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We're up early and the tents and equipment packed away. Setting off into the early morning sun in this stunning landscape we make a couple more (very cold!) river crossings... |
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...before beginning the long ascent through a barren area to camp on a plateau at 3,000m, below the bulk of M'Goun. This is tough; the climb goes on for ever and the sun burns down on us. Some of us are probably feeling the altitude. |
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We're away before daybreak for our attempt on M'Goun, climbing first to the Tizi-n'Oumsoud pass at 3666m. |
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One of our muleteers – my good friend Saïd – looks out towards the Sahara. He walks in simple secondhand shoes with no socks, and we feel rather foolish in our technical colour-coordinated windproof jackets and Vibram-soled boots. |
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After starting up the ridge to the summit, our guide judges it too windy for safety, and the group is forced to descend to the mountain hut – our planned refuge for the night. |
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From here we can see for the first time the pass and the route to M'Goun (along the ridge, top left). This is a big, deserted landscape, smooth and gravelly rather than rocky, with isolated tufts of grass struggling to survive. |
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The following morning – after spotting a single muleteer in this vast landscape [you'll need to see the full-size photo] – the prospect of walking seems easier as we load our rucksacks and check our cameras for the journey back. |
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There's one more climb to get off the plateau, and we can take time to admire the view towards our start and finish point, back in the Ait Bougamez valley. |
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