Marrakech

All woke up feeling well - good to have Gerry back to life! Got packed, had breakfast and hung around. Said our goodbyes to Helen and Matt and took the taxi ride back to Marrakech. We were left off at the same spot and wandered off to find our (new) hostel. At least we knew some of the city this time - not that it helped. After wandering around streets that looked like a set for 'Raiders of the lost ark' for a while, knowing we were close but not quite finding the place, we asked some local children. They took us through a warren of tiny alleyways, eventually stopping at a plain door in the middle of a blank wall. 'Here you are' they announced. We were trying to explain that this couldn't be the right place, that it was a hostel, and the name would be somewhere, when they pointed to a name engraved carefuly into the metal of the doorknob. Sure enough, it was our hostel!

We had arranged to meet Mikka later for dinner, so spent the afternoon in the markets and souks where we picked up some pressies, and then at a hammam getting nice and clean! Dinner and some drinks rounded the day off nicely and we said our farewells to Mikka. (who, by the way, wins the award for person staying in the most obscure corner of the tiniest alleyway in Marrakech. If Gerry ever posts the video of the walk to Mikka's hostel, I'll add the link - it's amazing!)

The next day was uneventful, except for the end of course! Taxi to airport, 2 plane trips, lots of queues, airport food, and finally Wendy, Niamh and Mum waiting for us in Dublin.

Toubkal

Another 5:45 wake up call. I'm feeling a lot better this morning. Unfortunately Gerry isn't. His head is still hurting - hard to tell how bad he is feeling as he isn't being very communicative, but it must be pretty bad for him to be this . . . umm . . . uncommunicative!

He doses with solpadeine and waits to see if that helps, and we have breakfast and get ready wondering if he is up to climbing at all. By the time we're all ready, Gerry is feeling better and we all head off into the dawn. It's beautiful, the sky is clear, and although the snow is deep, breaking trail is not too difficult. We make good time on the first section. It is all steep snowfields up the side of the mountain today, and we zig-zag our way up. As we ascend, the pace gets slower and slower. It is hard work, and Gerry is struggling to breath and his head is pounding again. We keep slogging on - it may be slow and tough, but it is beautiful. We get within sight of the col, which would mark our turning point to the ridge up to the summit, but heavy winds and snow blow in. We debate for a few minutes but it is clear we won't get to the summit through this so we turn back. We spent the first while wondering if we gave up too easily, but the snow turns very heavy and it becomes clear we made the right call. When we get to the bottom we see people heading back to the refuge from all directions.

We debated a night ascent to try to get to the summit before heading for home, but it is quickly clear that won't be an option - too much new snow has fallen for that. Gerry is still suffering too - so it is more important to try to get down to a lower altitude. We have lunch, and then pack our bags again, carrying anything we might want for the night on our backs, and start to trek back to Imlil.

No sooner did we set off - fully shielded against the worst expected wind, cold and snow - than the wind died down, the snow stopped and the sun came out. So off came the layers and on went the sunscreen!Off we set again in stunning conditions, stopping only to take parting photographs.

and to get the crampons back on again when the going got slippy!

About half-way back, Gerry suddenly came back to life and the video diaries started again.Finally got back to Imlil by 6ish - probably an 10 hour hike or so?! We had some dinner, chatted for a while, but headed wearily off to bed fairly promptly.

Ras

Yes - the down sleeping bag did its job and I've been warm and comfortable all night. Getting out of it at 5:45 in a room WELL below zero isn't exactly fun, but it means we move quick and we're soon down at the breakfast table.Takes a while to get crampons sorted out - Gerry's are borrowed and not set for his boots - and then we are off.Route is straight up the valley as the sky brightens and the sun slowly appears. Slow slog up the valley to the col at the top (3700m). Not much to say about it really, which is a shame, as it is beautiful. If I was a poet, I could possibly give you a wonderful description of the scenery that would do it justice, but I'm not!

At the col we took a break to snack and congratulate ourselves on getting this far!

Then the fun started, right at the col and up a ridge line, weaving between rocks, and scrambling up the steep bits. Gaps in the clouds gave us fleeting views of other peaks and ridges.

Gerry has been suffering for most of the day, and the rests aren't helping much. He can't get his breath, and has a splitting headache. As we walk he drifts to the back where he frequently has to stop to fight for breath.

After a few more scrambles, the ridge leads to a more gentle slope to the summit peaks of Ras. There are two peaks, separated by a narrow snowy ridge about 30 foot long. There is a narrow snowy couloir between cliffs that leads down from the ridge to (hopefully) a more gentle slope below. I say hopefully because a group of spanish skiers arrive one by one to the summit while we are sitting there, and cheerfully don their skies and disappear down the slope.

We have some lunch on the summit, but after eating, I feel sick for most of the descent - must be the altitude although I've been fine until then. Means there are less photos of the way down - although it was still a great walk. Ploughing and sliding through the deep snow was lots of fun. We make our way back to the refuge, to recover and debrief.

Yesterday's hike is no longer the toughest day Gerry has done in his life! I'm feeling better after dropping altitude and a bit of a rest. We manage to commandeer the fire for an hour or two, and got nice and warm before dinner. We were planning another early start, so headed off to bed early, hoping it will get rid of all headaches.