Mt Toubkal – Day 4 – Summit Day!

Refuge (10,330’) to Jbel Toubkal (13,665′) to Imlil (6,000′)

Up very early, 3:30 for breakfast at 4:00 and on the trail by 4:30. We start in the dark so everyone has headlamps on.

The trail quickly comes to a snow traverse that is slippery and very steep. Wishing we had crampons! This short traverse was the scariest part of the day for me.

After the traverse we began a steep rock scramble that seemed to go on forever. The trail is crowded and we pass several large, slow moving groups.

The trail leveled out a bit as headed up towards the saddle.

We reached the saddle around 7:15. Only 300′ to go but it is very rough.

We never stopped for very long because, with the wind, it is very cold.

And finally, around 8:15 we reached the top.

We don’t hang around long at the top because of the cold but the views are stunning.

Then we began the long, 7,500′ hike back to Imlil, stopping for an hour at the refuge to pack up our sleeping bags and have a quick lunch.

We got to our hostel in Imlil at 4:30 PM, a 12 hour day.