When one thinks of Morocco, one thinks of the orange sand dunes, the labyrinthine medinas, the calls to prayer that rise from the mosques, or the fine blue ceramic mosaics. One thing that rarely comes to mind are the days in the mountains. However, the Atlas mountain range is a small hidden treasure, still not very touristy, which is worth discovering. 

I did a two-day hike there to complete the ascent of Mount Toubkal, the highest peak in North Africa. Although the level of complexity of the ascent is quite low, preparation is still recommended in order to reach the summit at 4,116 meters. Personally, it was my first hike of several days. I leave you the pleasure of discovering my level of preparation during this story. 

That morning, when the dial rang, I opened my eyes to discover that my friend had woken up in the middle of the night because her eye was crying and swollen. That was a good first morning in Morocco!

As planned, a guide picked us up to take us to the small village of Imlil, about an hour from Marrakech, from where we left for two days of mountain hiking. There was no way we were going to miss this sublime adventure, so although my friend was having a hard time opening her eye, she had decided to wait until we got back from our hike to see a doctor if necessary, if the problem did not go away on its own.

In Imlil, we met our mountain guide and, after the usual explanations, we left for the ascent of Mount Toubkal. For this first half of the day, everything went well. We stopped for dinner, and then we set off again with the aim of reaching the base camp at the end of the afternoon. The further we advanced, the more rugged the terrain became and we had to be careful where we set foot.

About an hour later, still climbing, still on such steep terrain, I was starting to get tired. Although I had already been hiking, several times a month in the summer, you have to understand that there is still a margin between the Charlevoix mountains and the Toubkal. That's when every step became difficult and I only wanted to get to the base camp.

I had been warned to watch out for signs of altitude sickness, but even though I didn't feel any nausea or headache, every movement made me breathless. And that was only the first day!

When we finally saw the base camp, I couldn't even rejoice. It took too much energy! And even though I was advancing, step by step, I didn't feel like I was getting any closer. I can guarantee that I have never been so happy to walk through a door frame!

That night, I couldn't swallow anything. I was exhausted... but not so exhausted that I could fight the jet lag, apparently.

At the time of this trip, Morocco was six hours ahead of Quebec, which means that, although it was 9 p.m., for me it was barely 15. Even though I counted to 100 in French, English, Spanish, German and Italian, singing lullabies in my head, forcing me to think of nothing, I looked at the time for the last time around half past one in the morning.

At two thirty, Mohamed, our guide, came to wake us up for departure. After a quick breakfast, we started climbing again. Despite the short night, I managed to put one foot in front of the other.

I should tell you that before we left, we asked what temperature we would face during the hike. The answer was: about zero degrees Celsius at the summit. Being good Canadian women who are absolutely not afraid of the cold, we were armed with a fall coat, leggings, a toque and magic gloves. It was the perfect outfit for the weather! However, I can tell you that when we got there, in the middle of the night and at altitude, in October, it was more like -20 degrees Celsius. To give you an idea, after two hours of an ascent that was supposed to last four, I couldn't move my lips and I had frost in my eyelashes.

About 100 meters from the summit, we decided that was enough. The clouds were beginning to surround the summit, meaning that we wouldn't have the desired view anyway. Plus, it would have been dangerous to keep moving forward. Despite some disappointment, we turned back.

As far as the descent to base camp is concerned, I can honestly tell you that I'm missing some of it. I remember being so cold that I almost ran to get down. Having had a sled, I would have seriously considered using it.

For those of you who have never been hiking at altitude, there is something you should know. The goal is to acclimatize quietly to every height. In short, running down is just as bad as running up. I'll spare you the sordid details, but lucky my lunch was far enough away. I had to sit down to avoid dizziness and, after removing my toque in the hope that the cold would help with the nausea, our guide explained that I was suffering from altitude sickness and that I had to continue descending, but at a more reasonable speed.

I finally made it to base camp and even got a bite to eat. It is at this point in our history that I must inform you of a detail. I am suffering from knee problems. It's nothing very serious, and definitely nothing that prevents me from doing the activities I want to do, but enough to have to support my knees with physiotherapy tape on long hikes.

Apparently, hurtling down the slopes of Toubkal at full speed was not a very appreciated activity for my knees. While the altitude sickness subsided as we went down the mountain, theswelling in my knees got worse and worse. Look, I felt bad for my friend who still couldn't see out of one eye and I wanted to be with her in her suffering. That's nice of me, isn't it?

By some miracle, we managed to make our way to the village of Imlil by our own means and without having to be rescued. What a story!

For that first half of the day, everything went well. We climbed quietly in the hollow of a valley where a small river of turquoise water meanders and where apple orchards stretch out. We stopped for dinner and then set off again, full of energy, with the aim of reaching the base camp in the late afternoon. Although the hike was not so easy, we finally reached the base camp. The camp was quite rustic, but there was a huge fire that was driving the humidity out and warming the whole camp. 

After a short night's sleep and a hearty breakfast, we were off again...until we passed the camp gate. Automatically, my friend and I froze in front of the show at. During the night, snow had covered all the surfaces and, at this time of the night, in this mountain at the end of the world where light pollution is only a distant concept, all the stars of our galaxy and probably of a few galaxies around us were visible. I didn't even know that it was possible to see so many of them from Earth. What a shame that no picture could do justice to what we saw, but I will always remember this image.

After having admired the stars for a good fifteen minutes, we left, direction the top of Toubkal. We crossed small rivers in the light of our headlamps and continued the ascent. The cold made the hike more difficult than we had imagined, but we still reached the Toubkal ridge shortly before the summit, where we could see the sun rising gently over the mountains. A second magical spectacle on this day that was just beginning.

Unfortunately, about 100 meters from the summit, the cold and wind, in addition to the clouds that were beginning to block our view, convinced us to turn back. But I must say that, two years later, I still maintain that it was the best decision. With the help of our guide, we went down the Toubkal that day to return to Imlil. It was a great experience that ended well with a huge meal for five people and a good, long night's sleep.

For those who wonder which of the two versions is the real one, I will answer that they both are. The journey is a bit like that, just a mixture of magic and wonder, and disappointment and misfortune. Although we tend to show only the beautiful scenery and carefully crafted moments, mistakes and injuries are also part of the story. They give the best anecdotes, and make us come out of an experience that has tested and taught us.

For those who wonder if I would repeat the experience, I would say yes, but not in the same way. I am determined to continue hiking on the trip, but next time I will be prepared physically and mentally, and most importantly, I will have the equipment necessary to make this trip a complete success.

For those who wonder what happened next, rest assured, my friend was able to see a doctor who removed the foreign body that was lodged in her eye and, after some drops and ointment, she regainedfull use of her eye. As for me,one of my knees was swollen for about two weeks, to the point where I couldn't bend my leg at all. An interesting exercise in riads (old traditional houses on 4-5 floors that are used as hotels) that do not have an elevator. But that didn't stop me from enjoying my trip.