The High Atlas. Hamish Brown
often only one person in a group who is hit. There never seems to be a common cause. Well before departing for Morocco check with your doctor about whatever precautionary injections are recommended.
On bottled water, can I make an appeal to buy only those labelled ‘natural spring water’ – look out for names like Sidi Ali, Sidi Harazen and Aïn Saïss (Aïn means ‘spring’ and Sidi suggests a sacred site, which might well be a source). I emphasise this because the Coca Cola Company is selling bottled Casablanca water and undercutting the price of everyone else – which is morally abhorrent. I’ve seen the Sidi Ali site (which is also the source of Oulmès, the sparkling spring water), which employs and has created a whole village of families (600 people) in the middle of nowhere. I don’t want to see them destroyed. So avoid Ciel and any other bottled waters that betray their origins with the label ‘Table Water’ (Eau de Table).
The Imejdag gorge approach to Jbel Tigounatine (Route 13)
There are no midges in the Atlas, and I’ve had far worse encounters with flies in the North Pennines. Snakes and scorpions there are, but many trekkers never see any. Snakes take off at the approach of humans, and scorpions, like snakes, tend to be localised. Some areas have them; most don’t. (Nobody really knows why.) If an area is prone to these I mention the fact. Being observant should be a habit – don’t put fingers under boulders, look before you sit (most vegetation is prickly), clear the ground round the tent, zip the door at night, and check inside boots before putting them on. In over 40 years of Atlas expeditions involving over a thousand people nobody has been stung by scorpion or struck by snake. So they’re not a big deal.
There is no regular mountain rescue service, as there is in Europe. In extreme cases a military helicopter might be called in to help, but it could take some time to get word out – this is less of a problem now, as even in the Atlas mobile phones usually work. In emergency situations the authorities at all levels will do their best to help. But, because the Atlas is so wild and rough, often remote and challenging, people seem consciously or unconsciously to take extra care. It is important to have some effective insurance cover, such as that on offer through the British Mountaineering Council.
Titoula’s terraces below the Tastwiyt peaks (Route 22)
As there is so much in the news about trouble spots these days, I am frequently asked about safety in the Atlas, and try to allay any fears along those lines. Even in Marrakech the women in our party wander off into the alleys and souks without giving it a thought. Of course they are dressed and behave appropriately. Neither men nor women should go out in shorts and T-shirts, as it is offensive to local people. The British have a strange thing about taking off clothes in the sun. This might do in hot, sticky climates, but in dry heat one covers up (notes about gear and equipment are in Appendix C). The Tuaregs in the desert are enveloped in flowing robes, with only their eyes showing. And as for terrorist bombs, you are much more at risk in the UK.
Maps
Maps are a problem. The Atlas ranges are all covered at a scale of 1:100,000 (maps at this scale are referenced as ‘100’ in this book, with the sheet name, see Appendix B) and some are covered at 1:50,000 (referenced as ‘50’ plus the sheet name), but the mapping is very old. This may not matter for the delineation of the landscape, but all human infrastructure is woefully out of date. These maps are very hard to purchase (but see Appendix B, for possible suppliers). Obtain what you can, but go regardless.
Jbel Oukaïmeden, the skiing mountain next to Angour (Route 31)
Maps may not be as vital as one might presume. Working from a good map of the country (Michelin, Hallwag, World Map/Geo Center, Freytag & Berndt, Rough Guide, etc), the vital Mgoun Massif West Col map (referenced as ‘MM’ in this book), the more available Toubkal area maps, plus map sketches in Peyron or Fougerolles (see Appendix B), and closely reading texts (including this book), means one can manage quite happily.
As well as any maps, the wise will have a knowledgeable local along (see Appendix E) and/or glean information from muleteers and locals. In addition, good visibility (usually!) makes life much easier – allowing hill sense to make the obvious correct decisions – and is essential for those going into the mountains without a map at all. In all my years in the Atlas I’ve used a compass only twice. (If it is bad enough to need one, you’re just not going anywhere!)
The spelling on maps can vary, as can the heights, so any inconsistencies between this book and published maps is unavoidable. (In the text, the height given for any peak may be followed by a second height in brackets, which is an alternative figure fairly often encountered, so may help to pinpoint the peak.) As long as a mountain name is near enough and recognisable, go with it – Zawyat Ahancal, Zaouie Ahansal and Zawit Ahansal is one example of this type of variation. A height can be different on the 100,000 and 1:50,000 scale maps and in books consulted. The 100,000 and 1:50,000 maps also tend to show a differing selection of paths – and are decades behind changes to such. Ah, for the good old Ordnance Survey and the simplicity of Gaelic nomenclature!
This book uses metres and kilometres throughout (as that is what is used on the maps) and, to aid navigation, key places and features shown on the sketch maps are highlighted in bold in the narrative.
The Nfis gorges below Oumzra (Route 37)
Using this guide
While much of what follows is narrative, at the end of each section is a box summarising practical route information and giving any other source of information on a particular peak, including useful descriptions in other books. Titles of maps and texts are given as an abbreviation, which can be checked in Appendix B. There are frequent references to the English translation of a work by Michael Peyron, who has roamed the Atlas like few others and gathered together information under the title La Grande Traversee de l’Atlas Maroccain (GTAM; translated as ‘The Great Atlas Traverse Morocco’). The two volumes of this in English, referred to as MP1 and MP2, are indispensable.
Most English guidebooks have concentrated on Toubkal and some of the set-piece commercial treks. The authors are often trek leaders who are repeating treks and, after a few years, move on. There are naturally fewer references in this book to such guidebooks. Of the general guidebooks I’ve mostly used the Rough Guide to Morocco (and have written the sections on the Atlas Mountains), as it is full of useful and interesting background information. In Appendix B are also listed a few general works which anyone fascinated by Morocco would find a good read. This is, after all, the nearest truly exotic land to Europe.
Another Cicerone title, Mountaineering in the Moroccan High Atlas by Des Clark, details many routes, including winter climbs, covering areas in the Western Atlas, Toubkal massif and further east. With comprehensive coverage of certain areas, as against this book’s wider, narrative coverage, it is highly recommended as a companion volume, alongside Cicerone’s Trekking in the Atlas by Karl Smith, which describes some of the more popular trekking routes.
I was just lucky that Kipling’s ‘everlasting whisper’ came to me. ‘Go and look behind the Ranges – something lost behind the ranges. Lost and waiting for you. Go!’ The whisper is always there; its imperative is still ours to accept. Morocco is simply one of the world’s most rewarding lands for mountain activities. My hope is that these tales will set other feet searching for the magic of the High Atlas.
MIDDLE ATLAS AND EASTERN HIGH ATLAS
Flocks on the slopes of Jbel Masker (Route 3)
ROUTE ONE
Jbel Tazekka (Tazzeka) 1980m