YAAASS!! We are super excited to share with you one of the best times of our lives so far :)
Climbing the Mount Toubkal 4168 m.
Actually, when we saw the expedition program we already knew that this one is going to be truly amazing and scary at the same time. There were only some expectations in our minds, how it's gonna look and how it's gonna feel.
After all the adventures we had we, were full of energy and excitement to climb that mountain. If we were talking about challenging ourselves in the previous posts then this one was a REAL challenge. Why? Let's get into the detailed story.
P.S. Make sure you watch the video at the end :)
We woke up very early in the morning just to be in time at our spot to start the hike. The freezing but beautiful morning with sunlight and blue skies welcomed us, however, everyone was worried because nobody had extra warm clothes to wear.
We spent about 2 hours at our spot to pack and check our bags one more time, it wasn't necessary to carry on everything but just the main things.
After that, we had a lovely breakfast and finally one by one started their way up to the hidden nature beauty.
As I barely could imagine how things will be on our way, I packed almost everything and dressed up a lot of clothes cuz I thought it will be cold :D Actually, it was even hot for one time and we wanted to stay in t-shirts. Well, what can I say..unexperienced hikers :D
Good to know! The most important thing was water. A lot of it! Never leave yourself without it. Of course, you can buy it in tea houses which are 1 in 2-3 kilometers and with every tea house, things get more expensive.
Our aim was to hike 14 kilometers in 6 hours till the Toubkal refuge. Sounds easy, huh? Honestly, it was easy :D The road wasn't difficult only the beginning was uphill but after that stunning views, great company and chocolate bars kept us motivated and happy :)
We met 'the biggest fan' of hiking :))))
I once read that the hiking is the best therapy for your mind and body as well. Now I completely agree with that. You focus on your inhale and exhale nothing else bothers you. After Marrakesh, it was so pleasant to take a deep breath and not worry about air pollution because we were somewhere in mountains.
We were stopping time at the time to enjoy the wonderful landscapes or have a glass of water. As professionals said, we shouldn't make the pauses very long, because after that it is difficult to get back in the tempo and it takes a while to get used to it again.
Views were absolutely inspiring, like the ones in dreams. I felt like my mind was sleeping and my body teleported to a different place which was this Toubkal National Park. Seriously, I couldn't believe that I was somewhere in Africa climbing the mountain with my beloved one in perfect weather conditions.
Time was passing and we were getting closer to the snow and a bit colder weather. We changed our clothes for something warmer and kept going.
We were hiking in groups of 4-5 people. There were ones who wanted to be faster and other ones with cameras :D Honestly, for this kind of activity the best camera are your own eyes. Of course, it is good to have pictures to look at when years go by, but I think that the soul needs its own pictures taken with an eye :)
We saw our refuge and in 30 minutes got there. Tired, with wet boots and socks we came into the refuge and sat back near the fireplace talking, chilling and waiting for others.
The last person got in with 2 hours delay. We started to worry about him because it was cold and dark already, so one of the leaders decided to find him. Luckily, he was nearby, so everything was okay and after 40 minutes we had a lovely dinner all together. Some of us had a pasta and the others chose the tagin.
Obviously, we had a luxury refuge, because before it got dark, we were able to watch one of the most incredible sunsets.
After an amazing and delicious dinner, we decided to have a time for some romance, because extreme things we had during the hike. So we went out to look at the amazing sky full of stars.
The ones who follow us definitely know our obsession with stars. It was soooo magical. No light pollution, just snowy white ground and the amazing sky above us. This is who we are, extreme lovers with some notes of romance :)
We went to bed pretty early, the whole group slept in one room. Can you imagine what kind of sleep we had? People snoring and makin other pleasant and not so pleasant sounds. :D We needed to wake up at 5:30 am to climb the summit and get back to refuge in 4 hours and then return to our starting spot till 4 pm. Sounds pretty impossible, huh?
So we woke up, dressed up and geared up with necessary equipment and one by one left the refuge. The first kilometer was really tough. The body and brain were still sleeping and we already need to go uphill. After 500 meters we felt like we were running 5 kilometers non-stop :D Gladly we got used to that and taking a step with an inhale and next with exhale, it became quite easy to do, but as soon as you stop to drink water or have a snack it comes very tough to start again.
Anyway, it was such a pleasure to hike in the morning in a beautiful nature place. As the sun started to rise everything became so magnificently beautiful, all the peaks of mountains got golden and as you look up you feel that inflow of energy which keeps you going.
Honestly, we were super lucky, because the weather conditions were like sent from a God. Sun was shining in a blue sky and there was no wind!
Climbing the mountain could be a real struggle for us if we wouldn't be so sporty. So an active and sporty lifestyle is a key to success. Luckily we hadn't an altitude sickness so we would stuck in a refuge and won't go anywhere.
We saw the summit and as others said that in 20-30 minutes will be there. I felt kind of an adrenaline and goosebumps of this. We kept going.
A massive respect to a couple Imants and Lita who was going with us, they were about 40-50 years old and watching that willpower made us realize what kind of lifestyle we will choose when getting older :)
AAANNNDDD here we go, WE MADE IT! We made it to the top! Ohh, guys, I can't even describe those feelings what I got. Of course we were a bit tired, but the excitement we got was unbelievable, everyone was cheering and smiling. We couldn't take our eyes of the beauty we saw. Wanted to capture everything, wrap in that incredible beauty in a jar and take it home :)
After taking a hundred of pictures, we sat down to have some snack and to think what just happened. Then I realized that climbing the mountain is the same as our life. It got ups and downs, but as soon as you made it to the top, you feel strong, proud and what is more important you feel confident about yourself.
Caught ourselves thinking that we won't miss the chance to climb mountains anywhere in the world :)
Imants, the man from a couple, stopped in about 15 minutes till the peak, although his wife got to the top. He said it is too difficult for him, not enough of oxygen in the air. So he chose to wait for us when we will be coming back.
And then the other man who was about 55 years old was reaching the top, so he said to him, you can do it, step by step, go slow, don't rush, imagine yourself standing on the top of the mountain with your wife.
Magic happened, after 20 minutes we saw him coming! It was such a joy to see him.
His wife hugged him, gave a cup of tea and then he ran into tears. Oh my gosh, it was so emotional to see it. Even I cried. Tears of happiness.
The part of the team from Latvia :)
I wish we could stay there for a couple of hours, but we needed to go back and be at the spot untill dark. The way back is always easier, so we almost ran downhill. Many of us were dreaming of a snowboard or skis to go down faster :D
Anyway, from the top till the refuge took us about 1 hour and a half. Then we repacked our bags and started our way back.
This was one of the funniest parts of going back. We actually were running. As we got our walking sticks we called it downhill not on the bike but on the sticks. Guys, it was so much fun!!! It takes a lot of concentration and strong sticks as well. If it took us about 6 hours to go to a refuge then from refuge till our beginning spot we got in 3,5 hours. Pretty impressive, huh? :)