Retreat Report: Day 3 in Morocco

Date

06.20.19 More info+

Hike to basecamp and an elegant lunch in the middle of the desert

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We start this morning with tea, coffee, and fresh juice plus, again, a breakfast spread at the Kasbah.

We head to the Armed village, which sits within the Atlas mountains and will be the starting point of the hike at 1900 feet of elevation, via luxury van. This small Berber village feels like a more earthy-toned Positano the way the houses are carved right out of the mountainside. The hike will take roughly 2.5 hours to lunch, then another two to our base camp: Refuge Les Mouflons at 10,000 feet of elevation.

Retreat Report: Day 4 in Morocco

One man on a mule is chanting in Berber as we slowly make our way up the mountain and the sound is almost meditative.

Nicole Kupish

We’re off! The views, even from the start, are impressive. We’re a group of 18 with four local guides (one has summited Toubkal 415 times and another, 134), plus some mules and porters carrying additional water and food. One man on a mule is chanting in Berber as we slowly make our way up the mountain and the sound is almost meditative. We pass four small huts on our way up and all get fresh squeezed orange juice, plus some salty snacks (I never knew how delicious Pringles could be until this trip) in order to maintain our energy and hydration levels. The potential of altitude sickness has been stressed so I’m constantly sipping from my Camelbak. The guides are knowledgeable and attentive and we have all been instructed to make sure we communicate with them if we start to feel symptoms of altitude sickness such as dizziness or nausea.

At first it seemed like a mirage as we approach two huge elegant tents housing fully-set tables and plates and plates of food: tagine, lentils, cucumber and tomato salad, fresh fruit. We’re literally in the middle of the Atlas Mountains, how are we eating this well?! Once we all are refueled, we start the final leg of the day to base camp. It’s starting to get a little colder as we hike and we pass a shepherd with at least a hundred grazing goats.

Finally, we see base camp in the distance. We make our way up and get settled in. Everyone is pretty exhausted by the end of this day so we have an early dinner.

Lights out. We have a (very) early wake-up call to summit tomorrow morning.

Photos: Will Mayer

Retreat Report: Day 1 in Morocco

Follow along on our epic Equinox Explore retreat.

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