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Report name	Verulam School - Morocco 2009
Date submitted	Aug-09

Verulam School have just completed a two week expedition to Morocco. The team comprising of 19 boys, 1 girl and 4 leaders began their adventures by taking an early-bird flight to Morocco, North Africa which allowed them a day to relax by the hotel pool and acclimatise to the heat of Marrakesh, some 40 degrees or more.

On arrival they received a warm welcome by local in-country guides, Lahcen and Rachid who stayed with the team for the entire trip and who’s local knowledge helped make their trip run both smoothly and safely.

On leaving Marrakesh the team, now 26 in total, made their way across the Marrakesh plain to the High Atlas Mountains. Having left the city they were pleased to feel the cooler mountain air of the Ourika Valley and their first nights camp in Oukaimeden. A short acclimatisation walk here took the group to a view point where they could see the great peaks of the High Atlas, old ice and snow left from winter and the summit of Mount Toubkal, 4,167m, above sea level this was one of the teams’ objectives.

A days trekking over a pass took the team to the village of Tachedirt at 2,291m where they were based for 3 nights and carried out a path building project in the small village of Tinghoutine. For 2 days the team walked a 4 hour round trip from Tachedirt along the hilly valley to the village. The money provided by the students was used to obtain the tools and materials for the job. The team themselves put in many hours of hard manual labour, digging the path, chipping out the rock and walking bags of sand and stone uphill to the site! Verulam can proudly know they have left their mark in Morocco and made one villages’ life much easier and safer.

Each student used the next phase of the trip as their expedition for their Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award. The challenge was 5 days walking and camping under remote supervision, in groups of 6, including the challenging ascent of Mt Toubkal.

A couple of further challenges were presented to the group when they realised that it can actually rain (hard) in Morocco not to mention thunder and lightening! However, spirits were still high even after a very wet and windy night. Secondly, a bout sickness had begun to effect a few group members so a group decision was made to rest another night here and for those that were healthy enjoy a day walk and re-route the trek in a way that allowed medical assistance if needs be. The extra day here proved to be a good decision, which meant the whole team could walk the following day and begin their journey to Toubkal via the trekking village of Imlil.

With the scenery changing day by day and mountain peaks growing around them the teams finally arrived to set up camp at the Toubkal Refuge at 3,200m. Summit day was a shock to the system with a 4.30am wake-up call for breakfast. 26 team members departed at 5.30am wearing their head-torches until sunrise. Regular stops for water and food enabled the team to acclimatise well and the early start meant a nice cool ascent. At 9.15am the complete party of 26 had proudly reached the top of North Africa’s highest peak, at 4,167m above sea level, looking across to the Sahara desert. A fantastic achievement for all.

The final phase to the expedition was some well deserved R & R by the sea in the town of Essaouira where the students enjoyed cooling off in the pool and exploring the old town and local shops, or souks. The beach had a very unique atmosphere due to its combination of fishermen, swimmers, quad bikers, kite surfers, camels and horse riding! This is where the team enjoyed riding a camel, saw a chameleon in action and a walk with overnight camp in the dunes before heading back to Marrakesh.

Back in Marrakesh the team were once again welcomed by the overwhelming heat with temperatures of 52-54 degrees! The two days in the town allowed for further souk exploration & bartering, the enchantment of snake charmers, a little sight-seeing, relaxing respite by the pool and a final drink to celebrate a very successful expedition.

Julia Tregaskis-Allen and Paul Cammack

Adventureworks Leaders