Page 71 - LBV 2017

INTER-COMPANY TRAINING & VISITS
inevitably, a fair amount of snow (and snow fights). There we began to acquaint ourselves with the sight of the terraced valleys behind us and the imposing peaks ahead which followed us for much of the expedition. The next day, we descended, covering 20km and taking in the stunning views as we passed from snow covered paths to baking valley floors before eventually arriving at Imioughlad. That day we acquired a blond Labrador by the name of
‘Louisa’ according to the soldiers,
who was to prove a (largely) faithful
and popular companion for the
remainder of the trip, and who had a
particular fan in OCdt Townsend. We
continued to drop in altitude, ending
up at Tassa Ouirgane by the end of
the following day. There, we were
witnesses to an intense football match between the soldiers and locals. No officer cadets were invited to play which was fortunate in retrospect such was the intensity and skills on show.
Despite the obvious physical nature of the trip, the cultural element of the expedition started
to bear fruit as we began to get to know our Moroccan counterparts better as well as the ancient Berber culture we came across. Through the conversations, fitness sessions, football watching, French lessons (particular credit goes to OCdt McConnel) and especially the sharing of food, we were humbled with the generosity and good humour of those we met and grew to know.
A shorter, but no less eventful day’s trekking proceeded, largely courtesy of Louisa and a mini landslide as we made our way to Tacheddirt. Though OCdts Potter, Hutton and Stuart attempted to restore some footballing pride with what turned out to be a fairly one-sided contest against about 15 Berber children. An entertaining evening followed filled with our Moroccan counterparts showing off their skills with the corridor acting as the dancefloor and a steel pan providing the beat. Our next stop was Azib Tamsoult as we started
to gain altitude again, stopping briefly to admire
a frozen waterfall (and engage in the inevitable snowball fight). With the paths steepening and the views improving, we made it to the town of Aremd the following day, with the snowy summits above us, providing a taste of what was to come.
A long and steep day came next as we made our way to the Toubkal refuge, helped by having to relieve our donkeys of their burdens when we hit the snowline, but the eager anticipation from the beginning of the trip was back. The loss of our companion Louisa, who somehow did not fancy the summit, was the only dampener on the mood.
Finally though, summit day was upon us. After a
There, we were witnesses to an intense football match between the soldiers and locals.
THE LIGHT BLUE VOLUNTEER 69