DAY 4 Imlil to Toubkal Refuge
02 December 2005
Cafe Soliel, with waiting mule. Enlarge image
We decided that we would climb Jebel Toubkal, and so started making preparations after breakfast. Like the Brits we'd talked to the night before we decided not to hire a guide, but to hire a mule for the first day’s hike to the refuge below Toubkal. The mule would show us the way to the refuge in addition to carrying our bags. The route from the refuge to the summit, which we would do alone the following day, is supposed to be obvious. It's difficult to get decent maps here, and if we'd know we would've been better off getting one back in the Uk. We found out that it won't be possible to do the ascent at this time of year without crampons, and so we hired three pairs from the hotel (at a rip-off price naturally). We also needed to take food up with us to the refuge, so we bought three days worth of supplies from a nearby shop. Such things are expensive up in the mountains, and probably even more so if you’re a gullible-looking tourist.
Mule carrying our bags, with Imlil in the background. Enlarge image
It was around midday by the time we set off through town to find our muleteer. We agreed a price of 120dh, but he’d only go up as far as the snow line as it gets icy beyond this. After passing through Imlil we walked along the bottom of a stony valley bordered by red mountains topped with snow. There was a large flock of choughs at the edge of town, and they seemed to appear later wherever there was human habitation. At this lower altitude there were also black wheatears and crag martins with distinctive ‘window’ patches on either side of their tails. We climbed out of the valley and up onto a trail through the mountains. Although we continuously gained height the going was never very steep. With the mule carrying our bags it was a pleasant walk in the warming sunshine.
After a couple of hours hiking the trail entered a tiny mountain village, whose main or only business seemed to be selling to people passing through to the Toubkal refuge. We stopped for some mint tea and talked with some of the men, promising to look in shops on the way back down. We found out our muleteer’s name was Brahim, though Ol first mis-heard it as Brian to everyone’s amusement. we knew him as Brian from then on.
Olly and Andy on the hike to the Toubkal refuge. Enlarge image
We continued threading our way through the mountains, and after an hour or so started getting into the snow and ice where the mule left us. At this point we met again with the Brits from Imlil, and stopped for some food - a tin of sardines with bread, followed by oranges and biscuits. While we were eating Omar, a shop keeper and probably also a guide and the guardian of the Toubkal refuge arrived and also stopped for some lunch.
After lunch We set off at a much slower pace due to the ice and the weight of our rucksacks. There werte lots of prints in the snow, proabably from an animal about the size of a large domestic cat. Occasionally there were also some much smaller prints, presumably made by some kind of rodent. After about another hour we reached the refuge. The refuge, like the Cafe Soleil, was freezing cold. The rules are no boots inside, but we didn’t have any other footware with us as we'd left many of our things back in Imlil to pick up on our return. We scrounged some spare slippers, one of my mis-matched pair being three-quarters of a flip-flop that finished about half way along my foot. Still, this was much better than the cold floor. The refuge is a substantial modern building, built by the French Alpine club. However, the only heating in the place was a fire (not yet lit) in the common-room (very far away from my bed!) – it seemed like a very small concession to the winter night temperatures.
Accenter at the Toubkal refuge. Enlarge image
The refuge guardian explained that the animal tracks in the snow, of which there are a great number around the building, are made by foxes. Later whilst we’re cooking dinner (pasta with tomato and sardine sauce) he calls us over to the door from where he's spotted one. I was keen to try and get a photo of one of the foxes, but despite spending time hanging around outside with my telephoto lens I never managed to see one again.
The fire was lit in common room – it is only lit at the request and expense of guests – but it did little to warm the place up. Aside from ourselves, and the two other Brits, there were only two Spanish blokes staying in the refuge that night. I decided to go to bed early again to escape the cold. I got into my thin 2 season sleeping bag fully dressed and wearing my woolly hat, and was comfortably warm all night.
Choughs flying around the mountains around Toubkal refuge. Enlarge image
Choughs on the refuge roof. Enlarge image
Chough on the roof at sunset. Enlarge image
