(From wikipedia, not my photo)
At the end of October, six other Fulbrighters and I decided to climb Toubkal Mountain in the last weeks of climbing season. Toubkal is the tallest peak in North Africa, reaching a height of 13,671 feet. This was to be my first mountain climbing experience ever, so I was nervous from the outset. But I’d heard that trekking in the High Atlas mountains was a must-see when in Morocco, so I knew I wanted to try. We stayed the first night in Marrakech (where I had an awful experience at the hostel, wall paint poisoning, don’t even get me started…) and the next day headed 60 kilometers south to the beginning of the trail.
The first day was a steady incline for 5-6 hours. The weather was great – a little chilly compared to the 70’s we experienced back in Marrakech but no rain at all. I had stopped regularly working out since April so I was very , very tired by the end of the day. Luckily though, no blisters or injuries to speak of. I reached the refuge camp just before it started getting dark. 
First sighting of the refuge (sooo happy at that moment)The second day we woke up at 5am and headed out on the summit trail at 6:30am at first sun light. The path was a bit harder to follow this day, as the terrain became more and more rocky. Also, I began to feel the effects of high altitude in my breathing. I had to stop and catch my breath every minute or two. About an hour of hiking, I reached the ‘snow line,’ and another half hour small flakes of snow began falling. Lily, my hiking buddy, and I started discussing whether this weather was normal or whether we needed to turn back. Sadly, most of my knowledge of mountain climbing comes from reading Krakauer’s Into Thin Air (his account of climbing Everest) during middle school and I remembered the danger of having ‘summit fever’ and putting yourself in a dangerous position.
From the beginning of the trail, each time we met an experienced hiker on the trail, they shook their heads and said that our tennis shoes and fleece jackets were not enough for summiting. It was too late in the season, they said, to climb without professional equipment. I figured that I’d give the summit a try, but I wanted to be cautious. It was actually pretty comical seeing us – young kids wearing fleece jackets and tennis shoes – climbing aside seasoned professionals – adults with full winter gear and hiking poles. At least we had youth on our side.
After two hours of hiking, we heard thunder roll through the sky. This finally set off alarms in my head, so Lily and I turned around (probably within two hours of summit). It turned out to be a good decision because soon it started snowing even harder, visibility became bad, and we had a difficult time keeping track of the trail. Now I really felt like I was in Into Thin Air. Not to be dramatic or anything…
After two hours of hiking, we heard thunder roll through the sky. This finally set off alarms in my head, so Lily and I turned around (probably within two hours of summit). It turned out to be a good decision because soon it started snowing even harder, visibility became bad, and we had a difficult time keeping track of the trail. Now I really felt like I was in Into Thin Air. Not to be dramatic or anything…
Above: Just before we decided to turn around, Below: You can't tell, but it's a snow storm!
Everyone of our group made it back to the refuge safely. Climbing down those two hours was the hardest leg of the hike for me. I was exhausted, cold, and hungry but just happy to have made it back in one piece. From the refuge we followed the trail back down the mountain and again, got to our hotel just before sundown.
Even though I did not summit, I had an amazing time hiking in the High Atlas mountains. It was beautiful at every step and I think the snowstorm makes for a good story! The experience has definitely made me want to get into better shape and go for another mountain summit.
