Morocco (May 2023): Days 8-12 of traverse

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[The green squares in the map show the locations of the successive camps.]

Day 8:

Bush of intense yellow flowers next to our seventh camp.

Juniper tree growing on rocks.

Colorful slope above the n-Ait Ahmed river.

The two mules crossing the river among cottonwood trees, guided by Zaid.

Houses in Ameskar el Tahtani.

The path between the villages of Ameskar el Tahtani and Aguerzaka first ascents a pass. Colorful terrain on the way up to that pass.

Looking back toward the west during the ascent. The valley of the n-Ait Ahmed river is partially visible in the middle of the photo. A few houses of Ameskar el Tahtani are visible on the left of the photo.

Brahim, Zaid, and the mules leading the way toward the pass.

View toward the north before reaching the pass.

Azibs next to the pass.

Lunch and tea under a Juniper tree near the pass at waypoint 93.

Winkled trunk and branches of a Juniper tree.

Juniper tree overlooking the descent from the pass.

Azib and houses further down.

After passing this small group of houses, we followed a dry riverbed that turned into a narrow canyon.

At the end of the canyon, the riverbed widened and sooned opened into the upper valley of the Assif Znag. From there we followed a road to the village of Aguerzaka.

Southern end of the spectacular Mgoun canyon next to the village of Aguerzaka. We established our eighth camp at waypoint 106 near this outlet, on the eastern side of the Mgoun river, opposite Aguerzaka.

Days 9-10:

The end of the Mgoun canyon seen from our eighth camp.

The village of Aguerzaka, on the opposite side of the river, seen from our camp.

Aguerzaka seen from a higher location soon after we started hiking.

Successive views during the day.

Ancient caves used by the Ait Ata nomads of southern Morocco when they migrate with their herds to the high Atlas pastures, usually in late May and early June, and when they return in September.

Dry riverbed soon before reaching the location of our ninth campsite.

We set up our ninth camp on a platform slightly above a dry riverbed equipped with a nomad well. The riverbed is on an important migration path for the Ait Ata nomads (see second photo above). This well is one place where they can get water for themselves and their herds.

Views of the well. Its water is not perfectly clear, but like the nomads we used it for making tea and cooking.

Later in the afternoon, nomads who were staying in nearby caves brought their goats and sheep to the well.

Watering the herd requires drawing many buckets of water from the well and pouring them into the trough where the animals drink. It is a lot of work that lasts for hours.

Throughout the day the weather had changed from sunny in the early morning to mostly cloudy and much colder in the afternoon.

The next morning was even cloudier and colder. The Tizi n-Toudat pass (2658m) being significantly higher, we decided to spend the day here, hoping that the weather would be better the next day.

Brahim and Zaid taking advantage of a sunny moment on the tenth day to warm themselves by a fire.

Day 11:

Unfortunately, on the morning of the 11th day of the traverse, the weather was much worse. We nevertheless decided to move up, hoping that it might clear up later.

Nomad caves along the way. Most of them were dug many decades ago.

Around mid-day it started to rain. Then the rain turned to snow and cold wind picked up. We decided to take refuge in an empty nomad cave that we warmed up with a fire.

Entrance and interior of the cave. Not luxurious, but good enough.

Meanwhile, outside the cave...

Day 12:

The weather seemed much better in the morning, but the temperatures were still below 0C. Tizi n-Toudat was about 500m higher, so colder and windier than at the cave. We managed to contact Oumar who got the weather forecast and told us that this better weather was not going to last. Lacking proper clothing to withstand the freezing temperatures, we opted to head south to lower elevations. Our goal was to reach the comfort of Oumar's lodge in Alemdoun in one long day's hike.

Views from the cave.

Zaid loading the mules.

We first returned to our previous camp next to the nomad well. Then we crossed desertic hills to reach the Mgoun river at the village of Igherm Aqdim. The following photos show successive views during that section. The beautiful snow-capped summits of the Atlas were almost a new sight to me. Indeed, the only previous time I had seen a snowfall in the Atlas was in March 1977 (46 years earlier!) during a multi-day hike south of Beni Mellal (see here).

The snow-capped Jebel Waougoulzat and Mgoun range (second photo below) seen from behind desertic hills.

Jebel Akrim seen from a small pass (waypoint 127) before descending to Igherm Aqdim.

Rock formations seen during the descent to Igherm Aqdim.

Views of beautiful Igherm Aqdim.

From Igherm Aqdim we mostly followed a road to reach Oumar's lodge. Below is a photo of the plain and the mountains north of the lodge, with the village of Ait Khlifa in the foreground. It was the end of our 12-day hike.

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