Jebel Toubkal (The High Atlas Mountains)

Wednesday after arriving home from Portugal, I packed my things and left for Marrakesh. I meet Byron on the train to later meet Viviana and her brother, Rodrigo.  We stayed the night in Marrakesh on Wednesday night. Thursday we left for Imlil....but got lost on the way. We ended up 250 km in a small town on the wrong side of the mountain. After a while of driving on a dirt path and the GPS continuing to go in a loop...we decided to ask if we were going the right way. Upon learning we were going the WRONG way, we also learned the car oil was leaking. So we ended up stuck in a small town for a couple of hours waiting for the car oil tank to be fixed. At first the mechanic asked us for 10,000 MAD which 1,200 USD but we knew is charging a ridiculous tourist tax. Rodrigo got him down to 500 MAD. We ended up staying the night in Imlil to start hiking Friday morning. Friday morning, Viviana discovers there is snow on the mountain....we are so unprepared. Before hiking we rent: hiking boots, crampons, an ice ax. and a walking stick. Our packs were at least 10 pounds heavier then expected. Friday we hiked for 6 hours to the refugee. The refugee is located 2.5 hours (if you are an expert hiker) below the peak of the mountain. The refugee provided us watered down food in dirt dishes. I had a hard time eating the food. I needed calories so I had to eat what was given. Beggars can't be choosers. That night we slept in a big room with 12 bunks. Our roommates, the Spaniards, kept us up the whole night with their loud voices. Basically we didn't get any sleep. The next morning, Saturday, we woke up 5 AM and started hiking by 6:30. The hike to the top was intense in the snow. We had all of our gear on: boots, crampons, and ice ax. I had to stop half way up the mountain because of my asthma. I failed to bring an inhaler and the air was too thin for me to breathe. From what I understand my breathing was shallow. Viviana and I decided that it was best to walk down. The boys continued the hike to the top of the peak. Byron brought my camera with him to take pictures. The decent to the hotel./ car was 12 hours!!!! The path down the mountain was really bad on our knees and we were very exhausted. Because we left before the guys, we left a trail of messages so that they knew how fast we were walking. Walking down the mountain seemed way longer than walking up the mountain. We were suppose to return the car that day but we knew that we couldn't make it. By the time we got to the car it was  6 pm, I was exhausted....we were all exhausted. When we got to the car, we discovered there was a flat tire. Luckily there was a spare! Once we replaced the flat tire with the spare, we began looking for a place to stay and eat. We finally found a place to stay in a town north of Marrakesh. When we arrive at the only hotel in this small town, we discover our oil is leaking again because of the train tracks we passed over. So the next morning we found a mechanic to fix the leaking oil again. The town was not very touristy so we stood out like a sore thumb. We finally made it to Casablanca by 1 and home by 5.Let's just say everyone made it home safely! And I am alive! It was a crazy and great adventure! I really learned a lot about myself and the people who joined me on this crazy adventure!
The crew:

The View from the Mountain Peak: