Step 16: Ifrane, where your ears sweat...
Trip Start
Jun 25, 2011
1
16
28
Trip End
Aug 07, 2011
What I did
Ifrane National Park
Ifrane, Morocco
Sunday, July 10, 2011
We were all invited into a local mountain home for a true breakfast of champions before hiking. There was an array of breads, (including corn bread!) apricot jam, honey, homemade butter, fresh orange juice (no sugars added), and much more. The carbs seemed like a bad idea at the time but I am glad that I kept eating and eating because the journey ahead was intense. We had to take our shoes off upon entering, and the house was filled with seating the whole way around the room and Moroccan fabrics hanging on the walls. We were served tea and coffee and the hospitality was truly genuine.
From there, our tour guide lead us up the huge Atlas mountains. For anyone who hikes, this was a pretty big deal. the path was covered with cactus plants and prickly plants and it was not a flat path. I am talking rocks, boulders, holes, etc. My ankles are killing me! It was completely worth it though. The smells of the cedar trees, the natural rock stairs, the breathtaking views: I cannot express the true beauty of the whole experience. The hike lasted around 4 hours and we went three football fields uphill to see the views. Honestly, there were moments in the beginning where I did not think that I could make it up the hill. My asthma was keeping me from deep breathing and my ankles and legs felt like jello. Once I got to the top, I felt like shouting for joy. Instead, I smiled inside and knew that the journey was not over just yet.
At a landing at the top of the Atlas Mountains Cedar Forest, there were monkies that live freely in the forest. I had the distinct pleasure of sharing my water with the monkey. I slowly stepped closer to it and it grabbed my open bottle with both hands as I tilted the bottle, pouring water into its mouth. What an experience. Sharing a life source with a wild animal. One of the coolest experiences of my life!
After the monkey business, we hiked to another scenic overview which was really difficult for all of us because we were so exhausted from the previous four hours of non stop hiking! Nonetheless, we pushed through it and relaxed at the top of the mountain, viewing towns, villages, and hearing Moroccan music played from below.
Besides the sports bra sun burn, the swollen feet, jaggers in the legs, five hours of hiking on rocky terrain, sweating ears, and rolled ankles, the steps I took in Ifrane will be remembered forever!
