I summited Bouiblane mountain

Me and my friend Amine recently visited Bouyeblane (also spelled Bouiblane,Bouiblan, بويبلان) and ascended Moussa Ou Saleh, a 3200m mountain.

We departed  From Berkane and took the A2 highway to Taza. Then we headed south to our destination. The road from Taza to Bouyeblan was pretty rough. A steep path full of potholes, so it took us 3 hours drive for just 100 Km distance. Also, there are no gas stations in the road, so a full tank is advised before adventuring into the area.

When arrived, we sat at Ahmed Kbibih house, a local family living from animal husbandry especially sheep and goats,  accomodating visitors and guiding them in the area for very affordable prices. A very kind family, we ate meals with them in the center of the house which also served as the kitchen. So we saw how meals were prepared, and got to talk with Mr Ahmed's wife and their children. The family did everything to help us blend into their culture and feel the way they live. There was also a heating device warming the space that also served as the Tajine cooker. When we returned from our hikes, this space healed us both from the hunger  and the cold, so that was my favorite spot in the house. We ate dinner then slept in a room with traditional and warm covers, suitable for the freezing weather there. What I liked too about the house is that there was no network coverage, so this definitely helped at having some long and interesting discussions.

The third day, Abderrahim woke up early and noticed lot of clouds around the summit, so he went on the safe side and decided it was best for us to cancel. I admit it was a bit deceiving for us since we came determined to summit Bouyeblane, but we took it lightly and just decided to explore further the area instead. Around 11 am we went out exploring, Amine noticed the clouds were beginning to clear. We agreed then we should not let the opportunity go, just try the summit, and if weather was dangerous midway , we would just go back.

What followed was frankly the best adventure of my life, we started summiting at 11h30 am, we got caught in a storm near the summit, our supplies of water finished so we just ate the snow. The summit is at 3200m altitude, and to be frank, I was finished at 3000m altitude, the mountain was steep at times and movement was made harder by the thickness of the snow, which was more than 40cm at some places.

The experience of the final 200m of elevation was mesmerizing for me, because I literally had no physical energy, and just went through it with sheer mental power, encouraged by my friend Amine, withouht whom I couldn't have done this summit. When we finally reached the peak, I  broke in tears, because just some hundreds of meters away, I thought this was not possible anymore, I even told my friends to continue to the summit without me. 

I advise anyone who is looking to test his physical and mental abilities to experience mountaineering. Mountains are beasts of mother nature. They challenge our limits and push us to give the best of ourselves.