Day 2 started with a 04:00 alarm call and a dark stumble to the dining tent for breakfast. After getting kitted up and with head-torches on we started the ascent at 05:00. In 45 minutes we reached Basecamp, otherwise known as the Neltner Refuge. This is the part where the trail takes a sharp and steep turn to the left away from the river. We stopped for a while to strap crampons to our boots before tackling the snowy slope.
The first section from the Refuge was a hard slog up a kilometre of a steep snowy climb. We were still warming up and waking up and the dark didn’t help either. By the end of this part our energy levels were pretty low. This was the point that was the hardest for Timi and she was questioning whether she could complete the whole climb. A rest on a rock, some water and a bag of Haribo did the trick and we continued again for the next section.
The ascent flattened out a bit and we took another hour to reach the top of the snow and ice. Now we could take our crampons off and walk the rest of the way on rock. This was also the point where the views became stunning as we could now see over the other side of the mountain across the High Atlas and beyond to the Sahara. In the distance we could see the parachute guy who we met the previous day slowly walking down. Obviously the parachute jump didn’t seem like such a good idea from the top.
After another 30 minutes we could finally see the metal pyramid that marked the summit. Toubkal is positioned within a range of other peaks and there’s many twists and turns before you get to the top, so the summit is hidden for most of the trip. Suddenly we could see it, still a long way off but it was a morale booster as we knew we would make it.
The final section was steep and rocky and required careful footwork. There was a particularly scary 10 metre section that was a thin ledge of snow and ice over a sheer drop. Crossing it meant stepping into the compacted footprints in the snow left by the previous walkers. A slip would have been disastrous.
Finally we reached the Summit and entered into quite a party atmosphere of celebrating trekkers. It was really emotional for Timi as the 4 hours of focus and determination gave way to the huge sense of pride and achievement of getting there.
We took some time at the top to take photos, take in the view, rest and have lunch. From the Northern side of the plateau we could see all the way down to the start and end point at Imlil. It was a very long way in the distance and a daunting prospect as we would have to get all the way back down there before the evening.
As we ate lunch and looked across to the other Mountains, Mo told us stories of helicopter crashes in the area. I’m not sure if it was the best time for such stories, but they were interesting nonetheless. One crash happened only a few months ago when a helicopter was called out to rescue a distressed trekker and it hit the side of the mountain. Mo also told us of another story going back to the 1980s of an American Military helicopter crashing into the mountain during the winter. It was carrying weapons and money and was only found the following spring. The story is that the locals “retrieved” the contents and although the government got the weapons, the money was never seen again. There’s a rumour that the money found in the crash was used to fund the renovation of the Neltner Refuge.
The descent was significantly easier and started off well. We were nervous about going back over the scary icy section but Mo took us a different way that avoided it. After about 20 minutes Timi was feeling pain in her knee. Mo had a knee support handy which helped a lot but it was still a worry as there was a lot of down still to go.
We reached the snowline again and Mo decided that we didn’t need to put the crampons back on. I wasn’t sure if this was a good idea as the first section was steep and I’m a bit nervous of slippery descents. Mo helped us down the tricky bits until it flattened out. Then came the fun part. Previous trekkers had created toboggan runs in the snow that were easy to follow. All we had to do was sit down in them, put our feet up and let gravity do the rest. We were able to take these runs down all the way to the Refuge. It was fun and exhilarating and was a great way to get down without putting pressure on Timi’s knee. We made the total descent to the Refuge in just over an hour, a quarter of the time it took to walk up.
After a late lunch at our camp it was time to walk back to the Kasbah. Timi swapped walking for mule riding and she and Terry (the Mule) headed down the rocky path with Mo and the muleteer in front and me behind. The mules are amazing in how they can negotiate the uneven, often steep, trails with a fully laden pack. At a fast pace we were back down in 3 hours, arriving back at the Kasbah just before 19:00.
The rest of the evening was short. Despite being hungry and less than 100m from the dining room, we couldn’t find the energy to walk anymore and went straight to bed. All-in-all, a long, challenging, exhausting, exciting, fun and inspirational day.
Reflecting back on the trip a few weeks later, it was exactly the right way to celebrate my 40th birthday. Getting older doesn’t bother me as long as I’ve made the most of the time that I’ve had so before. So far I’ve loved all of it.
