White Mountain, black skies.

This summer I have spent a fair amount of time leading treks in the Alps. The Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB) is the most popular multi-day trek in Europe, and deservedly so. Taking ten days to do the complete tour, you get to see the iconic Mont Blanc range from every angle.

Its been really nice to get a break from the summer heat of Morocco – climbing Toubkal in 45 degree heat is no joke. So it was with some shock that I found myself one day in July looking out from the Elena refuge in Val Ferret to a menacing sky. “Make sure you bring an extra warm layer today” I told my clients, as we prepared to climb the Grand Col Ferret.

The black clouds came down as the wind increased, and snowflakes began to blow around us. By the time we reached the coll it was full-on winter conditions, made more serious by the fact that the clients only had cheap plastic ponchos to keep the weather out. I must say, I really didn’t expect to find winter this summer!

Memorable chats…

One of the great things about working the TMB is that you get to meet lots of other people, both clients and professionals. This means that every tour is memorable in its own right. I fondly remember the army guy from South Wales who was plodding up to the Coll de la Seigne one warm day with the biggest pack ever. He was brave, doing the whole tour on his own to raise money for the “Help for Heros” charity. As we got chatting, he asked me if I knew the route. He was rather shocked to hear I had done it the week before. “What, you are going round again???” he panted. “That’s insane!”

He caught up with our group a bit later when we were eating lunch, and meekly asked me, “Do you know anywhere in Cormayeur that I can leave some gear? This pack is killing me!”

Another day there was the local frenchman out for a sunday morning walk. It was during one of the all-Korean treks I did, and I had no-one in my group of twelve clients who could speak with me in any language that I knew. So I do admit to being overly talkative with any passers-by that week, as I was starting to go a bit stir-crazy with the language barrier all day. Anyway, after admiring a stunning Martagon Lilly together, this nice french guy pointed out one of the glaciers we were walking past. “When I was a kid, that glacier came right down to the valley floor down there.” He pointed. “Now look at it, it’s almost gone. Even the skiing season starts a month later now than it did in my childhood. That’s global warming for you…”

…and memorable guides

It was really nice to meet so many other Mountain Leaders too. There’s a real spirit of camaraderie on the TMB. Its quite fun to meet someone, start up a conversation, and then add them to facebook. Then you see what they get up to and maybe meet up again on the next go around, and chat about it! Amazing that such a big mountainous area can become such a small world thanks to the internet. There really are some interesting characters out there. If any of them are reading this then I really enjoyed meeting you and hope to get to know you better over the coming years working the TMB! This profession seems to attract the kind of people who are very self-motivated and perhaps non-conformist, utterly fascinating people to get to know.

The community feel was wonderful, and its nice to feel a part of something bigger. Being based in Morocco, there are very few Western leaders here in the Atlas so it can feel quite lonely at times. Having said that though, I do appreciate my Moroccan friends too. It’s just that there is something about shared culture and values which I miss at times.

Happiness and sadness

My time in the Alps was marked with both these emotions. Happiness to be in such stunning mountains. There is something ethereal and romantic about the glaciers, the forest and the alpine pastures which is simply unique. The piercing cry of the marmots echoing across the hillside, and the sight of Golden Eagles is unforgettable.

Yet there is also a sense of sadness there. There are so many signs of the life which once was. The alpine cheese-makers are almost gone now since industrialisation put them out of business. The carefree, simple life has given way to commercialism and the demands of capitalism. Once-pristine wilderness has been bulldozed for ski-slopes. And everywhere the signs of the retreating glaciers show the irrefutable proof of the destruction we are bringing on our precious planet. For these reasons, it’s nice to be back in Morocco again, where such signs are less evident.

Commercialism has yet to affect the Atlas Mountains in a big way, and locals still know the skills which we have forgotten in Europe. Even in Imlil, the “mountaineering centre” of Morocco, the friends whom we normally stay with live in a traditional stone and mud house. They keep cows on the lower floor of their house, chickens which roam free-range, and they churn butter by hand. What’s more, the hospitality of these amazing Berbers is legendary.

All in all, its been a good summer. The Alps always amaze, I have met some wonderful people, but it’s good to be back home in Morocco again. I have another Toubkal trek coming up shortly… what a privilege to share this unique landscape with a new group of clients!

Wherever you walk this autumn – enjoy the mountains! As Thoreau said, “In wildness is the preservation of the world”