Title – Mountain Refuge
Date – June 2007
Location – The Atlas Mountains - Morocco
The mountain refuge at the base of Mount Toubkal was certainly not what we had expected when we had considered where we might be sleeping on the first night of our two day trek to the summit of the highest mountain in North Africa. The words ‘mountain refuge’ whenever I have come across them in the past have meant anything from a small hut to a slightly larger hut with the luxury of a few bunks. So it certainly brought a smile to our faces when after a long days walk we came across it and found it’s ‘dorm style’ rooms well kept and clean, even dinner was certainly perfectly adequate (breakfast left a little more to the imagination).
But even the best kept accommodation can not always guarantee a good night’s sleep and the variety of factors that inhibit your sleep when travelling can range from heat & humidity; cold; noise; the side effects of prophylactic drugs; other people; bugs & mosquitoes; fear; and in this case altitude. Well a combination of altitude and a very cold breeze… Not idea when you have to get up at 4am to climb to the summit of a very steep and high mountain.
Poor sleep or lack of it can start to ruin a trip if it persists. As if it sleep deprivation is not bad enough, the thought when you are lying there that the solutions are often so obvious and so insignificant, that a few simple plans and the right equipment being packed in the first place would have made all the difference, can infuriate you more, and perpetuate the situation. There is little you can do to stop altitude ruining a good night’s sleep if this is something that affects you, apart from acclimatising and sometimes this is not an option. However preparation and knowing what you are likely to face on your trip allows you to prepare well in advance for most eventualities.
Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop prepares you to travel wherever in the world your dreams take you. During the workshop we examine all aspects of personal and Travel Safety as well as your Travel Equipment choices. Through our Destination Advice we can help you to understand which equipment best suits your needs so that even if you can’t control the effects of altitude, you can mitigate its effects by controlling all the other reason which might prevent you getting a good night’s sleep.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Date – June 2007
Location – The Atlas Mountains - Morocco
The mountain refuge at the base of Mount Toubkal was certainly not what we had expected when we had considered where we might be sleeping on the first night of our two day trek to the summit of the highest mountain in North Africa. The words ‘mountain refuge’ whenever I have come across them in the past have meant anything from a small hut to a slightly larger hut with the luxury of a few bunks. So it certainly brought a smile to our faces when after a long days walk we came across it and found it’s ‘dorm style’ rooms well kept and clean, even dinner was certainly perfectly adequate (breakfast left a little more to the imagination).
But even the best kept accommodation can not always guarantee a good night’s sleep and the variety of factors that inhibit your sleep when travelling can range from heat & humidity; cold; noise; the side effects of prophylactic drugs; other people; bugs & mosquitoes; fear; and in this case altitude. Well a combination of altitude and a very cold breeze… Not idea when you have to get up at 4am to climb to the summit of a very steep and high mountain.
Poor sleep or lack of it can start to ruin a trip if it persists. As if it sleep deprivation is not bad enough, the thought when you are lying there that the solutions are often so obvious and so insignificant, that a few simple plans and the right equipment being packed in the first place would have made all the difference, can infuriate you more, and perpetuate the situation. There is little you can do to stop altitude ruining a good night’s sleep if this is something that affects you, apart from acclimatising and sometimes this is not an option. However preparation and knowing what you are likely to face on your trip allows you to prepare well in advance for most eventualities.
Our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop prepares you to travel wherever in the world your dreams take you. During the workshop we examine all aspects of personal and Travel Safety as well as your Travel Equipment choices. Through our Destination Advice we can help you to understand which equipment best suits your needs so that even if you can’t control the effects of altitude, you can mitigate its effects by controlling all the other reason which might prevent you getting a good night’s sleep.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
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