Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Day Five; Oukaimeden
Jebel Oukaimeden
Me at the summit!
Descending from Jebel Oukaimeden
Sunset from Ridge
Day five was an official rest day... with an optional walk! Just a gentle stroll up to the summit of Jebel Oukaimeden, at 3262 metres! We had the luxury of a lie in (8am start) and all but one of us decided to undertake the climb (he had very sore feet so decided to rest them).
There is a ski lift up to the summit, which only runs in winter or a lot of us would probably have been tempted to take this option!
After an initial gentle climb to the pass, the path branched left straight up the side of the mountain- it was a very steep climb, and became steeper as we went higher. The were quite a lot of large rocks and loose scree to negotiate, but finally the path levelled out slightly and we reached an old, abandoned ski lift building. There was a breathtaking view, from the ridges of the High Atlas to the plains leading towards the horizon and Marrakesh.
The path continued to zig zag to the summit, still fairly steep but easier walking, being more gravelly and less loose and rocky. I found myself towards the front and felt it easy to climb. There is a ski lift on the summit, with associated machinery which did spoil the view somewhat. Just below the summit is a cafe with a terrace, which was closed (shame, could have done with a cuppa!) We could see across to the dome of Jebel Toukbal, and wandered to a secondary summit for a view down into the valley, where we could see the route we had taken on our first walking day. The pass we crossed seemed very small in comparison! Ali told us that our wild camp on Toukbal was roughly the same hight we were now at.
The descent, although mercifully a different route to our ascent, was very steep and loose- I ended up at the back, picking my way down. We did see a tiny greeny red scorpion scuttling for cover under a rock. The descent seemed endless, and I was so releived to reach the road back into the village.
We had our usual salad lunch, and nice hot shower, and chilled in the sun outside the refuge. We were waiting for Mrs Happy to make an appearance, and when she did, we pounced on her and asked for coffees and cokes. Honestly, she made such a song and dance, you'd have thought I'd asked her to climb jebel Oukaimeden, naked!
We had another optional walk up to the oddy shaped, serrated ridge behind the village to watch the sunset. We sat chatting while the surrounding rocks and hills turned a rich red as the sun slowly sank behind a bank of cloud, it was strangely atmospheric.
We had chips and fried aubergine for tea- a real luxury and voted best meal of the week!
Labels: Morocco, Oukaimeden, trekking
