DAY 6: Climb to Timesguida Ouanoukrim (4088m)

A restless night again. The temperature in the dorm room just wasn't quite right to get a restful night's sleep. There is no heating in the room, so it's cold when you go to bed. Several times during the night, with 12 bodies all huddled up in a small room, the temperature rises to the point where it's too hot to sleep and you get woken up. Someone opens a window and cold air rushes back into the room, chilling the air. The temperatures in the room fluctuates throughout the night, reducing any chances of getting a good night's rest. Add to that the dull ache of tired muscles and sleep is virtually non-existence. 2-3 hours of broken sleep.
 

There were six bunk beds in our dorm room with mattresses, sleeping 12.

The alarm went off at 05:45. I was keen to wake up early and make sure I had plenty of time to complete my toilet duties BEFORE we set off on the mountain. It was going to be a long day, and it most certainly won't be pleasant to GO on the mountains !! A slight pang of mild pain in the abdomen when I woke up worried me. A warning of things to come ??

We set off on our way through ice & snow to the peak of Timesguida Ouanoukrim (4088m) at 07:17. They were 7 of us (plus two guides). Jack had blisters on his feet from the previous day's trek and was not able to walk properly. We headed off in a southerly direction towards the prominent col Tizi n'Ouagane (3,730m), between the peak of Toubkal and Ouanoukrim. We could not actually see the peak of Ouanoukrim from the refuge, but I knew it was basically on the western flank (true right) of the mountains.  

 

Making our way down the valley southwards (behind us), towards Tizi n'Ouagane (3,730m)

About 45 minutes into the trek, Vicky expressed concern with her knee which she had injured a few weeks before the trek. She didn't feel she would make it all the way to the top. Looks like the group was going to have to split. Mohammed offered her the option of going as far as the col and then turning back for the refuge. Duncan (vicky's partner) and Ingver decided to take that option, while Peter, John, Kavita & I powered on ahead in the snow with Hussein.

My abdomen started to feel uncomfortable again, flagging the first signs of possible diarrhoea. How bad was it going to be ? Could I control it all the way to the top and back ? As we trekked deeper into the valley, the sensation grew and I knew that I would have to GO at some point soon. It's a good thing I had toilet paper in my day sack !!

We stopped an hour later for rest and I took the opportunity to relieve the discomfort and empty my bowels behind a rock in the vast open spaces of the valley, with huge mountains bearing witness to my transgression. When you gotta go, YOU GOTTA GO !! At least I covered it with rocks so it wouldn't all fly around in the wind !! I spent the next hour trying to figure out what may caused the mild diarrhoea. I took a pill of Imodium to try and stop it from happening again. Was it the water treatment ?  Was I dehydrated ? Or was my body just too exhausted ?

 

The col (saddle) of Tizi n'Ouagane. You can just about make out an earlier group approaching the col through the snowfields further up the track

As we progressed further towards the col, the valley got narrower. Our path, littered with boulders and rocks, got steeper as we approached the col. I could now see another group ahead of us further up the path, slowly climbing the steep incline leading up to the col. It suddenly dawned on me that things were just about to get to get tougher. I looked back and looked across the beautiful vista of the mountains on either side of the valley we had just crossed through. Mohammed and the others who were behind us were nowhere to be seen. They must have turned back quite some time ago. There is now only one option for us....To move forward and follow Hussein, the one remaining guide, all the way to the top.

The climb up the incline to the col was exhausting. We trundled through deep snow for about 2 hours the, the gradient steepening to 50-60 degrees. On  either side of us the towering peaks were bathed in the light of the morning sun. In was indeed a moment of great relief when we finally stepped out of the shadows and into the sunlight near the top of the col. We made our way towards the western flank of the col and stopped for rest at the bottom on an arete, in awe of the stunning views to the South on the other side of the col. We removed our crampons and put them away, not requiring them for the next part of the climb.

 

At the top of the col, we bear right and make our way up the shoulder of the Ouanoukrim mountains

From this point on, it was a 45 minutes scramble up the steep incline of the arete to get to the the plateau leading up to the twin peaks of Ouanoukrim. Hussein asked each one of us if we were happy to continue further. John, Kavi & I were committed to go on, all the way to the top. Peter reluctantly agreed at first, but changed his mind and decided to go no further when he saw the incline of the climb. He didn't feel comfortable scrambling over loose rocks with steep drops into the valleys on either side of the arete. Hussein tethered Kavita to himself with a think rope over the scrambling section so he could arrest her fall, should she slip off the arete. John & I were left to our own devices. John had scrambled before, but it was my first experience of rock climbing !!

 

Hussein tethers himself to Kavi, as we prepare to scramble up the steep arete as far up as the peaked point visible in the upper half of the picture.

The stunning views to the South from the arete ridge

Scrambling was fascinating. The whole experience of looking for niches in the rocks to hold on to, or step into, was intriguing. It was like trying to solve a puzzle.....find the next reliable hold before letting go of the previous one. A great deal of physical strength and dexterity is required to haul yourself up to the next niche, sometimes having to overstretch yourself and trusting the rock to hold you. We were so preoccupied with climbing, that we didn't even get a chance to think of the precarious position we were in. It definitely isn't for the faint-hearted, especially if you don't have a head for heights, as all you could see were steep drops on either side, with no sight of the bottom. You just have to steel yourself and focus on finding secure holds, one at a time. Somehow you find the energy and determination to get through it.
 
It was a moment of joy when we finally reached the top of the arete ridge. We couldn't believe we had just done it. We could now see the twin peaks. Ras Ouanoukrim (4083m) directly in front of us, and Timesguida Ouanoukrim (4088m) much further in the background. We were obviously heading for the higher one...5 metres makes all the difference, even if it takes twice as long !!

 

The peak of Ras Ouanoukrim (4,085m). The twin peak of Timesguida Ouanakrim (4,088m) is to the left, out of frame

For the next 90 mins, we made our way across the upper snowfields, heading in the general direction of Timesguida Ouanoukrim. Behind, the beautiful peak of Toubkal towered over us. We could just about make out the triangular trig point at the top of the mountain. It was hard to believe that we had climbed there the previous day. The trig point looked so small, almost invisible to the naked eye. It certainly brought things into perspective. The enormous mountain looked close, yet the peak was so far away.

 

The peak of Mt. Toubkal (4,167m) which we had climbed the previous day provides a stunning backdrop

It was now 12 noon. It was nearly 5 hours since we had left the refuge. John & Hussein raced on towards the peak. Kavi had slowed down considerable due to exhaustion, and the gap between the head and tail of our little group lengthened. I kept in the middle, keeping an eye on both Hussein and Kavi at the same time. The gap lengthened so much that at one point we lost complete sight of Hussein and John as they dropped down below the shoulder of Ras Ouanoukrim. The path was not obvious in the snow, but I just about the taint of fresh footprints on the white snow, heading more or less towards the peak.

It was another 45 minutes before we reached the scree line that marked the final approach to the peak. My abdomen discomfort hadn't completely dissipated over the past few hours. It had intensified gradually and it seemed I would have to empty my bowels again on the mountain. Halfway up the scree slope I had to stop and repeat the ritual I had performed further down the mountain. There were plenty of rocks here to hide my transgression.

 

Kavita starts the climb up the scree slope, the final approach to the Timesguida Ouanoukrim peak (behind me)

The cairn marking the peak of T. Ouanoukrim

The view to the South from the peak

Kavita had overtaken me while I had stopped and was now nearing the peak. 15 minutes later I made it to the cairn. We congratulated each other on achieving what we had set out to do. It was a momentous and immensely satisfying sensation.

What goes up, must come down. We had just spent 6 hours getting to the summit. How long would it take to get down ??!! The others back at the refuge must be having lunch. Some sort of warm tagine or pasta with salad. I will have to make do with a snickers bar. And what about Peter ? Surely, he wasn't still waiting for us at the bottom of the arete below the scrambling zone ? Unlikely. He probably made his way back to the refuge hitching with another group.

 

The way down is always quicker. Now that you have summited, you find yourself renewed with vigour. You just want to get back to base as quickly as possible. The pace quickens. Gravity helps too. We cleared the scree line and made our way back to the top of the arete across the snowfields, elated at what we had accomplished today. The climb to T. Ouanoukrim had been harder than Toubkal. Bagging two of the highest peaks of the Atlas Mountains in two consequent days was an amazing achievement, given that Kavi & I had only been mountaineering seriously for 9 months. The multiple consecutive climbs to Ben Nevis and Snowdon back in June 2013 had really paid off.

About an hour after from the summit, we reached the top of the arete. After a short break, Hussein roped up Kavi as we scrambled down the arete. 30 minutes later, we cleared the most dangerous part and stopped briefly to put on our crampons. It will be snow/ice walking all the way down to the refuge.

We kept a quick & stead pace, retracing our steps back to the refuge, stopping a few more times for rest. About an hour later, Hussein pointed out the steep incline we will be climbing to the pass of Tizi n'ouanoums (3,665m) the following day. It looked insurmountable at the moment, but tomorrow will bring it's own set of challenges.

 

On the back across the valley to the Toubkal refuges

As we made our way into the compound of the refuge we were hailed by the rest of our group members who were soaking in the sun on the balcony area of the refuge. It had taken us approximately 3 hours after leaving the summit of Timesguida Ouanoukrim, more or less half the time it took for us to get there from the refuge. we had been out on the mountains for 9 hours !! We had missed lunch at 14:00, but the cook was kind enough to make another tagine for the four of us. I wasn't particularly hungry on account of my sensitive stomach, but felt obliged to partake in the celebration meal.

 
This was to be our last night at the refuge. The following day we were going to climb to the pass of Tizi n' Ouanoums (3,665m) in the morning, return to the refuge for lunch and immediately depart to trek back to Imlil. It was going to be a long day, in theory, 10 hours of trekking. As we discussed the following days schedule over a dinner of chicken & chips (with rice & fried aubergines), some of our group members decided not to climb to the pass and save their energy for the inevitable journey back to Imlil.

Tomorrow was going to be a challenging day and I needed a good night's rest. I didn't want any abdomen issues on the climb, so drank as much bottled water as I could to flush out my digestive system. I stopped all liquids, including tea, at 17:00, so I wouldn't have to wake up repeatedly to use the toilets during the night. For a change, I was the first to go to bed, at 19:30.