What a day. Really early start at 4am for a quick breakfast, and a
planned departure at 4.30am to try and summit Toubkal and get all the
way back down into the valley for the night, 2200m below the summit.
We ended up leaving an hour late, waiting out a raging storm, all
huddled in the mountain refuge. The climb started well, with all three
of us moving strong and fast, in the dark using flashlights. About
3500m, the ground was covered in snow and frost, and the terrain
slowed us a little. Ted and I both felt some of the effects of the
altitude, oddly Nushi was fine.
From about 3900m though the going got really hard for me, feeling
mild Acute Mountain Sickness symptoms including dizzyness, nausea and
mild headaches. I decided to press on slowly all the same, given how
close we were to the summit.
Nushi was having a hard time too, dealing with the fatigue of a steep,
strenuous and unabated climb. Ted was doing great and after pacing
himself, got over any altitude effects he originally felt and raced up
to the top with Nushi and I following about half an hour later. 4187m,
we've arrived! :) We then proceeded to make great time descending, and
almost met overall guidebook times despite the setbacks. Literally
running down in places.
Stopped at the refuge on the way back for a short break of hot tea,
soup and bread before we started the long descent back to the valley.
Utterly exhausted at the end of the day, but strangely not as tired as
yesterday. Nobody's 'broken' as such, and we're all feeling superhuman
after conquering the highest mountain in north africa!
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