouting to them. At night shepherds sleep on the mountains, and you can see their fires alit in the dead of the night. I sat for about half an hour at the top before getting too cold to stay, but the feeling of serenity and peacefulness was great. Even though I had just climbed a large mountain, you feel so small when you see the world or a portion of the world from so high up. Descending was a bit tricky, as you kind of had to ski down the slate. It was also incredibly fun.