Brown Adrenaline - The High Atlas

After the party in Marrakesh over the weekend, it all got a bit more serious over the past couple of days as I travelled over the High Atlas Mountains at a height of up to 2,300m.

I have found the experience by far the most challenging to date, both physically and emotionally and by the time I got to the Berber town of Tarroudant yesterday I was, and I apologise  for the technical medical term, completely buggered!

September 8 2023

The Morocco earthquake of 2023 was a severe earthquake that struck near the town of Oukaïmedene in western Morocco on September 8, 2023. More than 2,900 people were killed and 5,500 people injured in the shallow magnitude-6.8 tremor and its aftershocks The earthquake heavily damaged parts of the ancient section of Marrakesh and devastated many remote settlements in the Atlas Mountains. It was felt as far away as Morocco’s largest City, Casablanca and as far away as Portugal and Libya.

Whilst the damage has largely been addressed in Marrakesh, there is still devastation the Mountains with roads and infrastructure destroyed and thousands still living in makeshift tented camps and emergency accommodation whilst settlements are slowly rebuilt.

Whilst many of us feel shock and sorrow whilst watching events such as this from afar, the emotional impact of seeing the damage up close, and the positive, pragmatic  approach of the local berbers was challenging.  I made a point of stopping at 6 or 7 tea stops to talk to the locals, not because I needed to drink but because I wanted to put some money, into the local villages.  At one stop I was asked to help by taking some bags of cement about 5 kms to a remote camp to help one family, this I did without hesitation and have to admit I was ashamed at the gratitude that was offered for such a small task…I have been lucky enough to work with communities heavily impacted by civil strife and extreme poverty in the past, most notably with the Kurds in the mountains of North Iraq but I have to say this was right up there with those days.  

I also found the trip incredibly physically and technically challenging as roads that were already dangerous and difficult before the quake were hugely impacted by landslides and for  one 50km stretch were down to single track dirt tracks with limited passing places and unprotected drops of 500m into the valleys below…….. I can honestly say I was the most scared  I have ever felt whilst driving……by a country mile.

The following few photos both show one of the passes before the quake and a few shots of my trip ….. I could not recreate the same shot after I had driven it as there was no suitable place to stop and frankly I was working hard to avoid a ‘brown trouser moment’

All I can say is thank God I was lucky enough to be driving a decent 4x4, the suspension and tyres came in for some real hammer and I am so glad I worked with the great team at Trek Overland to upgrade the suspension and shocks before I left the UK.😍

Tarroudant

Finally got here to wind down and reflect yesterday, a lovely Place where I spent the afternoon people watching and wandering round the Medina with the best preserved and largest intact earthen walls in Morocco.

Enjoyed dinner of a rabbit and bean tagine when I got back to my campsite.

For some time, I have supported a great UK charity, Re-act UK, which has deployed to Morocco following the quake but also works in the UK as well as overseas supporting communities……. I would encourage all to look at their work and if you can, support them in any way you see fit👍

Next stop is the Berber desert village of Tata and then the Atlantic coastal town of Mirleft