Page 70 - LBV 2017

INTER-COMPANY TRAINING & VISITS
Ex DRAGON TOUBKAL
In the early hours of the 22nd March, 11 intrepid officer cadets (OCdts Gibbons, Townsend, Potter, Kirk, Logan, Stuart, Kelly, Geraghty, Buckley, McConnel & Hutton) and the, arguably more intrepid, CO, departed the ARC. We were joined by two Winter Mountain Leaders, Paul and Stuart. The High Atlas Mountains of Morocco was the destination for the next fortnight and a mood of excitement filled the air. With kit issued, friendships newly formed and old ones renewed we left for Ex Dragon Toubkal, 2017.
The sight of the snow-covered peaks high above the surrounding clouds from the plane
windows only fuelled the sense of anticipation and it was surreal to be looking up at them only a few hours later from a rooftop in Imlil, the gateway to the mountains. There we were greeted with a culinary feast which was to become a constant highlight throughout the trip. It was also where we met Capt Habib from the Moroccan army (who had accompanied the same expedition in 2015), and the soldiers who would be joining us for the expedition. There we met our guide Mohammed too whose cries of ‘Yalla!’ (‘Let’s go!’) and dress sense would keep us going.
A 21km trek on the first day to the ski resort of Oukaimeden resulted in plenty of ascent and,
68 THE LIGHT BLUE VOLUNTEER