Where We Are Going, We Don't Need Roads (Day 4)

  We set off early from Gite Panorama heading on our trek. Just the 20 metre tall hill next to Momo's house caused sweat and breathlessness... 4100m yet to go. We embraced the sweat and ploughed on. It was uphill nonstop the entire day headed for the first refuge. Before we got there though it was hours upon hours of the same paths in a zig zag going up the hill. We stopped off under a tree in some shade for a while. My favourite scran ever. Pasta, Star hot sauce (mam and dad better both get it on their shopping list like), tomatoes, onion, bit of green stuff and a Moroccan tea to wash it down. These blokes have literally brought a couple stoves up a hill and cooked better than I've ever made in a full kitchen. Then piles of watermelon. I don't even like watermelon but shoveled it down my gullet like it's my favourite food.

Time to move on...

We ploughed ahead in the sun again. At least 40°C on our way up again. Legs aching, my stomach rammed with melon and pasta, Poppy looking like one of the tomatoes we ate and Emilys leg scratched and bruised from a fall, but we had to get there coz the mules already nicked off with our tents.

Another four or so hours went by and we'd finally made it. These mules had already put our tents up for us... the men who walked up with them wouldn't help them. But we quickly packed our stuff and had more tea and biscuits... getting used to this full up feeling. Only an hour passed before tea. Gorgeous soup and hot sauce (STAR hot sauce for the shopping list) for starters, and a lovely chicken and rice platter for mains. Yet again, perfection. Ah... and more melon with a few oranges this time.

As the sun was still beaming and we were all honking of sweat, we headed for the river and rock pools to fill bottles, wash clothes and have a lovely bath. Cold water never felt so refreshing. As the sun started to set we all appreciated the starry night sky and went to leave our mark in the nearby trees (take what you will from that) and headed for bed ready for day two of the trek.

Joseph  

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