After my time on the beach, I decided to head back to the mountains. Jebel Toubkal, the highest peak in North Africa would be my next stop. I took a taxi from Marrakech to Imil, about 60 km south. This small town is the start of the trek to the mountain, but isn't very exciting in itself.
I spent a night in Imlil and started hiking at about 8:30 am. Imlil is at 1740 meters (5709 feet). Reached the refuge in about 3.5 hours which is at 3207 meters (10522 feet). I spent the rest of the day hanging out at the refuge, which housed about 40 people from Spain, France, Switzerland, Czech Republic, etc. The next day we would hike to the summit (4167 meters, 13671 feet), starting around sunrise at 6:30 am. Over dinner people were talking about a couple of Italians who did the round trip from the refuge to the summit in four hours, which everyone thought was "amazing" and "impossible".
I woke up around 5:30, had a quick breakfast, and hit the trail a little after 6:30...somewhere in the middle of the pack. I guess I can thank certain Seattle climbers (Aaron, etc.) for some great summer training. I passed everyone and hit the summit in 97 minutes, jogging the last ten minutes or so. Then spent about 20 minutes on the summit, waiting for the next party to come up so they could take some photos for me. I got back down to the refuge 3:22 after leaving, spent about an hour relaxing in the sun, and headed back to Imlil.
Next stop...Casablanca...
And don't forget TCPW is coming!!!
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