Monday, July 10, 2006

how to baffle a mountain climber

How to baffle and confuse mountain climbers, as well as pudgy American Arabists:
- Spend a day hiking up to about 3200m altitude to a refuge just around the corner from the highest mountain in North Africa (Jebel Toubkal). Take your time. Enjoy the scenery.

hike to Toubkal Refuge, High Atlas mountains, Morocco

sun behind cloud

more clouds at sunset as seen from Toubkal Refuge

- Hang out at the refuge, talk about how you're not really all that interested in climbing to the tops of mountains just for the sake of it.

- While everyone else at the refuge leaves at 5 a.m. to do the ascent, sleep in until 8 a.m. and enjoy a leisurely breakfast outdoors. Watch people hobble back to the refuge after their ascents.

- Turn around and hike back down without climbing the mountain at all.

It is hilarious. Trust me.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thats me at Mt.Merapi. Josh had to climb the thing of course, but me, nah, I wandered around the bottom looking up, then went and had a beer.

Sigh...good times.