Toubkal circuit

Peaks: Jebel Toubkal (4167m/13,671ft), Toubkal West (4008m/13,149ft)
Area: Toubkal, High Atlas, Morocco
Over the years, this peak has become something of a backpackers 'thing to do' and therefore not really my cup of tea. But having said that, it is a fine and impressive mountain, the highest in North Africa, and an unavoidable objective from the Refuge du Toubkal at its foot. It's a short outing, too, and I had the idea of combining it with more peaks and/or a valley walk. Had breakfast at around 5am, and left in the half-light of early dawn, crossing the river that runs down from the Ouagouns valley to gain the bottom of the initial steep scree slopes that give access to the South Cwm proper. A few early refuseniks were already on their way down (I would guess the peak has a fairly high failure rate, given the unconventional clientele and the altitude). The scree is relatively solid, and the route weaves through giant boulder fields with the impressive walls of Toubkal West looming above. Behind, the sun lit the Clochetons ridge. The South Cwm is tight and well defined, and the slopes reasonably gentle. It opens out higher up, some snowfields, then fans out again to gain the Tizi n'Toubkal. But before I reached the Tizi (col) I branched off for a direct route to the summit. This was up shifting scree, much steeper, and led eventually to a kind of forepeak and the more impressive summit ridge. This was considerably more interesting, cliffs plunging down into the remote valleys further east. I reached the summit in 99 minutes from the refuge (just after 7am) and enjoyed a much longer than usual period of relaxation on the top. I didn't have it to myself, and the views were a little hazy with a roof of high cloud, but I really enjoyed picking out the summits and getting to grips with the range. An informative conversation with a friendly guide helped (he had a party of Germans with him and spoke six languages). I could see Imlil in the green valley far below to the north, but the most impressive peak was Ouanoukrim across the spurs and ridges to the south. This was my plan for tomorrow. The long ridges from Toubkal to Afekhoi and Dome d'Ifni also looked excellent, but not really feasible for me on this short break. To the south, hazy spurs led down to baked valleys and the distant Sahara. It was fairly cold - around 5C - but reasonably comfortable. I wandered down for a look at the North Cwm descent, thinking I might pick up the peaks above it like Imouzzer. But they were virtually indistinguishable from above, just bumps on the ridge. By contrast, Toubkal West, across the South Cwm, looked quite impressive despite the boring name, so I resolved to make a little horseshoe of the South Cwm taking in the ridge and Toubkal West before descending directly to to the snowfield in the South Cwm. This was again rather too short, but very pleasant. I took a fairly direct line down the ridge to the Tizi n'Toubkal col, then took the obvious upper traverse path towards Toubkal West. This is fairly well defined and weaves past a few little wind gaps with great views over multiple ridges towards a final scramble up the square pinnacle forming the summit of Toubkal West. This was an excellent viewpoint, directly across from Akioud and the Clochetons ridge. Ouanoukrim and its twin summits again impressed, and were now even closer, while the main Toubkal summit towered across the South Cwm. I had a second breakfast and took a direct line down to the South Cwm thereby completing a mini-horseshoe. The return to the hut was simple, and I had a little rest before deciding what to do with the rest of the day (it was only about 9.30am!). I ended up walking up towards the Tizi n'Ouanaoums, a steep and important pass linking this valley with the Lac d'Ifni and Takatert and the more remote valleys and villages to the east. This was a pleasant ramble and led to a flat and vegetation-free plain dotted with huge boulders. I even did a bit of bouldering in this wild spot, as the sun peeked through the clouds. Later, another storm (milder than the previous two days), and another fine tagine (djej mqualli - chicken with olives and preserved lemons), with a mint tea chaser. I managed to slip into an empty dormitory for more peace at the refuge later on.