Title – Summit Mt Toubkal
Date – June 2007
Location – Mt Toukbal - Morocco
Set your sights high; don’t allow yourself to be defeated; realise your dreams; and make it happen. There should be nothing that is beyond us, nothing that is insurmountable but ourselves.
Mount Toubkal in Morocco is the highest peak in the Atlas Mountains, the highest point in North Africa and quite a challenge. However it is perfectly achievable with a little preparation and a little effort. The key is to understand the level of preparation needed and the precautions that need to be taken.
You can certainly climb this mountain without a guide and we saw several groups doing just that; we also met several of those groups more than once when they had taken a wrong turning and had to double back on themselves. Needless to say we felt a little smug when they asked our guide for directions. The question you ask yourself, was their experience better than ours, was their achievement greater?
Reaching the summit is an achievement for anyone who makes it, there are not short cuts, no other way then under your own steam. The only comparison you should make is with yourself, not with others. Achievements during travel are inherently personal, it’s not a competition and to make it one simply adds to the already inherent dangers of travel.
So back to the question, was their experience or achievement greater? We hired a local guide, who gave us an insight into Moroccan life we would not have otherwise got; he encouraged us every step of the way when we were weary (although to be fair it was really ‘I’ rather then ‘we’ who were weary…); he pointed out sights along the way; he highlighted dangers; he showed us the ‘easiest’ way up the mountain; he arranged for a donkey to carry our packs; he arranged the overnight mountain refuge; he took our picture at the summit; and he got us all the way back down again; most importantly he was a genuine friendly man, earning an honest wage to provide for his family.
At Beyond The Blue we provide you with all the advice and guidance you require for your planned travel experience. Through our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop we prepare you to travel safely and confidently wherever in the world your trip takes you, be that the highest mountain or 20m below sea level.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
Date – June 2007
Location – Mt Toukbal - Morocco
Set your sights high; don’t allow yourself to be defeated; realise your dreams; and make it happen. There should be nothing that is beyond us, nothing that is insurmountable but ourselves.
Mount Toubkal in Morocco is the highest peak in the Atlas Mountains, the highest point in North Africa and quite a challenge. However it is perfectly achievable with a little preparation and a little effort. The key is to understand the level of preparation needed and the precautions that need to be taken.
You can certainly climb this mountain without a guide and we saw several groups doing just that; we also met several of those groups more than once when they had taken a wrong turning and had to double back on themselves. Needless to say we felt a little smug when they asked our guide for directions. The question you ask yourself, was their experience better than ours, was their achievement greater?
Reaching the summit is an achievement for anyone who makes it, there are not short cuts, no other way then under your own steam. The only comparison you should make is with yourself, not with others. Achievements during travel are inherently personal, it’s not a competition and to make it one simply adds to the already inherent dangers of travel.
So back to the question, was their experience or achievement greater? We hired a local guide, who gave us an insight into Moroccan life we would not have otherwise got; he encouraged us every step of the way when we were weary (although to be fair it was really ‘I’ rather then ‘we’ who were weary…); he pointed out sights along the way; he highlighted dangers; he showed us the ‘easiest’ way up the mountain; he arranged for a donkey to carry our packs; he arranged the overnight mountain refuge; he took our picture at the summit; and he got us all the way back down again; most importantly he was a genuine friendly man, earning an honest wage to provide for his family.
At Beyond The Blue we provide you with all the advice and guidance you require for your planned travel experience. Through our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop we prepare you to travel safely and confidently wherever in the world your trip takes you, be that the highest mountain or 20m below sea level.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – ©Peter Mayhew
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