Page 24 - AMA Winter 2023/24

MISCARTICLE
A TALE OF TWO EXPEDITIONS
Michael Saunders
“If I was to ask you to recall a moment on the mountains,
especially if you have the privilege of leading people in Fthese challenging environments, what would it be?”
or me, I would pick summiting Ben Fate can indeed be the cruellest mistress least, the only groups they are leading are Nevis before sunrise with a friend, and at 2311hrs local time on the 8th of recovery groups who are searching the as the Munros emerge from the September, nature unleashed a humanitar- rubble for those who have lost their lives in
dark, or a trek I took part in that summited Mt Kenya. But what if you found yourself in a situation where leading people in the environment you love is the very last thing you want to do? This I am afraid has become the reality for many in the mountain communities in Morocco.
WHY AM I POSING THIS QUESTION YOU MAY ASK?
On the 17th of September 2023 I was due to lead a group of 14 Army Reserve soldiers on a high risk and remote expedition to the High Atlas Mountains in Morocco, a trip that had been in the planning for over a year and that would hopefully see us summit the highest mountain in North Africa and also experience the rich culture of this ancient land.
ian disaster in the form of a 6.8 magnitude earthquake that was centred in the High Atlas Mountains. The death toll rapidly escalated beyond two thousand and some two plus weeks later, the full picture is far from known.
The devastation in the remote villages of the High Atlas is almost total and hard to describe, whole communities that have existed for centuries have been decimated and history will be a hard judge on how the world responds. But what of the mountain leading community that I touched on earlier? Normally at this time of year they would be taking groups large and small into the High Atlas, a primary source of income for an intricate network of businesses and individuals. For now at
this most human tragedy.
This situation reminds me that whilst we in the climbing and mountaineering community are in some way separate in what we do, we pride ourselves on our niche skills and abilities and rightly so, at times like this we are an essential part of any community, not just because of climbing or mountaineering skills, but because of the attributes that are needed and fostered in those disciplines. It is always easy sitting in an office with electricity and heating to spout off words like courage, discipline, resilience and selfless commitment. Our fellow mountain leaders in the High Atlas are living those principles on a daily basis right now and as such are very much in my thoughts.
Setting up Camp
24 / ARMY MOUNTAINEER